Loosing a cornish x a day . . .

[Yukonchick]

Also they need gravel to help them digest the feed too. I built a sandbox for mine and they're in it all the time.

 

[SunkissedChicks]

Ya it sounds like overfeeding. I"ve got 33 of those kind of birds and by looking at the size of mine I figure a quarter cup per bird in the morning and the same in evening then they get a few scraps of shredded lettuce or apple when I clean out my fridge. I've also got 12 laying hens the same age and two roosters. My measuring cup holds 4 cups so I just give them 3 scoops in morning and 3 scoops evening. Mine are 5 weeks old now so hope I'm doing the right thing. They seem healthy so far.

They graze outside too during the day in their 30 ft run.

Did you read what she had said ". I have done it this way before so I don't see why they would be dying like this. I got them from the same hatchery, I am feeding them the same food (unless the feed store changed there food) and I am doing everything pretty much the same although they are at someone elses house this year but I don't think that would effect it."

She has been successful in the past raising this same bird. She mentioned a concern on high iron levels in the water at this different place she was raising them. This is known to cause heart attacks as I researched it for her.
We just slaughtered our 8 week old Jumbo Cornish X Rocks they dressed out to 5.5 pounds. We timed it perfectly with the weather change here in Southern Florida. It would now be to hot for them as we are now seeing temps in the low 90's. All of our birds were fed 12 hours per day, access to fresh water, and free ranged. The only thing I did notice was a big personality change in the last 9 days. They were chasing out all of my layers and wanted all access to the food for themselves. I ended up feeding them separately for those last 9 days. Prior to that, mixing them with the layers ( all birds came together at 1 day old) I had 0 problems with the X rocks. My spangled hamburgs picked on their butts a bit and we had to put Pine Tar on them and we separated them for a bit for the wounds to heal up.
All in all very successful and will be ordered again in the fall when the temps go back down again.
I really hope this lady doesn't have any more deaths, such a waste time and resources considering how many she has. If they continue to die after changing the water, the birds may need a detox ( milk thistle) or she should get an autopsy on a bird and really get the full information.

 

[WinklerFarms]

Clostridium botulinum type C toxicosis was diagnosed by the mouse inoculation test in two outbreaks of botulism in commercial broiler and roaster chickens. One case involved 7-wk-old commercial roaster chickens, and the other involved 15-day-old commercial broiler chickens. A definitive point source for preformed C. botulinum exotoxin was not identified in either case investigation. Elevated iron concentrations in the drinking water and/or feed may have presented a significant risk factor that may have resulted in intestinal proliferation of C. botulinum and subsequent botulism.




There was actually no definitive results in this, therefore making it only a theory.

We have very high iron content in our water here and in two years and almost 600 birds we have never lost one due to botulism. Remember botulism is a bacterial infection.


http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/19/botulism

 

[SunkissedChicks]

Clostridium botulinum type C toxicosis was diagnosed by the mouse inoculation test in two outbreaks of botulism in commercial broiler and roaster chickens. One case involved 7-wk-old commercial roaster chickens, and the other involved 15-day-old commercial broiler chickens. A definitive point source for preformed C. botulinum exotoxin was not identified in either case investigation. Elevated iron concentrations in the drinking water and/or feed may have presented a significant risk factor that may have resulted in intestinal proliferation of C. botulinum and subsequent botulism.
There was actually no definitive results in this, therefore making it only a theory.
We have very high iron content in our water here and in two years and almost 600 birds we have never lost one due to botulism. Remember botulism is a bacterial infection.
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/19/botulism

I do understand what the article said but it did say it may have presented a significant risk factor. The person with the birds that died didn't mention how high the iron content was. I would have that tested right away. I would also have an autopsy on a dead bird. She has so many it is such a shame to be losing them.
She has changed the water and we can only hop they have stopped dieing.

 

[WinklerFarms]

I agree. Hope for the best. If they are purple and dying it is from Ascites buildup in the body cavity. If you cut them open they would have a yellowish fluid in the body. The fluid gets so bad it stops the heart.

