I have a ton of other birds, but I wanted to try some Cornish X. I have read just about every entry on this forum about meat birds and this breed. But is there anything I'm missing? Some helpful tips would be lovely.
Getting my first Cornish X on Feb 2...now what?
- Thread starter Farm Frenzy
- Start date
I've only raised them once last fall, and will do so this spring, but i'd say that some of the more important things with them are:
they grow fast, so make sure your brooder is big enough from the start - had ours in a very large box ( i thought ) and had to add another box before they were 2 weeks old ( they really enjoyed going thru the opening from box to box tho and were comical) - then moved to a coop with heat lights.
as they grow, I think that they are healthier and more comfortable at temp. being a bit cooler than too warm
pooh a lot! - expect to either clean the coop every day or use the deep litter method with stall dry and straw added twice a day or more. definitely need something like stall dri or sand to dry the pooh or it generates a lot of heat and wetness - also keeps the smell down if the litter is dry.
we didn't let them out,as it was late fall and got cold, but they had a large coop with room to move around, and did just fine.
lots of clean water all day - and food for about 16 hours with and 8 hours without after first 2 weeks .
when they are about 6 weeks - they are frightened easily, so no fast moves when feeding or cleaning, or they will stampede and step on each other.
they really aren't bad birds, ( seem to get a bit of bad press here )and altho they aren't very active and always hungry - they will come close and be petted if you want them to.
they grow fast, so make sure your brooder is big enough from the start - had ours in a very large box ( i thought ) and had to add another box before they were 2 weeks old ( they really enjoyed going thru the opening from box to box tho and were comical) - then moved to a coop with heat lights.
as they grow, I think that they are healthier and more comfortable at temp. being a bit cooler than too warm
pooh a lot! - expect to either clean the coop every day or use the deep litter method with stall dry and straw added twice a day or more. definitely need something like stall dri or sand to dry the pooh or it generates a lot of heat and wetness - also keeps the smell down if the litter is dry.
we didn't let them out,as it was late fall and got cold, but they had a large coop with room to move around, and did just fine.
lots of clean water all day - and food for about 16 hours with and 8 hours without after first 2 weeks .
when they are about 6 weeks - they are frightened easily, so no fast moves when feeding or cleaning, or they will stampede and step on each other.
they really aren't bad birds, ( seem to get a bit of bad press here )and altho they aren't very active and always hungry - they will come close and be petted if you want them to.
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I raised one batch of 25 last year and all in all raising them was not bad at all.
Be prepared. When you open the box when they arrive you will melt. They are the cutest chicks ever, you'll be worried that you won't be able to eat them they are so cute, but in a week or two you'll be counting the days till processing time.
I will never raise another batch in a stationary run. The poo these guys produce is ungodly and in enormous amounts. They need to be in an area that can be moved to a fresh spot day to day.
Other than that though, they were good. They were very sweet docile birds. I fed mine only during the day with fresh water at all times (and boy can they drink!). I fed mine game bird food with a higher protein percentage since no one locally carries broiler feed and they did great. I didn't lose a single one to heart disease or leg problems and unlike the vast majority of others here, mine were active! They even tried to fly!
I think the higher protein food helped prevent leg problems.
I let a few go too long and butchered one roo at 21 pounds at 18 weeks old. And he wasn't tough at all!
What made it hard for me last year was having to process them all alone because my husband simply could not do it. This year I found a processer and I'm planning to raise 50.
Good luck!
Be prepared. When you open the box when they arrive you will melt. They are the cutest chicks ever, you'll be worried that you won't be able to eat them they are so cute, but in a week or two you'll be counting the days till processing time.
I will never raise another batch in a stationary run. The poo these guys produce is ungodly and in enormous amounts. They need to be in an area that can be moved to a fresh spot day to day.
Other than that though, they were good. They were very sweet docile birds. I fed mine only during the day with fresh water at all times (and boy can they drink!). I fed mine game bird food with a higher protein percentage since no one locally carries broiler feed and they did great. I didn't lose a single one to heart disease or leg problems and unlike the vast majority of others here, mine were active! They even tried to fly!
I think the higher protein food helped prevent leg problems.
I let a few go too long and butchered one roo at 21 pounds at 18 weeks old. And he wasn't tough at all!
What made it hard for me last year was having to process them all alone because my husband simply could not do it. This year I found a processer and I'm planning to raise 50.
Good luck!
i couldn't process mine either! - DH took them to a close by processor and I had to stay home. I can raise them, feed them, shovel pooh, and eat them, but not process them.
I agree with what has been said so far, but want to add one thing, make sure you do not feed them too much. This is where problems can arise with heart attacks, leg problems etc. I fed mine a little too much and just had some fluid in the body cavity but still no major problems. Trust me it is hard to not over feed them, that is what they were bred to do, eat and get fat, but it is in their and your best interest. I didn't mind all the manure though, it makes great compost. Hope this helps.
I would say to take some of the warnings from people on this site with a grain of salt. Before I got my first ones, I was nervous after all that I'd read here. But, remember that the problems associated with these birds (smell, health, etc,) are in relation to other breeds of chickens, which are incredibly easy to raise. I think people giving warnings about Cornish X's are speaking in relation to their other chickens, which is fine, but overall, these aren't bad birds. They poop a lot, and a few will die, but that's about it. I started last spring never having raised ANY chickens- I got a few layers and some meaties. The layers are insanely easy, and low maintainance, while the meaties just take a little more care. Don't stress too much, they'll be fine.
Sounds like the others said it right. They are very easy to raise, love to eat, drink tons of water and poo alot. But they are also very tasty. I bet you will enjoy them. Good luck.
- Thread starter
- #8
Well thanks guys, you made me feel a lot better. I just wanted to try it one time...so we'll see how it goes. I'll let you know in February!
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