Keeping a few Cornish hens.................

[CNJ]

I have heard horror stories about "No Crow Collars", aren't you afraid of him dying?

I have a lot of experience with no crow collar, the ones that die have thick neck skin, so it depends on the bloodline.

 

[CNJ]

What is your feeding program for the hens to keep them in laying condition? How did you raised them from chick for Laying duties?

I started the Cornish X hens on my local made 22% layer pellet at 4 months old. I raised them to be processed at 2 months old, but decided to keep a few for breeding when I started processing them. They started laying at 5 months old, its a good thing I started collecting their eggs for incubation early, because two of the hens developed leg problems from being too heavy and the 2 that I have left, stopped laying...............and maybe at the end of their life cycle.

 

[nicalandia]

I started the Cornish X hens on my local made 22% layer pellet at 4 months old. I raised them to be processed at 2 months old, but decided to keep a few for breeding when I started processing them. They started laying at 5 months old, its a good thing I started collecting their eggs for incubation early, because two of the hens developed leg problems from being to heavy and the 2 that I have left, stopped laying...............and maybe at the end of their life cycle.

Keep us posted on the growth of the chicks, thanks

 

[CNJ]

I found the biggest Cornish X hen dead this morning with her guts blown out of her rear end. I cut her legs off and put her in double plastic bags and put it in my freezer. I will put her in the trash bin on rubbish day.

I have 3 Breese cockerels that started responding to roosters crowing in the neighborhood.. At first, only the dominant of the three use to crow in the morning. I put a no crow collar on him the other day and everything was fine this morning. The other two guys starting crowing this afternoon, but I saw the dominant rooster kick the rooster who was crowing to silence him, so it may work out.

 

[nicalandia]

I found the biggest Cornish X hen dead this morning with her guts blown out of her rear end. I cut her legs off and put her in double plastic bags and put it in my freezer. I will put her in the trash bin on rubbish day.

That is terrible.

How are the chicks doing?

 

[CNJ]

How are the chicks doing?

The batch of 8 that are still in the brooder started empting their food tray and are very active. The smallest of the bunch had a couple of his newly developed feathers eaten by another chick. Its a good thing, I saw it early. I put an anti bacteria cream (emuaid) on the sore spot and he is healing up. I have used vicks vapor rub to stop feather pecking before, but used emuaid instead for its anti bacterial properties and it kind of smells like Vicks. It look like it worked.

The smallest chick was born with long wing tip feathers, I had to help him out of his shell. I am glad the bare spot isn't red anymore and his long tip feather seem to be balancing out.

 

[CNJ]

I got 1 Dark Cornish/Cornish x and 1 pure Breese on the last hatch and I just took them out of the incubator. The bigger chicks have been pecking them, so I am watching, I think the bigger chicks are establishing a pecking order. I use the God voice on them when they get too aggressive. I'll dip the new chick's beak in water tomorrow.

 

[NatJ]

I'll dip the new chick's beak in water tomorrow.

That probably won't hurt anything, but if it's in a brooder with slightly older chicks I would not bother. I'm sure it will see them drinking and eating, and follow their example.

 

[CNJ]

That probably won't hurt anything, but if it's in a brooder with slightly older chicks I would not bother. I'm sure it will see them drinking and eating, and follow their example.

I think you are right, I see them drinking water and eating..........

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

I think you are right, I see them drinking water and eating..........

I have found that the best way to get them eating an drinking is to put a older chick in with them for a few hours.