 

[yoker]

Sorry I haven't been replying, I forgot to check the forum.
So we butchered the first batch, in the end, at 8 weeks old we had 204 left out of 250. They averaged out at 4.7lb. each which was bigger then last year. I changed the water but I think it was to late because they continued to die. I now have a second batch that are almost 5 weeks old and I am getting the water from our place now since I have raised them on it before. We will see how it goes.
When I butchered the first batch many had water around there hearts, could this have something to do with them dying?
It was also good we butchered them when we did because the weather was quite hot for about 2 weeks afterwards.
The place I have them at, they have fed cows, sheep and layers for years off of the water without problems but maybe the high motabalism of the broilers couldn't handle it? Some of the people I have talked to thought the iron might be the problem others don't think it would hurt at all. Thanks so much guys for all your help! I hope this batch goes better.

 

[SunkissedChicks]

Sorry I haven't been replying, I forgot to check the forum.
So we butchered the first batch, in the end, at 8 weeks old we had 204 left out of 250. They averaged out at 4.7lb. each which was bigger then last year. I changed the water but I think it was to late because they continued to die. I now have a second batch that are almost 5 weeks old and I am getting the water from our place now since I have raised them on it before. We will see how it goes.
When I butchered the first batch many had water around there hearts, could this have something to do with them dying?
It was also good we butchered them when we did because the weather was quite hot for about 2 weeks afterwards.
The place I have them at, they have fed cows, sheep and layers for years off of the water without problems but maybe the high motabalism of the broilers couldn't handle it? Some of the people I have talked to thought the iron might be the problem others don't think it would hurt at all. Thanks so much guys for all your help! I hope this batch goes better.

Wow, that is a lot of birds, are you selling the meat?
Best of luck with this new batch, you really only have 3 more weeks to go before you slaughter those ones, if you do it at 8 weeks.
Best of luck, are you slaughtering yourself, do you have a team of people, that is a lot of birds.

 

[yoker]

Yup it is alot! Yes I am selling them. We slaughtered them ourselves with some help from some friends.
Well my new batch has started dying too. 1-2 a day and heart attacks again. Up till now I have only used our water so I don't think that is the problem. But I am not sure what is. They are in three different pens and all three have had at least one die in it. One pen always finishes there food and is hungry in the morning, and one of the others often has a bit of food left, so it seems that the amount of food they are receiving has nothing to do with it. I am so lost and out of ideas.

 

[WinklerFarms]

Yup it is alot! Yes I am selling them. We slaughtered them ourselves with some help from some friends.
Well my new batch has started dying too. 1-2 a day and heart attacks again. Up till now I have only used our water so I don't think that is the problem. But I am not sure what is. They are in three different pens and all three have had at least one die in it. One pen always finishes there food and is hungry in the morning, and one of the others often has a bit of food left, so it seems that the amount of food they are receiving has nothing to do with it. I am so lost and out of ideas.

It could still be the feed. What are you feeding them and how many hours a day.


I do not feed restrict mine at all and loose very few but I do not feed them commercial broiler feed like most. Mine get fed hog mash which is 16 to 20% protein and is mostly corn and soybean meal. It is very fine and I do not give them grit. Also you should be giving them vitamin supplement is the water. Are you ding autopsies on the ones that die? If so what do their innards look like? Are there cysts on the intestines. Also check the contents of the gizzard.

How much space do the birds have to move around? Excersise, even if it isn't much, can do wonders to prevent heart attacks IMO.

Not trying to criticize anything you are doing just trying to help you figure it out.

Good luck,
Tony

 

[yoker]

I am feeding them 18% broiler grower/finisher. I give them enough so that by the next morning they don't have any left and they are a little hungry. I don't know how many hours. I give them about 4 gallons per 80 chicks and they are 5 1/2 weeks old. The grain I feed is usually not very fine but ground up and there is grit in it (they also get fresh land to graze everyday). But the last bag I got was ground finer. I have never given my broilers vitamins in there water but I guess I could look into that. I have not done any autopsies but the last batch that we butchered had water around there hearts. They have 120 sq. ft. for 80 birds and they are moved everyday so I think they get at least some exercise.

Thanks for helping me figure this out, I am lost as to what might be wrong.