Help me collect data on Cornish Mortality rates please

[addictedtochickens]

I am doing a science fair project and have had terrible luck with my Cornish Broilers. I do not think I did anything wrong but they just kept dying. In the end, I had 50 percent die. I was just wondering what stats were with other people raising Cornish. I would like to use the data I collect to determine an average of Cornish Mortality. Thank you.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

With 50% mortality, you did something wrong. I don't want to sound blunt... but that's not normal. Without knowing how you raised them, what they were fed, ect. it's hard to know exactly what happen.


4% is what you want to shoot for but it's hard to accomplish without knowing what you're doing. I sometimes have loses as high as 15-20% and then I have batches that are 1-2%.

 

[averytds]

Someone else will have to do the math for me, but I started with 32 chicks. I lost 2 at 3 wks due to piling, my fault. I processed 1 at about 6wks that wasnt' doing well. I lost 1 at 8wks due to ?. I sent 18 to freezer camp right before Thanksgiving. I've got 10 more coming up on 12wks I still need to get to.

If I get my remaining ones done this week, I will have gotten 29 out of 32 successfully off to freezer camp. The one I processed at 6 wks wouldn't have made it much longer though.

 

[Liamm_1]

sounds like you would have had a 100% success rate, if not for the piling (didn't provide enough heat?), and the CX as far as I know are a 6-8 week bird (someone correct me if I'm wrong), so processing 1 at 6 weeks is within the range.
So, the breed itself did wonderfully, nice to know, since I'm considering a meat bird soon.

 

[averytds]

I had just moved them outside and I was worried about it being too cold for them. I put an overturned tub in for them to get into. Should have left them alone or used a round one. Lost one to each far corner. Took it out and they did fine all the way down into freezing temps.


The one at 6 wks was a process now whether you want to or not situation. Had I not noticed he wasn't doing well, he could have easily been a loss.

The other one....? It was dead in the tractor the morning after processing the 18 at 8wks. Could have been another about to go on it's own that got overlooked.

I keep expecting the remainders to have all dropped dead every morning when I go out being such ancient CX and all, but nope, they're still kicking. They're being feed restricted though to try and hedge my bets until I get to them.

 

[Liamm_1]

Off topic: I see you have 2 Sumatras. got any pics?

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Between our farm and the neighbor's we raised 508 broilers, lost 6 this year. Two were non viable out of the box the others died in the 2 to 4 weeks of age range.

That puts our mortality rate at 1.18%, pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

Jim

 

[al6517]

I think the simple fact is that folks need to actually prepare properly before getting thses birds, they are very different to raise and some folks just don't have the set-up or think exactly what their needs are. The high mortality rates I normally see from first timers is due to non preperation, This prep ranges from everything from feeding schedules, housing, crowding, waste material, and processing. I think a little research will go along way to saving more birds and less headaches for the owner.

AL

 

[bigredfeather]

I willing accept 3-5%. These loses typically come in the first few days in the brooder.

 

[Bossroo]

With a 50% mortality, I would look in the mirror for my answer. Consider the old Scottish proverb... " The eye of the master fattens the cattle". I have been raising the Cornish X for 3+ years now. I order 25 at a time 3-4 times a year. I occasionally have 1-2 DOA or within 2 days, which is less then 1% per batch. I raise them in one of my horse stalls (8, each 16 x 24) inside of my barn due to VERY high predator population. Plus our grass pastures ( 20 acres) are brown for 7 months of the year. They call California " The Golden State" for a reason.Then ZERO deaths untill 6-8 weeks when they go to freezer camp. At which point I have 100% mortality. Good luck in your research for your science fair project.