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

[Lincy]

Here are my meaties' first foray outside! I had mixed results. A couple never came out of the box, but most did. I sprinkled a little food in the grass to try to encourage them to peck/scratch around. About half ran around for a few minutes before going back into hiding. They did practice scratching *inside* the box, so I guess that's good lol.

I had one precocious little booger that really took to outside life.

He ate some grass, ran around, tried to fly. Hopefully once they're going outside more, the others will take their cues from him.

I got the whole "they only lay around, eat, sleep, and poop" spiel from the guy at tractor supply, but I've never taken their advice on anything else farm related, so I'm not about to start now

I started an experiment a few years ago. How long could I get a CX to live a healthy life? So far, we are 2 and a half years in. Henry is a character! He does some laying down, but he moves around a lot and is free range all day. He gets a few handfuls of scratch a day and some fruit. Except for roosting at night, he acts like a normal chicken. I'm sure that if I gave him access to food constantly and kept him in the coop, he wouldn't live long. If you want to eat them, then that is just fine (I'm sure Henry would be tasty). However, I like breaking the rules.

He is a big boy!

 

[ottbmom]

I started an experiment a few years ago. How long could I get a CX to live a healthy life? So far, we are 2 and a half years in. Henry is a character! He does some laying down, but he moves around a lot and is free range all day. He gets a few handfuls of scratch a day and some fruit. Except for roosting at night, he acts like a normal chicken. I'm sure that if I gave him access to food constantly and kept him in the coop, he wouldn't live long. If you want to eat them, then that is just fine (I'm sure Henry would be tasty). However, I like breaking the rules.

He is a big boy!

That is amazing! I have a couple that might be good candidates to skip freezer camp, but I think we're going to process this entire first batch. Maybe in the future though!

 

[Lincy]

That is amazing! I have a couple that might be good candidates to skip freezer camp, but I think we're going to process this entire first batch. Maybe in the future though!

I wish Henry was successful at breeding his girls. He has been an excellent rooster otherwise. I'd love to breed our own meat birds.

 

[JustAChickenLittle&More]

OK meat bird lovers. Lol. I have 12 Cornish x chicks about 2 weeks old and I'm looking to sell them or trade them for Buff Orpington? They are straight run. I'm in central Florida between Dunnellon and Ocala.

 

[eviemethugh]

I read this thread when my Cornish X were about 3 weeks old (and drifting between brooder and tractor) and I am SO glad I did. It totally makes sense that they should walk around and DO things. We did go by the Welp Hatchery feeding guidelines to a T, which might be more food than some of you do, and only had 2 that "mysteriously" died, and maybe 1 or 2 who are missing in action (predators?) out of 103. We processed this past weekend, and they were awesome!! The biggest was 7 lbs processed, and they averaged 5.5 lbs. They free ranged about 12 hours a day (it was this past 8 weeks, so there was only sunlight at most 14 hours a day.) and they are SO DANG TASTY. They didn't walk around as much the last week, until we skipped their dinner friday night so they would be ready at 6am...and I loved it! It was like a field full of normal chickens scratching and pecking and everything. And yes we did have to video them running! They see the food bucket and it's like a pack of wild dogs! They are fast, using their wings to half fly half balance, I never managed to feed them anywhere close to the tractors they slept in at night (That we moved daily so the chickens wouldn't get dirty, and to fertilize the field)
So, THANK YOU for the inspiration. We've always allowed a certain amount of free "play" anyway, but this really inspired me to be intentional about it.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I read this thread when my Cornish X were about 3 weeks old (and drifting between brooder and tractor) and I am SO glad I did. It totally makes sense that they should walk around and DO things. We did go by the Welp Hatchery feeding guidelines to a T, which might be more food than some of you do, and only had 2 that "mysteriously" died, and maybe 1 or 2 who are missing in action (predators?) out of 103. We processed this past weekend, and they were awesome!! The biggest was 7 lbs processed, and they averaged 5.5 lbs. They free ranged about 12 hours a day (it was this past 8 weeks, so there was only sunlight at most 14 hours a day.) and they are SO DANG TASTY. They didn't walk around as much the last week, until we skipped their dinner friday night so they would be ready at 6am...and I loved it! It was like a field full of normal chickens scratching and pecking and everything. And yes we did have to video them running! They see the food bucket and it's like a pack of wild dogs! They are fast, using their wings to half fly half balance, I never managed to feed them anywhere close to the tractors they slept in at night (That we moved daily so the chickens wouldn't get dirty, and to fertilize the field)
So, THANK YOU for the inspiration. We've always allowed a certain amount of free "play" anyway, but this really inspired me to be intentional about it.

This is so wonderful to hear - thanks for sharing.

These birds are genetically set up to grow quickly and be very feed efficient. But that doesn't mean that we can't do well letting them run around and act like chickens. That being said, because of their genetic background, you can't just pretend that they aren't set up to overeat and be the gross slovenly things that some people have experienced in the wrong conditions. It's all about being informed.

So glad this worked out so well for you!!!!

- Ant Farm

 

[4thStFarm]

I've raised Cornish cross in tractors when I worked on a farm and will not do that again. Currently, the layers and turkeys are in a micro scale rotational grazed/pastured set up using electric poultry netting on about a third of an acre. Their runs always connect to their coop where their food is and their run where their water is by some passage ways. They enter their coop (converted coal shed) by climbing a ladder. The main thing I'm worried about is the Cornish x hurting their legs jumping down the ladder. Does anyone have advice about the strength of the legs for jumping not just running around?

I

 

[eviemethugh]

Depends. If they do it every day, they will build up & keep the leg strength needed. Most likely, at a certain point in age they will give up and just lay at the bottom.

Can you make a more solid ladder, with a totally flat bottom, with the rungs more like treads up a ramp? That would probably help a bit too, not with hurting their legs, but just their general shape and short meaty legs compared to egg layers Cornish X probably can't make those bigger spaces going up the ladder.

Looks like a wonderful space!

 

[deedles]

That ladder seems like it's asking a lot of cx chickens, doesn't it? Isn't there an alternative way in to the coop for them? Maybe it will be fine but it seems like more work than it'll be worth to them.

We have ours in a tractor but they've got access to a 100 ft. fenced area that we moved every other day and soon will be moved every day. We have a predator issue but I hope to completely free range them the last 3 weeks which is only one week away! Yikes these birds grow fast!

 

[Beekissed]

Yep, the CX will have trouble eventually getting up and down that ladder. Can't imagine why you aren't opening up a pop door down at floor level in that wall.