Food restrictions for Cornish cross

[Nugget_123]

I got 6 Cornish cross chicks. I’ve been researching food restrictions. There is a lot of different methods, like the 12 hour on 12 hour off feed schedule. At what age do Cornish cross need their food restricted? How much do they need every day as they grow? When should I switch their feed from the meat bird starter to grower? Any other tips on them? I know this is a lot, thanks.

 

[Folly's place]

Our last group of ten Cx chicks were fed Flock Raiser, with the food ten or twelve feet away from the waterer.
I goofed and didn't schedule their date with the processor until they came home, so they needed to live to 14 weeks of age, difficult to manage.
At about three weeks of age I removed their feed about ten hours after dawn, and with feed restriction and having to actually walk around their coop, all made it!
We had 'small turkeys', dressed weights to 11 pounds!
Mary

 

[BigBlueHen53]

14 weeks and 11 lbs., goodness! I didn't know they could last that long! We keep feed available all day but just feed all-flock after the first three weeks. We don't want them to grow too fast. They're in the dark at night, so no feeding at night. Every afternoon I toss a small handful of scratch and mealworms out away from their feeder so they half to walk to come get it. This forces them to use those leg muscles which is satisfactory also because you get bigger drumsticks. We start processing at six weeks, three at a time bècause that's all I can fit in my fridge. We age for four days in the fridge before putting in the freezer downstairs and then process the next three. I think last time we processed the last batch was done at nine weeks. The smallest weighed about 3.5 lbs, the largest just under 6 lbs., if I recall correctly. Plenty big for the three of us. But take my experience as that of a rank, self-taught novice; others probably do it differently. We don't need enormous birds.

 

[iwltfum]

I got 6 Cornish cross chicks. I’ve been researching food restrictions. There is a lot of different methods, like the 12 hour on 12 hour off feed schedule. At what age do Cornish cross need their food restricted? How much do they need every day as they grow? When should I switch their feed from the meat bird starter to grower? Any other tips on them? I know this is a lot, thanks.

I feed mine twice a day (first thing morning and late afternoon) - enough food so there's no food left when I get back for the next feeding. I raise them in pasture pens so they get a bit of forage encouragement when they run out of feed for an hour or two before they get more. I do give them enough so there's constant food for the first three or four weeks though. 12/12 is probably great as long as your attentive about giving them everything they need for the whole day, but honestly I'm not paying enough attention for that system. What ever works for you will work best. Have a feed consumption chart handy to reference - and weigh what you give them in one feeding. Or weigh what you feed scoop can hold and you will always know about how much you're giving them.

 

[ChimkinNug]

I got 6 Cornish cross chicks. I’ve been researching food restrictions. There is a lot of different methods, like the 12 hour on 12 hour off feed schedule. At what age do Cornish cross need their food restricted? How much do they need every day as they grow? When should I switch their feed from the meat bird starter to grower? Any other tips on them? I know this is a lot, thanks.

Here is our schedule:

Always provide unlimited water. We add Broiler Booster from Murray McMurray.

Week 1 - Unlimited Chick Starter
Week 2 - Unlimited Chick Starter
Week 3 - Transition from Chick Starter to Meat Bird feed through the week. Also start 12 hour feed schedule. We provide food from 8 am to 8 pm.
Week 4 through Processing - Meat bird feed on a 12 hour schedule.

We process the biggest birds at 6 weeks, if necessary, but we often wait until weeks 7-9 to process. We average a 6.5 lb processed weight.

Hope this helps!

 

[Nugget_123]

Thank y’all all so much!!!

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

This guide from Meyer Hatchery will answer all your questions. I've used their feeding protocol with great success for years and have prevented heart and leg issues associated from overfeeding. People think those issues are inevitable with CX, but they are truly due to overfeeding (with some rare exceptions).

They also do have a chart there that shows about how much feed they consume. I don't measure though. 12 hours on/off after the first 2 or 3 weeks has been good for me.

Best of luck!

 

[FunClucks]

When you feed them, if you are withholding food, make sure that first feed of the day has space for everyone at the feeder. They don't take turns like eggers do. If everyone doesn't have their own spot, they will fight for it and slice each others' rear open with their claws trying to get to the food. In the brooder, I used two feeders, an initial "decoy" feeder with a small amount of feed in it to get them away from the main feeder area, and then I would refill and insert the large feeder, and they'd split their attention between the two. Otherwise, I had trouble dealing with the large main 15 lb round feeder without squishing chicks.

These issues may be less of an issue with 6 chicks. I usually have 25.

 

[iwltfum]

When you feed them, if you are withholding food, make sure that first feed of the day has space for everyone at the feeder. They don't take turns like eggers do. If everyone doesn't have their own spot, they will fight for it and slice each others' rear open with their claws trying to get to the food. In the brooder, I used two feeders, an initial "decoy" feeder with a small amount of feed in it to get them away from the main feeder area, and then I would refill and insert the large feeder, and they'd split their attention between the two. Otherwise, I had trouble dealing with the large main 15 lb round feeder without squishing chicks.

These issues may be less of an issue with 6 chicks. I usually have 25.

That's a great point and it really needs to be thought about whether or not the feed is being restricted. I usually run at least four pens of 25 birds per year also and have found that 5.5-6" of feeder length is necessary per bird by 8 weeks old.

 

[FunClucks]

That's a great point and it really needs to be thought about whether or not the feed is being restricted. I usually run at least four pens of 25 birds per year also and have found that 5.5-6" of feeder length is necessary per bird by 8 weeks old.

I use gutter feeders and make sure everyone has at least a linear foot of gutter space (for adults). Like, literal 10 ft sections of gutter supported by cinderblocks with another gutter wired in place upside down to prevent feed scattering and protect somewhat from rain. Eggers don't need gutter feeders, but it was the best option I found for 25 bird batches of CX in a covered run. I'd put the water as far away as possible - it was the only time they got exercise, walking back and forth.