meyer cornish x s not growing as well as other companies.

[sugarbush]

I bought off of meyer this year and they will be 8 weeks on monday. I am going to have to keep them at least another week as they are only 3-4 lbs live weight.
I started them on starter for the first few weeks and then switched to grower. they are also getting grass, squash and apples plus the have feed 24/7.

They did feather out better than McMurry's do. With the cost of feed I have $6.00 each into them right now.....They will be $8.00-10.00 birds by the time they reach 8 lbs.

 

[AussieSharon]

Can you post pics of your birds? That does seem small for a cornish X at that age. At 8 weeks mine dressed out at around 5 1/2 lbs each.

Unfortunately as far as cost, raising your own meat birds is generally not cheaper than those you buy at the store. The plus side is they taste much better and you know exactly what they have been fed.

 

[UncleHoot]

I bought the slower growing "Cornish Roasters" from McMurray last year, and the broilers I got from Meyer seem to grow at nearly the same rate, which made me think that perhaps all cornish were created equal.

But this summer, I bought broilers from Townline Hatchery, and they averaged 6 lbs dressed at just over 8 weeks. None were less than 5 lbs, and a few were over 7.5 lbs (dressed weights). Maybe it was just a difference in the weather this spring versus the weather this summer.

In the future, I'll plan on raising to 9 weeks if I go with Meyer again. That's not to say they were bad, just a different breeding stock that's a bit slower. I certainly had no other problems with them.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Check your feed. Grower is usually only 15% protein. Plus the other things you
are giving them won't add weight either. They should be on a 22% protein or greater.
Mine Range Broilers are on 26% and I'm very happy with the results. They get some
scratch and vegies as treats and range a little too.

I've got 20 Cornish from Meyers in the brooder now. We'll see how they do on 26%.

 

[sugarbush]

I feed southern states which is 18%... I have raised thousand of broilers in the past 10 years and I have found that the go lame if you give them anything higher than 18%. I also don't take feed away. I think they are just a slower growing bird.

I will take a few pictures. They are taller than a 3 gallon waterer, but they are all feather.

 

[AnthonyT]

I don't think you really gain anything feeding starter over 22% to broilers of any strain. The slower growers like those from JM and S&G really only need 18% from start to end. I have my color range on 20% to start and then cut it back to 18% after about 5 weeks and then down to 15-16% after 8. My biggest birds are easily 7 pounds at 10 weeks, and I don't preocess until 12 weeks. Some look like small turkeys.

As the bird grows it needs energy more then protein to mantain its larger body. On a percent basis they grow much more slowly as they get larger. When they are smaller the percentage gains are much greater, hence the need for more protein when smaller. Extra protein they don't need is simply broken down and excreted (hard on the liver and kidneys over time), or if the ration is deficient in energy it will be used by the body as fuel. Its a lot cheaper to feed them corn for body maintainence than protein. Apples are also loaded with starch and provide a good energy source, but are low in protein. Great for older, slower growing birds.

 

[carousel]

My 7 CC are 4 weeks (from Ideal) but I expected them to be larger by now. And I do think it is weather related.
while they have been in a garage, after they were 2 weeks old I started taking their feed away at night. But at the same time our nights got cooler (I do have a heat lamp out ther but I added a 2nd this week.) I also Purchased a bag of Meat bird 22% they were eating flock raiser at 20%. And I left their food last night.

I think my CC slow growth has been because of our cooler nights, and cooler days this week.

I don't have a problem a big problem with their growth. At one point I had hoped I could be done w/ them at 6 weeks but not at the rate we are going, I figure we will go until 8 weeks instead.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
If you have raised that many than you have a LOT more experience than I. I'll weigh
my Meyers Cornish on a weekly basis now so I can get a baseline for future reference.

I've mentioned in other posts how i split an order of Colored Rangers from JMhatchery.
I've fed mine 26% and kept them in the barn where they have tons of floor and roosting
space. PP & MNC started out with a lower protein feed and MNC has ranged hers.
Mine are 20% larger and they are from the same batch. I was considering putting them
on a grower or finisher at 12 weeks.

I buy the 26% in bulk and have spoke to many others who love it and it's 30% cheaper
than bags.

This has been an informative post so far. I understand the frustration of the added
expense for some of you. Mine are for personal consumption so I'm not tracking it
too close.

 

[UncleHoot]

Quote:
I've always used 20% from start to finish.

 

[LoneCowboy]

It's my understanding that all Cornish Cross meat birds come from the same source since their breeding is an industry secret. I have 50 in the brooder now and they seem to be growing about the same as Ideals did in this first week.

I do take their feed away at night and I did with the ones from Ideal as well. I don't feed them anything other than the feed and grass that they get from ground under the chicken tractor.

I'll have to keep an eye on them and see what happens.