Jumbo Cornish Cross: When did you start to lose birds

[ajs35]

lost one of 26 @ 5weeks, they are active birds and I think it slipped on the platform to the entrance and could not walk, butchered and ate it...was very tasty

 

[MonsterClucker]

I have my first batch of 1 on day 9 now. I lost one on the first night and another one has some leg joint issue but is not looking bad. He still hobbling around using his wings to help glide him around the brooder lol.

How are you guys "culling" birds?

 

[mstricer]

We lost 2 out of 26 (took them to 10 weeks) last year but one was deformed and doomed from the first day. We've lost none of our current 17 and they're around 4-5 weeks.

We only feed a 2-3 times a day, let them forage and run around and find, much as you did, that we had healthy, strong birds with little loss.

You only feed 2 to three times a day, I'm surprised they can still walk. Lol. Most only feed once a day. I have only lost 2 in the first few days due to my error of not relizing the light wasn't plug in the right outlet and they were piling

 

[MonsterClucker]

I've heard u are not supposed to restrict their feed for like first 3 weeks?

 

[Oregon Blues]

I don't restrict feed at all. It is dark at night and they don't eat in the dark, so it is not 12 hours off, but they aren't eating 24 hours a day.

I don't see mine eating very often and they aren't fighting at the feeders. Since I do not permit diarrhea, I wonder if the birds with the "stinking yellow" liquid feces are always hungry because they don't have their food in their system long enough for it to be properly digested.

They are eating, all right, 50 birds go through close to 50 pounds of feed in about 2 days. But they fill their crops and then go out and lay in the sun, or putter around, scratching in the dirt.

They also drink a lot of water and need water available 24 hours a day.

 

[MonsterClucker]

I don't restrict feed at all.  It is dark at night and they don't eat in the dark, so it is not 12 hours off, but they aren't eating 24 hours a day.

I don't see mine eating very often and they aren't fighting at the feeders.  Since I do not permit diarrhea, I wonder if the birds with the "stinking yellow" liquid feces are always hungry because they don't have their food in their system long enough for it to be properly digested.

They are eating, all right, 50 birds go through close to 50 pounds of feed in about 2 days.  But they fill their crops and then go out and lay in the sun, or putter around, scratching in the dirt.

They also drink a lot of water and need water available 24 hours a day.

You might want to think about fermenting your feed. It cuts back on that amount of feed you are buying and also provides the birds with about 3x the amount of moisture from the feed they really don't drink water that often.

 

[mstricer]

I don't restrict feed at all. It is dark at night and they don't eat in the dark, so it is not 12 hours off, but they aren't eating 24 hours a day.

I don't see mine eating very often and they aren't fighting at the feeders. Since I do not permit diarrhea, I wonder if the birds with the "stinking yellow" liquid feces are always hungry because they don't have their food in their system long enough for it to be properly digested.

They are eating, all right, 50 birds go through close to 50 pounds of feed in about 2 days. But they fill their crops and then go out and lay in the sun, or putter around, scratching in the dirt.

They also drink a lot of water and need water available 24 hours a day.

Mine would eat at night if I left their food in with them. I know the 26 I have left, will go through 3 gallons of water at night. I started restricting their feed at 2 weeks. I had 47 and they were going through 100 lbs every 5 days. They free range and probably drinking food to 10 plus gallons of water. We butchered 20 at 6 weeks and they all weighed around 5 lbs. Which is perfect for the 2 of us.

 

[trifecta]

I didn't loose any of my CX out of my last batch of 8. I butchered at 7 weeks, and I'm glad I didn't wait any longer because of their size- they all dressed between 5.5 and 6 lbs, which is plenty for the 2 of us. I don't really need a 7 or 10 lb dressed chicken, so I'm happy to harvest them at a good size for us.