first try at cornish x

[bow_hunt2005]

we r going to attempt raising 50 cornish x chickens. we have plenty of space for them and from what i have read, 20# of feed is expected from each bird. the only thing that i havent found alot of info on is raising them in the wisconsin winter months. the lower part of our barn is sectioned off by concrete walls as it once was used for horses. the stalls are about 9'x10' so i planned on using two of them. 25 birds per stall. the stalls also have rubber floors that may help with the cold but im not sure how hardy these birds are. i will have at least 2 heat lamps in each stall and i hope as the birds get older, they will b able to withstand the cold. i guess im looking for some answers on that and if i should just wait till spring. friends and family have already put their orders in for us to raise the birds so im hoping we wont have any problems. thanks for any responces and in general to BYC. this is a great place to learn.

 

[glucke]

Quote:
i don´t see a problem with the cold as long as they are fully feathered before they go outside. until then you have to make sure to keep them in an absolutely draft free enviroment. cornish rocks can´t handle heat verry well and they are prone to heart attacks due to their fast growth. so i wouldn´t use the heat lamps after 5 weeks anymore. use a thick layer of straw for bedding it should keep them warm. if you are still worried about the cold you can use a regular 60 watt bulb in the stall.

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
You generally eat cornish x about 2 weeks past "fully feathereed". And I don't know anyone who would want to rase 50 "inside" anything that wasn't outside.

To the OP: I can't say what it'll be like where you are in the winter but two 250W bulbs in each stall of a non heated barn will probably be ok as long as it's not drafty. It is true they do better in cold than hot, but not sure how cold WI cold is... cold here is positive 20F. They will poop ALOT so be prepared to figure 20lbs of poop per bird plus water mass in those stalls.

 

[stephanimal]

I am not sure the answer to your questions, but I will tell you the cornish x are TASTY! I let mine go until 14 weeks and got roughly 10lbs average of meat. Good luck

 

[naillikwj82]

Twenty pounds each bird is about right. At present we are at day 50, for 25 cx males feed and water are 24/7 and have used 18 #s per bird. Also at this point about half our birds still have bald thighs, so half are in the tractor and the remaining are still in a large covered brooder. We have only had a couple of nights in the mid 20's........ I agree with silkiechicken that indoors the smell is terrible! Thier manure is very wet, Will you be using any type of bedding? Will you be mucking out the stalls frequently? I can't emphasize enough about the smell, gagging! With the lack of feathers you might have to be prepared to keep them in the barn for the duration. 25 birds in a stall should be fine though, because they also generate quite a bit of heat themselves.

?? stephanimal ?? When you kept your CX to 14 weeks, what was your mortality rate, or health issues??

 

[stephanimal]

Out of my 15 I had only 1 who became lame--he couldn't get up and that is when he got slaughtered. I then did the others over the next week.

I only fed 21% protein, so they may have grown slower.

 

[glucke]

Quote:
You generally eat cornish x about 2 weeks past "fully feathereed". And I don't know anyone who would want to rase 50 "inside" anything that wasn't outside.

To the OP: I can't say what it'll be like where you are in the winter but two 250W bulbs in each stall of a non heated barn will probably be ok as long as it's not drafty. It is true they do better in cold than hot, but not sure how cold WI cold is... cold here is positive 20F. They will poop ALOT so be prepared to figure 20lbs of poop per bird plus water mass in those stalls.

you are absolutely right! by inside i ment some kind of brooder. outside to me means under hopefully blue skies ... sorry but english isn´t my first language!

i also restricted the food for my cornish rocks to twice a day for 3 hours. they´ll grow slower and are only ready about 12+ weeks but are more healthy and a lower mortality rate.

 

[bow_hunt2005]

thanks for all the advice. we are still deciding if we should get them in winter or just wait 2 months til spring. i feel the clean up will b a huge hassle being in the barn all the time. the poop may b frozen and come spring time, it is not going to b pretty. i cant imagine having them outside with the snow and everything. i know these birds r way different than raising egg layers which we have now and it will b a trial and error process. we r just trying to keep the error part to a minimum.

 

[gmendoza]

The problem with cornishx is that they dont last. You have to process them before they get heart attackes,or broken legs,etc..

I am going to help this BYC community by selling dark cornish bulldog eggs in March, or I'll put some in the "egg swap". That way you wont need to buy those genetic hybrids and you can have your cornish and eat em too.

 

[dsqard]

Quote:
You can pretty much count on that. I would suggest straw or pine shavings to help keep the poop from freezing on the rubber pads. I have those in my horse stalls. I clean the stalls every day and it only takes a day for the manure to freeze to the mats. I use a snow shovel to break it loose then scoop it up. I live in Utah and it is probably not quite as cold here.
ETA - I didn't think of the heat lamps and birds keeping the heat up in the stall. You might not have as much as an issue with this as I first thought. I would suggest a snow shovel though for cleaning. It works really well for my horse pens.