I just got 100 cornish crosses!

[jaku]

Quote:
With 100, you should hope 90 make it to the freezer!

 

[ChickDude]

my meat chickens turned 6 weeks old today. I ordered 75, lost one to a coon. The rest are really healthy looking. I plan on the rest making it to the chopping block.

 

[VA from WV]

Quote:
While I have had no trouble getting birds to graze on pasture, I have had mixed success with lawn clippings. My gang were acquired at a week of age, mid-August, when the daytime temps were high enough that we could pasture them outside, so they learned to eat everything they saw.

You might consider portable chicken run space, especially if you have areas you want denuded of vegetation.

Any other ideas to cut my food costs? I am hoping to get these chickens to 12 weeks for some giant 12 lb birds!

I have been tempted to make an arrangement with a local restaurant for grill scrapings and other likely food waste. You may be able to make arrangements for produce waste from grocery stores. The trick is to get the stuff small enough that the birds can eat it.​

 

[VA from WV]

Quote:
With 100, you should hope 90 make it to the freezer!

I started with 41 and have 40 still around.

 

[maf2008]

We have a problem with DOGS and racoons. So I cannot free range and will 100 its too many to free range. Although I am tempted to build a tractor. We are adding a new "wing" to the side of the run... I explained to DH that that side was sagging and I needed to brace it for the winter.... might as well add a few extra feet.... (total extra footage is 2500 extra sq ft!!!

I know the cornish cross eat unbeliveable huge amounts of food! We have a local lawn company that will give me bags of grass clippings fresh cut and I get truck full or more each week for damaged fruits and vegs from the farmers market.

(did you know 50 chickens can eat a whole watermelon in 30 seconds.. HONEST!)

Plus, I am adding corn/scratch and turkey feed. I am really hoping for some HUGE chickens. The last batch the largest dressed was 10 lbs. I am trying for 12 weeks and maybe a few more 10/12 lbs next time too!

!!
Quote:
While I have had no trouble getting birds to graze on pasture, I have had mixed success with lawn clippings. My gang were acquired at a week of age, mid-August, when the daytime temps were high enough that we could pasture them outside, so they learned to eat everything they saw.

You might consider portable chicken run space, especially if you have areas you want denuded of vegetation.

Any other ideas to cut my food costs? I am hoping to get these chickens to 12 weeks for some giant 12 lb birds!

I have been tempted to make an arrangement with a local restaurant for grill scrapings and other likely food waste. You may be able to make arrangements for produce waste from grocery stores. The trick is to get the stuff small enough that the birds can eat it.​

 

[FluffyColor]

WA-HO you are going to have your hands full!I can't IMAGINE having that many animals!How are you going to eat ALL THAT CHICKEN?

 

[VA from WV]

Quote:
No birds free range at my house. I KNOW I have foxes, skunks, and opossums, and suspect there are coons around.

We built portable 4 x 8 panels that we can move around the yard, set on flat ground and put a tarp over for daytime pasturing. It can be a bit of work to move the birds around, but Cornish-Rock chicks are these amazing eating machines, and 10 or 20 of them can denude the ground in 2 days.

And this is cricket and fall bug season. All of my chickens are out there feasting right now.