Hi everyone, So heres the question: When CronishX are chicks and as they grow until time of slaughter, what are there needs (of care) compared to a standered layer breed. What do they need differently, how are they different? Im thinking of possibly raising some CornishX next year and i need the inside info!! lol Also what is best time to purchse and raise meaties? Thanks in advance!
They need a bit more protein than layers. I just use the same feed for both and add calcium for the layers, YMMV. I think anytime is fine for meat birds, just have to keep them at around 70 - 80 degrees after the 3rd week. Too cool before, or too hot after and they don't do very well. This is ofcourse CXs, I have found that freedom rangers don't really care about temps.
I am just about to the end of my first batch of meaties... and the main difference for us is that the begging was VERY rough in comparison to the layer starters. They piled in the brooder and you have to watch your temps more carefully because of this. I have NEVER lost a layer in the brooder, and lost 10% of my flock of meaties in brooder stage. Secondly, expect them to eat you out of house and home. You need to be prepared for how much food and water they consume and the odor is just different (I suspect due to the higher protein ration?). I know many here have raised theirs open range eating as much greens as available!! but mine do not touch anything green. The grass under my tractor dies not by consumption but rather by fertilizer burn. I know that my fault was not introducing them to greens early on. Many attest to theirs being extremely lazy. And yes, they appear more lazy than my layers, but still are somewhat active (not as lazy as I expected). that be my 2-cent overview.
Quote:While their feed consumption appears high especially when clsoe to market weight, this is due to the rapid growth the birds have. In actuality they are the most efficient (feed per pound of gain) bird you can raise for meat.
I'm just finishing up my CX project for this year and would do several things differently if I did them again. I think I would probably by-pass them, though, and go straight to raising White Rock roos...cheaper, less mess and stink, better foraging, less health problems overall. I free ranged mine from 2 wks. on with my layer flock and fed the same rations....laying mash, oats, black oil sunflower seeds and a little cracked corn. I fed them once a day in the evening. No extra protein here, so the smell does not come from that. The smell derives from the fact that these birds have an accelerated metabolism and this causes their feces to pass through the intestines without the proper absorption. The feces are liquid and yellow/brown...no matter what they are fed. The smell is just like as if you had diarrhea...its horrid and it attracts millions of flies. I was amazed to find that mine grew at a comparable rate to all the folks who penned and fed extra protein and fed 24/7. They also developed too quickly for their legs and tire quickly while walking and must lie down often. Mine even had extra exercise all the way through, as I had placed their feed inside the coop and their water outside in the orchard. There is a steep ramp to climb either way, so I had hoped this would cause their legs to strengthen as they grew. Nope. I never had any losses, as I had a broody hen to brood mine, and they are still thriving in the heat here of over 100 degrees....they drink tons of water and lay in the grass during the heat of the day...but they still forage in the cool of the morning and evening. They are now over 10 mo. and I hope to process them sometime in the next week or so. If I had to do it again, I would have gotten them earlier in the year or in the fall. They seem to do very well in cool and rainy weather. I would also not house them with my laying flock but would rig a shelter outside and let them range in a large area like my garden plots....where the manure would be deposited where it belongs and not in my coop..... I would also rig a 5 gal. bucket waterer with a nipple dispenser so they could not dirty the water and they would have a larger reservoir...they drink tons of water. I would have fed them more cheap grains like cracked corn, as they cost me lots of money in laying mash and mixed grains. But....thinking of just doing the WR roos next time to avoid all the extra conditions and problems. Cleaner, healthier, less feed and more foraging, less water consumption, less feeding frenzy at meal times, less extra bedding purchased, less flies, less stench, less liquid stools everywhere. That all equals less stress for me...I don't care about there being less meat per bird as I can just get more birds to make up the difference!
