how much do you feed your cornishX

[pattgal]

I just sent my husband back to the feed store and he was shocked. i told him to stop buying a bag at a time and buy at least two or three and make the trip worth it.
so he asked while he was there how much is normal for them to eat, the guy at the store has 50 cornishX and they go through a bag a day (25kg)
How much is too much, and how little is too little? If anyone has any actual measurements that would be helpful
is there anything wrong with feeding them less than too much (not starving them, there would be no purpose in that)

 

[Beekissed]

I don't exactly measure what I feed but I only feed once a day and have found that I've only increased my feed ration by 50% more than what I usually feed my laying flock. This I know, as I have added an additional trough that only holds roughly 50% what the main feeder trough does. This seems to keep all the flock fat and sassy....of course, mine are all free ranged and they do actively forage. Mine are now 9 days shy of 8 wks.

 

[al6517]

Quote:
Hey Bee................... sounds like it's almost yummy time LOL.

AL

 

[Bossroo]

Remember, for best results... after 2 weeks of age, full feed for 12 hours and 12 hours, no feed per day.

 

[uhuh555]

We feed fortified moistened mash (our own blend) three times a day as much as they will eat in about 30 to 45 minutes for three weeks. After they had their mash we put dry feeders in and let them eat all the want. There is only small night lights in each brooder ((8'Wx16'Lx8'H) from 8pm to 6am so this limits their night time snacking.

At 3 weeks they go into 1/2 acre outside pens with 20'Wx20'Lx8'H shelters. There they get their fortified moistened mash (about 30 pounds dry) in AM only and 100 pound Dry 20% starter per 500 birds. Each week the amount of dry feed is increased by 25 pounds until the last week they get all that the want until processed. We keep track of their weights on a daily basis and do some times increase or decrease the amount of feed given so a consistent weight gain is achieved.

Our goals are 7 to 7.5 pounds live weight at 5 weeks of age, 11 to 12.5 at 8 weeks and 24 to 26 pounds at 11 weeks.

It is more than a hobby for us and approach it with 53 years experience with cornish x.

 

[ourflockof4]

It has been talked about on here a lot. From what I remeber the CX has a feed conversion rate of about 2-1 (2 lbs of feed per 1 pound of meat) Most people averager around 18-20 lbs of feed per bird, but that will vary depending on how the raised, and when you process them.

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
I am not so convinced this is necessary. My last batch I gave them unlimited feed, and I didn't lose any. I think the difference was that I mixed our extra goat milk with their feed for the first two weeks. I gave 75 of them a quart of milk everyday, mixed w/ their 23% feed. The milk makes a world of difference. They where feathered out at 2 weeks. All their legs where nice and thick, and their organs where larger than usual. I had none that did the "i can hardly walk" thing at 5 weeks like I have had before. I moved them out to pasture at 2 weeks where they mowed down the clover and grass hay that is in the pasture. It's amazing to me how much "green" they actually eat. I butchered them at 6 1/2 weeks and they averaged 4 1/2 pounds. I realize one batch of 75 birds is hardly definitive, but I am doing the same thing w/ my current batch of 125. I just moved them to the pasture last night. We'll see where they are at in a month.

 

[uhuh555]

BigRedBird,

It's all that protein, probiotics and enzyme rich goats’ milk. You could probably get the same results with 20% starter/grower with goats’ milk.

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Giving them the milk was kinda an afterthought (we had a ton of extra milk at the time). I already had 800 pounds of the 23% custom feed in the barn before I thought about giving milk. The price difference of 20% to 23% is minimal. I also think the additional calcium, balanced with the magnesium in the milk helps as well. After I tried it and saw the results, I started thinking about it and it made sense why they where so much healthier, active, and grew qyicker. I am thinking about doing a small batch (25) exclusively on milk this Fall. We have 2 more goats due to kid this week, so we should have plenty of milk.

uhuh555, if I remember correctly, you have been giving yours additional enzymes right?

 

[uhuh555]

BigRedBird,

Yes, we do along with several key vitamins, minerals and a blend of probiotics (123 different bacteria). It does make all the difference in the world. They eat less because they are satisfied; they have more energy and move about like regular chickens do. They will dig 8” holes while dust bathing or looking for tidbits to eat. They even get on top of the 36” tall feeders and waterers.

Given the proper nutrients, exercise and space they develop into strong healthy chickens. Some of the cornish x hens in our breeding program are still laying into their second year (average of 5 eggs/week). Our granddaughter’s pet cornish x Roo is 33 months old (September 1 hatch date) and is leash trained and wears cloths she makes him including boots. He loves to swim and ride in a wagon. What a hoot!