First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[JRNash]

The problem if you have been free will feeding them for 3 weeks is the damage is done, most likely. You will lose some even if you change their eating habits now.  I am not saying you should not cut way, way back, Just know the roots of kidney and heart problems have most likely started already.

I know this will sound cruel to some of you, but I actually skip a day or two a week with my "toads",   I want them on a near starvation diet to increase their life spans.

BTW they are huge birds, I am hoping I have not over fed them this year.

Ralph that tatic is actually backed up by some very solid scientific research. Its been suggested in studies that fasting every other day could tremendous health benefits (in people) it does some weird (good) stuff. Most of the studies are based on "models" different types of critters,some transgenic.

 

[JRNash]

Bottom line is that a starvation diet lengthens lifespan. Skinny chickens don't make a good supper though.

 

[lpatelski]

I'll look into those for next batch. In the meantime, I COULD put food out at 0530 then have someone take it in 1-3 hours later (depending on the day) then put it out again at 1630 for a bit. Think that will improve the chances?

First off, are you eating them or trying to save a few back to breed? If you are eating them, just cut them back and make sure your are using mega amounts of vitamins in the water.
You need to slow the growth rate by limit feeding. You allow them access to full feed for the first four I am changing this to three weeks. I intensively weighed the chicks every other day. I selected the two best doing cockerels and two pullets. At four weeks you weigh the feed out per the weight chart for Broiler breeders and feed the appropriate amount of daily feed. This goes on following the weight/age/feed amounts until 16 weeks of age. At this point they begin to sexually mature and must be slowly increased to a higher amount of feed to mature. The bone structure is there, the frame is there, and most importantly the internal organs do not have to play keep up/catch up. But I still lost both of my cockerels upon maturity. Both died within days of each other. Both died of the same symptoms. Blue comb and gasping. Heart failure due to Roostering at 21 weeks of age. The pullets came through it just fine and started to lay at 23 weeks. One hen just got fatter and fatter. She never did lay many eggs so I culled her and kept the better hen "Betty White".

My Chicks were always heavier/younger than the chart so I just used an approximate age and more so relied on the chick weight/feed ratio. I couldn't do the skip a day, I fed every day. I gave them meal worm treats too.

Starting on the left is Betty my keeper, then Bart-died upon puberty, Wilma-culled just ate a lot and laid a few eggs, then Bob#1-died upon puberty.
Some of Betty's chicks:

































Wilma is on the left Betty is on the right.
Bart doing his best Raptor impersonation.

 

[Dave C]

Really good information

 

[Dave C]

Yeah?  That doesn't seem like much.  I guess I could run out and put food in when I get up, then take it out 20 minutes later, then do the same when I get home at night.  I could also just feed them before I leave in the morning and pick it up when I get home, 11 hours later, letting them eat all day.  That's still less than they eat now, but they'd have an empty crop at night.

Am I missing something

Why don't you just fill the hopper with 20 minutes of feed,
You don't have to take it back out as its empty !

 

[Martlet]

Am I missing something

Why don't you just fill the hopper with 20 minutes of feed,
You don't have to take it back out as its empty !

Because I don't have the slightest idea what 20 minutes of feed is.

 

[duluthralphie]

Oh,,, that is easy,, GUESS and it will be enough. They will not starve to death.

 

[JRNash]

Ralph as usual is correct. It's almost guaranteed that we are ALL over feeding
our birds. I know if mine get hungry they go over the wire and start foraging in the yard. I have one jersey x scx that is an escape artist. I gave up on trying to keep it in the pen. As all actions have consequences, I refuse
to feed it outside the pen.To my mind this would encourage the delinquent behavior. It's been 2-1/2 weeks and it hasn't starved,been eaten or went back in the pen.lol

 

[JRNash]

Come spring I'd like to get some hatching eggs from you Ralph and also Linda. I beleive y'all have the best looking birfs I've seen.

 

[JRNash]

Dave your birds rock also