Meat chick mortality rate?

[cgretkie]

This is our first flock of 20 Cornish X meat chicks. Two days after we received them one died. Six days later another died. The others look healthy, eating/drinking well, temp in coop is 80 degrees with good ventilation. Just wondering about the average mortality rate of meat chicks.

 

[bigredfeather]

A 5% loss is acceptable when you are raising a 100 or more at a time. Anything more than that, there's something wrong. Since you are only doing 20 of them, I wouldn't say you are doing anything wrong, but you shouldn't lose anymore. Most of my losses are in the first day or 2. It's my opinion this is because commercial incubators are so good, chicks hatch that wouldn't have hatched under natural circumstances.

If you're feeding a high protein feed, don't push them too hard or you will lose some at the 5-6 week mark. This is the time frame when over feeding catches up with you. I did a batch inside over the Winter and was pushing them harder than I should have. One night when they were 5 1/2 weeks along, I noticed a few of them looking a bit off. Next morning, sure enough, 4 were dead on their backs. It caught up with me. I backed them off a little and didn't have anymore issues.

 

[cgretkie]

Thank you for your reply. I have been giving them free access to chick feed and water 24 hours a day. They have a brooder lamp on 24 hours a day as well. Am I pushing them too hard? Should I remove their chick feed at night?

 

[bigredfeather]

Thank you for your reply. I have been giving them free access to chick feed and water 24 hours a day. They have a brooder lamp on 24 hours a day as well. Am I pushing them too hard? Should I remove their chick feed at night?

I start restricting feed at 2 weeks old. I would suggest you search out a recommended feeding chart for CX. It will give you an idea of how much to feed them daily.

 

[AprilWC]

We raised our first 6 CornishX along with 8 roosters of various other breeds this year, none lost. However I don't free feed. They can forage in the grass all they want but they are on a restricted commercial food diet. Nothing special, just regular chick feed. I also would mention I haven't experience any of the health problems I've read so much about.

 

[AgroUrica]

With the birds I have on hand now I've raised 1500 since Feb. My losses have run about 2%. Heat is tough on them when they get to about 21 days or so. Rainy weather is tougher when they're really young.

Do everything you can to keep the brooder temps right, water clean, food available, bedding dry, and when one drops dead for no apparent reason, chalk it up to meat birds. They'll just haul off and die sometimes.

 

[cgretkie]

We are 5 weeks in now, and we have 15 of our 20 Cornish X birds still alive. Birds died at 2 days, 6 days, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, and 5 weeks. It has been rainy and in the high 80's the past 2 weeks, but they prefer to stay outside instead of go into the coop. Their run is in the shade with a roof and a bed of pine shavings, they have been eating 26% protein feed since they were 3 weeks old, they have plenty of fresh water. This is our first batch of meat chickens, and the death rate is alarming! Is this typical for the Cornish X?

 

[V-NH]

I have had a few deaths, but they were due to negligence on my part. I didn't latch the door to their pen one night and I woke up with a yard full of meat chickens. A few remain MIA and I am sure they were eaten by a coyote. However, I have a 0% mortality rate otherwise. No premature deaths at all. I don't even put a lot of effort into raising them, either. I leave their food available 24/7 and keep them outside. Their pen is made of 2x3s, poultry netting, and half of it is covered by a tarp to provide them with shelter from the rain. They are only 6 weeks right now. I intend to process at 7.5 weeks. I'll be interested to see if I lose any between now and then.

I have noticed that mine do not eat 24/7 as people often say. Mine are most active in the early morning and late evening right before dark. During that time, they do a lot of eating. During the day and night, they mostly just sleep.

 

[AgroUrica]

We are 5 weeks in now, and we have 15 of our 20 Cornish X birds still alive. Birds died at 2 days, 6 days, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, and 5 weeks. It has been rainy and in the high 80's the past 2 weeks, but they prefer to stay outside instead of go into the coop. Their run is in the shade with a roof and a bed of pine shavings, they have been eating 26% protein feed since they were 3 weeks old, they have plenty of fresh water. This is our first batch of meat chickens, and the death rate is alarming! Is this typical for the Cornish X?

Typical? Probably not, but that still doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. I think I'd back them off that diet of 26% protein and drop down to around 20% or so based on their age. In my brief experience with these birds they seem to keel over at the drop of a hat. I've had groups with mortalities in the 1 to 2% range and groups with 10 times that. It's a crap-shoot.

 

[bigredfeather]

Typical? Probably not, but that still doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. I think I'd back them off that diet of 26% protein and drop down to around 20% or so based on their age. In my brief experience with these birds they seem to keel over at the drop of a hat. I've had groups with mortalities in the 1 to 2% range and groups with 10 times that. It's a crap-shoot.

I have to disagree with your statement AgroUrica. If you have any losses after the first week or so, you have done something to cause it. These birds just don't die because of their breed. It may be nutritional or environmental or a combination, but there is always a reason.