My Conish Cross Meaties are dying! About one per day!!!

[LeghornJosh]

This is my first attempt at raising meat birds. I bought 40 cornish cross chicks. They just turned 5 weeks old on thursday. I have lost 6 already to unusual deaths. I have been only feeding them for 12 hours a day like Welp hatchery suggests. They always have water 24/7. I keep them outside in 2 chicken tractors i built, they are tarped and I have a heat lamp in each of them. I move them to fresh grass daily. I am using 18% grower now.

It seems like every day i come out there and there is another one dead in there and today i went out there and saw one hunched over, skin and comb was like a dark purple instead of red, it was breathing heavy and died shortly after i discovered him. I don't think i'm doing anything wrong. A couple of birds i discovered dead seemed to be having trouble evacuating their waste, or i think so because of them having a bloody vent. Does anyone have an idea of what i could be doing wrong? I can't afford to lose more birds.

Thanks!

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

the dark purple is due to heart failure and that appears to be your cause of deaths given what you have shared. I'm not sure on the bloody vents but my guess is that it comes from picking by others. There are others on here with more experience than me but I thought I would give you an answer until they get on.

 

[dublin man]

I raise about 600 to 800 a year for personal and for 4 h kids, my past experience is about 10-15% loss, they are just not as hearty as reg birds, I feed em right 22% protein and keep temp right and they are all in covered quarters with fans on for temp control, clean bedding 2-3 times a day and still loss so just hang in there, usually people grow em once and thats enough hahaha

 

[LeghornJosh]

Well i am at about 17.5% loss right now, hopefully they don't keep dying off like this. Do you recall about what age they are when the majority of them kick the bucket? Thanks for your help!

 

[DaKid]

Well for me these last 4 yrs of raising meat bird s is this I feed a 20 -26% game grower or turkey .......and I only feed as much as they will eat twice a day for a hour or so each time , I never let the food sit there for 12 hrs . I do have water 24 /7 , I do feed them at times a bit more or give them treats from the garden but never free range them .
I have order 50 birds and loss 6 and then I've order 24 birds and lost 1 ,

I have had some meats bird live for over a year old back in late 2008/2009 due to my illness and being in the hosipal every other weeks or so and I could not have them process and none of my kids would do it for me , so it all about how there raise and amount of food but there knowen to die early at times ......
GOOD LUCK

I HAVE 50 COMING WITHIN 2 WEEKS TIME



Alan

 

[CARS]

This spring my first batch of 50 I lost 7 in the first 2 weeks. None since. 2 weeks later I got 30 more. Haven't lost one.

I was really ticked off about the first losses. I never had that many die. But it has been a cold, wet spring. Something I haven't delt with in the past years.

Hang in there!

 

[jaku]

For some reason, losses seem to be high this year for Cornish X's. A lot of people, including myself, are having the same problems. I'm up to about a 20% loss, with 2 weeks still left to go.

 

[LeghornJosh]

Quote:
Well I'm glad i'm not the only one dealing with this. (Not that i am glad others are having problems). I went out there this morning and once again there was a dead one laying in there. That makes 7 deaths out of 40. It makes me mad because yesterday this same bird was turning dark purple and was starting to have a hard time getting around. I wish i could have done something to save him. I know today i will be able to pick out witch one(s) will be dead tomorrow. Also my birds are "sneezing". I don't know if this is normal or not, but none of my laying hens are sneezing and they are in the same weather enviroment.

Thank you everyone for your responses. I have a message left with Welp Hatchery to see if they have any idea on why they might be kicking the bucket. If the deaths do not stop soon, i will have to move my butchering date up quite a bit....

 

[CoopCrazy]

Yep I have lost 9 of my 26 and they are just at 11 weeks old... Today im gonna process the rest....

 

[CoopCrazy]

Quote:
Well I'm glad i'm not the only one dealing with this. (Not that i am glad others are having problems). I went out there this morning and once again there was a dead one laying in there. That makes 7 deaths out of 40. It makes me mad because yesterday this same bird was turning dark purple and was starting to have a hard time getting around. I wish i could have done something to save him. I know today i will be able to pick out witch one(s) will be dead tomorrow. Also my birds are "sneezing". I don't know if this is normal or not, but none of my laying hens are sneezing and they are in the same weather enviroment.

Thank you everyone for your responses. I have a message left with Welp Hatchery to see if they have any idea on why they might be kicking the bucket. If the deaths do not stop soon, i will have to move my butchering date up quite a bit....

Are you moving them daily ? I noticed when i forgot to move it that some would start to sneeze i think it is from the ammonia in their urine..