Housing for cornish X

[fresheggs4u]

I have ordered some cornish x that will be here in a few weeks. What would you suggest for a cheap housing solution. To brood and raise them I have a coop for my layers but plan to keep them separate. I have about a 1000 ft run ready, but need to add housing.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

It will depend on how many you are getting? Anything will work as long as there is enough space for them. It doesn't need to be elaborate. They will only be in it for about 8-10 weeks. Good luck.

 

[bantyhen'sfriend]

Some people use PVC tractors or hoop pens. Try searching meat bird housing or cornish cross housing, something like that. We just built a triangle-shaped coop (two walls and a roof, with a wire front wall and big vents on top, air flow is very important) in the corner of our layer flock's run and fenced off a portion of it. However, we only had 11 birds and they pooped so much we had to put them on grass in a pen made from cattle panels during the day so they would not get blisters and burns on their breasts and feet. It also kept them much cleaner, and since I moved them back and forth by carrying their feeder in front of them, they got exercise. I think it made for healthier birds. If you do not put them on grss int he shade, I would reccommend putting a tarp over their run to shade it, they are very sensitive to heat. Also, the cleaner you keep it, the better. I would reccommend sand in the run so you could rake the poo once a week. Clean their house/shelter once a week at least.

For brooding, anything will work based on the number of chicks you have. A 2'X3' shipping crate works for us for 11 birds until 3-4 weeks, then they have to be moved to a larger pen in the barn. Once they don't need the light they go to the coop I mentioned.

 

[fresheggs4u]

thanks for the info - my next question is would you do it again?

 

[ARose4Heaven]

I do Cornish X every year. We do 50-75 to have all the meat we possibly want for a year. See my BYC webpage to see the "little" coop I keep for mine. They don't need a lot of run cause they are lazy things.

 

[bantyhen'sfriend]

I do it every year for 4-H. I love the experience, and how tasty they are!

Also, I find that they are really funny to watch, if you don't mind the poop. So much poop! Grass really helps with this! I want to add sand to their run this year to see if that makes cleaning easier.

My birds stick around awhile, because they are raised for 18 weeks (the judge likes to see a mature bird with good finish and decent size, about 24 pounds per pair, give or take). I don't mind it one bit.

 

[g&h farm]

So do the meat birds poop more than the layers?

 

[lawnman]

meat birds poop 20x more than layers!!!!!

 

[blackvelvet]

Yes, they poop A LOT MORE!

I house mine in a 10X10 dog lot and it is covered with really heavy tarp. and the roof has tin so the rain can run off. But on nice days i can raise the tarp and on cold or rainy days I can lower it. Wish you the best of luck.

 

[bantyhen'sfriend]

So much poop, I sometimes get nightmares about it!

Seriously, I think they have contests. Who can poop the most? Who can poop on the kid? Bonus if it gets on her face!

Cleaning once a week at least if you do not have a tractor is a must. If you do have a tractor, you sometimes need to break up the poops with the hose. They are big, loose poops, with a lot of excess feed in it (if you feed grain to slow down their growth).