High Altitude (6500ft) Meat Bird

[ItsRachelle]

Apologies in advance for the long-winded, multipurpose thread.

1 - Bird of choice
I have been digging around and found that the most common/suggested meat bird is the Cornish X but they don't seem to do well in high altitudes. I hope to start learning a bit about raising chickens for meat, but I am still very new to raising chickens at all (like 1 week with a fully grown/settled flock of 10 beautiful egg-laying hens and 1 rooster). I intend to do quite a bit of researching and preparing before getting meat birds, but not sure what type I should go for, if not the Cornish cross. I am at about 6500ft in elevation, so do not want to suffer too many losses, but also do not want to go for something with a long time before processing or that is on the smaller side.

2- Raising with my existing flock
How do people go about introducing new birds to their coop/run without disrupting their existing egg-laying birdies? I am trying not to overthink it, but also want to be sure I am keeping the existing ladies happy and that all of the birds will have enough space/minimize any territorial disputes/etc..

Any advice? Thank you all for being so helpful

 

[U_Stormcrow]

First, I live in FL, and while I am on "high ground" in the state, high ground here is about 180 ft! So I have NO first hand experience.

You are correct - the studies consistently conclude that CornishX, NOT famed as hearty resilient birds - suffer even higher mortality at high altitude. Its a function of their genetics. Cx are huge, extremely fast growing birds which put uncommon stresses on their internal organs, particularly the heart. Reducing the oxygen content of the air increases those stresses considerably.

Not that its a guarantee of mortality - its a guarantee of greater CHANCES of mortality - and the more Cx you raise, the more likely that your own experiences will begin to closely approximate the higher mortality rates seen in the studies.

Now you COULD attempt to mitigate with feed restrictions and the like, to slow their growth rate, but then you are foregoing the primary benefit of the Cx - incredible early growth and feed efficiency.

By reputation (I've not owned them myself), you might want to look into "slow broilers" and "color broilers", both of whom are meat birds with significant early growth and decent feed efficiency, but not at the rates the Cx have been genetically selected for.

That's the theory. Hopefully others can step in with more practice-based advice.

 

[ItsRachelle]

Thank you @U_Stormcrow !

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I have NO idea about higher elevations, but I've raised several broods of Jumbo CornishX successfully, with no casualties. The key is to follow EXACTLY a feeding schedule. Weigh the food carefully, and feed only on a schedule, no matter how hungry they act. Keep their growth in check, make sure feed is 22% or higher in protein, and keep their brooder/coop/run dry and clean. These birds are eating and pooping machines, and will make an INCREDIBLE amount of poop and wet stinky mess. Also, I keep their water and feed in separate areas away from the coop, to force them to get some exercise. Just a thought (my opinion, NO basis in science) but perhaps you could consider slaughtering them a bit earlier, to forestall any heart problems, like around 6-7 weeks.

Introducing new birds or chicks to an existing flock is a bit easier. I've found chicks do best between 6-8 weeks, when they're big enough to manage on their own but still small and FAST enough to scramble between the legs of bigger, meaner chickens. They're also young enough to not challenge anybody. In any case, put the new birds or chicks in an enclosure or kennel of sorts, where they and the existing birds can see and talk to each other, for a few days. Provide plenty of hidey-holes, obstructions, or areas where they can hide and break the line-of-sight from bigger chickens, then turn them loose. I've heard some people will put them on the roosting bars in the main coop at night, and when the birds all wake up they think the littles have always been there. I haven't had any trouble turning them loose during the day, though.

 

[NatJ]

2- Raising with my existing flock
How do people go about introducing new birds to their coop/run without disrupting their existing egg-laying birdies?

If you want to raise meat chickens that are butchered at 8 to 12 weeks old, it is usually easier to keep them in a separate pen. That way there is no disruption of the existing flock.

For introducing new chickens that are supposed to be permanent members of the flock, there are quite a few threads and articles about it. Some people introduce them as chicks, some wait until they're fully grown. Many people have them live in adjacent pens for a week or more, so they start to get acquainted without any bullying or injuries, before actually letting them mix. Some wait for a broody hen to raise new chicks, and the hen raises the chicks in the coop with the other chickens (this works with hatching eggs from your own flock, or it is often possible to purchase chicks and have a hen adopt them.)

