How many of you FULLY Free Range your Cornish X Meaties? Tractors do not count.

[aoxa]

i have done it both ways.the several times i free ranged or should i say pasture raised. i have also raised according to industry. i only lost 2 on pasture do to a rather large opossum . the industry way way i lost about 40%. if you go to my profile page you can see the cornish x with my layers. i have 1 hen " the beak" who insists on raising all the young. she is pictured as well. the first batch i ranged weighed between 11- 15 lbs live weight. i dressed one out at 11.4 lbs. that was with no organs and put in the oven.. i raise mine a little longer between 11 -13 weeks.

I have a rooster that is insisting on taking care of the meaties. You can see him in many of my pictures above. He's the barred rock boy. Very good with them.

I recall your experiment and found it very interesting.

 

[aoxa]

Week Six:





Comparison with layer chick hatched at the same time.


No the one in front is not a Cornish X, she is a mutt layer.


I took pictures this evening of the birds at 6 weeks old.

 

[call ducks]

Hey Anoxa,

I free range mine. Though this year I raised mostly alternative broilers. The only times I don't normally let them free range (normal commercial broilers that is) is when it's supper rainy here. I live about 5 minutes away from the Waterville Michelin tire plant, In the Annapolis Valley on just under the south mountain and we have a very odd micro-climate here of our own and commercial broilers are not known to have the best immune system even if they are exposed. Other than that they are out side at about 1.5 to two weeks. And my other flocks don't watch over them per say, but they due keep an eye on them.


Flock dynamics are funny that way

 

[aoxa]

Hey Anoxa,

I free range mine. Though this year I raised mostly alternative broilers. The only times I don't normally let them free range (normal commercial broilers that is) is when it's supper rainy here. I live about 5 minutes away from the Waterville Michelin tire plant, In the Annapolis Valley on just under the south mountain and we have a very odd micro-climate here of our own and commercial broilers are not known to have the best immune system even if they are exposed. Other than that they are out side at about 1.5 to two weeks. And my other flocks don't watch over them per say, but they due keep an eye on them.


Flock dynamics are funny that way

Thanks for chiming in! Still not a whole lot of people. If we are trying to raise them differently from commercial standards, I feel it is the only way. I have seen how packed people let those tractors become as they get older...

Yeah we had a bad rain experience with the layers, who by default (because they were raised in the same brooder as the meaties) were let out to range at 2 weeks as well. We had a bad rain storm and they hid under a tree and 15 were dead. Well you are not dead until you are warm and dead, so I revived every single one. It was crazy. I was all alone and it was the worst rain storm we had all year. Constant drenching rain.. I won't let them out in those conditions again. They don't seek proper shelter until they are a bit older...

How do you handle feeding your meaties that free range? Do you restrict? How much do you find you save?

So far I am way under the recommended feed intake for the age, which I am VERY happy about!

 

[aoxa]

I bought the cornish x straight run, and I am very male heavy on them. Not a bad thing.. The boys are much bigger it seems.

It surprises me how full they can stuff their crop on bugs/grass/whatever else they find on free range.

 

[aoxa]

Video of our farm and how the birds are free ranged.

 

[bruceh]

Video of our farm and how the birds are free ranged.

yes that is what they do. look like little sumo wrestlers coming at ya. i raise my meaties the same way on about 1/2 acre. i have no stories of the so called dreaded cx.. the cx has a personality of it's own.. friendly little guys.

 

[Beekissed]

You mean your CX don't get over stressed and "flip" when they run??

Imagine that!!! Beautiful place and a beautiful way for animals to live out their lives...as it should be.


Excellent video!!!

 

[aoxa]

You mean your CX don't get over stressed and "flip" when they run??

Imagine that!!! Beautiful place and a beautiful way for animals to live out their lives...as it should be.


Excellent video!!!

I've spent the morning trying to convince people they can free range. I had to take a video to prove it. Imagine that. My pictures weren't enough to show it. They said their legs couldn't support them running.

Obviously some run weird (so do I!) but most run just fine. At least they are running!

I haven't lost a single one on free range. No flipping, no heart attacks.

They are healthy robust birds. Some should be ready to process shortly.

 

[aoxa]

yes that is what they do. look like little sumo wrestlers coming at ya. i raise my meaties the same way on about 1/2 acre. i have no stories of the so called dreaded cx.. the cx has a personality of it's own.. friendly little guys.

Their running cracks me up! Totally right, they have a unique personality. I can hardly wade through them when I have the feed scoop after work. I took this video before feeding, because after feeding they all nap for an hour or so. You can see many have bulging crops from a day of free range!

I have about 1 1/4 acre cleared. Most of them spend the day foraging in the woods, and some make it over to the neighbours yard and forage there (they don't mind).