I'm so stoked!

[tenthingsfarm]

I got my orders in! I'm getting white laced red cornish roos, white rock pullets, and I rounded out the order with some broilers we can eat this year. This will be my first attempt at breeding (the cornish/rock cross), so I'm sure I'll learn a lot!

Chicks should be here in about a week - I've got the brooder ready in the henhouse - I just need to go by the appliance store and get a box for those first couple weeks in the house. Yippee!

 

[linebacker]

Congrats Tenthingsfarm,
Im right there with you. I ordered dark cornish and delewares to try to make a 75% Corndell cross. Mine will be in the first week of april. Guess I better get started on the brooder soon, Im always a cart before the horse person, Ive already got the tractors built. LOL

 

[tenthingsfarm]

Sounds like it will be a year of adventures for both of us! I'm nervous (a little) about the tractor because we have so many predators around here. It's going to need to be VERY strong and sturdy to keep them out. I do have a good run on the henhouse (we call it the chicken fortress) so I can have them there until I get the tractor exactly how I want it.

Since you have some tractor experience - how much floor space is good for 12 or fewer chickens?

 

[silkiechicken]

Have fun on your experience! Just to make sure you are aware, your own cornish x rocks probably wont be like the commercial strains, as the parents of those are highly selected and basically a trade secret. There are a good number of members working on their own strains!

 

[tenthingsfarm]

Thanks, silkiechicken!

I actually knew that, and sort of 'need' that here. We are at high altitude, and the really fast growing birds don't do as well here - I think the lack of oxygen in the air is too much strain on them. So I'm hoping that by having 'not quite as good'

birds, they'll be just enough slower to not die off on me so much.

I've ordered 11 white rock hens and 3 red lace white cornish roos...I'll be narrowing my flock down a bit from there. (I definitely don't need three roosters, but I was afraid if I just got one, he'd be trouble, or uninterested, or something!)

 

[BirdBrain]

Keep the three roos. You never know when one will kickoff or get eaten. You can rotate them through the pen, leaving the other 2 in a separate pen to keep each other company. You just don't want to loose the one you are counting on just before the pullets are mature enough to produce some ofspring for yourself. That would set your project back considerably.

 

[linebacker]

Quote:
I made 4 tractors for seven birds each. They have a footprint of 50 square feet. 10 x 5 feet They are built A-frame style. I have read 4 square feet per chicken in an enclosed coop and 3 square yards a bird with a run. I dont know if that is science or just somebody's guess, so I decided to make mine at six foot per bird and 10 x 5 footprint worked out good for the lumber I had on site. Plus the fact that I can get precut hardware cloth in ten foot as well as five foot sections worked out well also.

 

[swampducks]

Quote:
I believe this is quite true as well, but when I think about it, there is only my husband and myself to feed (well, the dogs, but they don't get a lot of people food anyway

) so for us it doesn't matter that our own crosses wouldn't be as perfect as those commercial strains. How big a chicken do 2 people need for a meal?

Plus, though I am considering 10 Cornish Xs (just for the experience?) I have to wonder where am I going to put those 10 carcasses? My one chest freezer is still full of venison, pork, squirrel and a little beef and fish. Hal is just not interested in another freezer! It makes more sense for us to kill a chicken as required.

 

[greyfields]

I'm glad I'm not the only crazy one here trying to breed meat birds!

 

[tenthingsfarm]

I'm glad I'm not the only crazy one here trying to raise meat birds!

I got a call from the hatchery a couple days ago and my birds are backordered. Due to a family reunion that would mess up, well, everything, I am going to have to wait until June. That's actually okay - they still hatch them in June, and it gives me time to consider and build some tractors. I don't know if I will pasture my broilers (I have a decent size henhouse and don't really 'need' to) but I may give it a try with half of them, to compare growth rate and feed usage, all that fun stuff.

Oh...the other thing? I'm getting my roos somewhere else, and they are still coming end of this week. Sigh....I'll be able to keep everyone separated as need be until they're all about the same size, so it'll be fine.