 

[ItsRachelle]

Introducing new birds or chicks to an existing flock is a bit easier. I've found chicks do best between 6-8 weeks, when they're big enough to manage on their own but still small and FAST enough to scramble between the legs of bigger, meaner chickens. They're also young enough to not challenge anybody. In any case, put the new birds or chicks in an enclosure or kennel of sorts, where they and the existing birds can see and talk to each other, for a few days. Provide plenty of hidey-holes, obstructions, or areas where they can hide and break the line-of-sight from bigger chickens, then turn them loose. I've heard some people will put them on the roosting bars in the main coop at night, and when the birds all wake up they think the littles have always been there. I haven't had any trouble turning them loose during the day, though.

Thank you very much.

If you want to raise meat chickens that are butchered at 8 to 12 weeks old, it is usually easier to keep them in a separate pen. That way there is no disruption of the existing flock.

This is the route I was thinking made most sense. If I was looking to raise for 8-12 weeks before processing, I would think I wouldn't need the whole set up that is needed for matured egg layers, right? no nesting area, but an indoor coop and outdoor run, correct? Is there a particular amount of space per bird that is recommended?

 

[NatJ]

If I was looking to raise for 8-12 weeks before processing, I would think I wouldn't need the whole set up that is needed for matured egg layers, right? no nesting area, but an indoor coop and outdoor run, correct? Is there a particular amount of space per bird that is recommended?

Correct, no nestboxes for meat birds.

Unlike adult hens, where the recommendation is for a certain amount of coop space and more space in the run, the advice for meat chickens assumes just one pen, with no separate coop or run. People often recommend 2 square feet per meat chicken, but 4 square feet or more would be nicer. One of the biggest complaints is how quickly the space gets poopy, but more space helps by giving more area for them to spread it.


A coop and run usually doesn't work very well for meat chickens, because they are still babies who don't know when to go to bed. Especially in the summer, they will be fine if you make a pen with hardware cloth all over, a weatherproof roof, and put up something temporary to shelter it more for the first few weeks. Tarps or even pieces of cardboard can be enough extra shelter while the chicks are being brooded, and you can open up more of it with each successive week. By the time they're ready to butcher, they might have just one covered wall, or maybe not any (depends on how hot your climate is, and how much wind & rain you're getting at that time of year.)

 

[ItsRachelle]

@NatJ Thank you so very much - extremely helpful.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

My oversight - I assumed you would be housing the meat chicks separately. My advice for introducing chicks to the main flock would apply best to breeds you intend to raise to maturity. CornishX grow so incredibly fast and heavy, they are ready for slaughter by 8-10 weeks. And they can't easily get away from a bullying hen.

About their housing - I had to round them up every night to go into a safe coop, as they do not know when to go to bed. I preferred a place I could lock them up at night, because we have an abundance of raccoons in our area. I used a couple of flattened cardboard boxes to make a 'funnel' of sorts into the coop door, then I used another one to 'herd' them toward the funnel. No roosts, no boxes, just a layer of wood chips or straw on the floor. Had to scoop it out 2-3 times a week. I used a small storage shed we already had. It was too small, at about 32 sq ft for 20 birds, but they only slept in it. I fenced a day run outside the shed, at about 300 sq feet, so more than adequate.

About feed: With my first flock of these birds, I fed too much, feeling sorry for the hungry little things acting like they're starving to death. Bad move. Some developed splits in their skin as the muscle grew faster than skin. One developed splayed legs and could not walk.

Here is one of the batches I raised:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cackle+Hatchery®/@37.6773804,-92.6676104,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipM5X3l_QX7r9unv343kx4hcs0YbIeScuwHsROYV!2e10!3e12!6shttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipM5X3l_QX7r9unv343kx4hcs0YbIeScuwHsROYV=w203-h151-k-no!7i2048!8i1530!4m7!3m6!1s0x87c539721dc28e85:0xd79d7a9e06ae1df8!8m2!3d37.677485!4d-92.6678743!14m1!1BCgIgAQ#

 

[ItsRachelle]

Awesome.... Thank you for clarifying @BarnyardChaos... I likely could have been clearer there. =)