My Cornish X experiment

[duluthralphie]

The free feeding is over!

I went to feed them their treats tonight and most were out and about. A couple had found a frog. The pen they are in now is about 1/3 acre in size, a very large pen. They were spread all over it, except for 3!

These three had reverted to CX"S of olden days! They were sitting by the feeder eating! I watched them about 10 minutes and decided it was over. I took the feeder away. If they get it back it will be for hour or two increments.


NO CHICKEN OF MINE IS GONNA SIT LAY BY THE FEEDER STUFFING ITS FACE AND LYING IN ITS OWN POOP!!!

So I made them get off their lazy butts and work for their food..........

 

[LindaB220]

The free feeding is over!

I went to feed them their treats tonight and most were out and about. A couple had found a frog. The pen they are in now is about 1/3 acre in size, a very large pen. They were spread all over it, except for 3!

These three had reverted to CX"S of olden days! They were sitting by the feeder eating! I watched them about 10 minutes and decided it was over. I took the feeder away. If they get it back it will be for hour or two increments.


NO CHICKEN OF MINE IS GONNA SIT LAY BY THE FEEDER STUFFING ITS FACE AND LYING IN ITS OWN POOP!!!

So I made them get off their lazy butts and work for their food..........

Good for you. It's better for them. Speaking of frogs, my DD Aimee went out to take the dog out at 5am yesterday morning and there were 25 small frogs glued to the glass front door. She freaked out and went out the back. Has this been a year for weird weather and happenings or what?

 

[JessicaThistle]

Do you give them treats some times? We don't do anything for them but water and feed. Even when they have been out of feed for a while, they still don't necessarily want to feed from the feeder. Some do, but many prefer to run around and range where they can. It is almost like they are smart enough to know that the food will be there when they have to go back to the pen, but they can only run around when the pen is open.....they can't be that smart, can they? Maybe the chicken whisperer can enlighten us...

No I have never given them treats, only feed and water. I do give them attention though. I talk to them alot, scritch their necks and pet them. I just try to raise them to be happy and maybe they can feel love or an attachment just like any other pet would, even though they aren't a pet. They don't know that they aren't staying for long. I feel like giving them that little extra attention is my little thanks for the sacrifice they are making for my family.

I suppose that may sound silly to some but this is only my second batch of cx. Maybe after a few more batches, I won't feel that same way. Or maybe I still will. I don't know. I may lose a couple to injury or a mystery problem but all my chickens will feel a positive human touch. This positive human touch actually results in my chickens being perfectly calm when we get them for processing. They don't run away from me, which means I can just pick them up and they aren't terrified of being held. They don't even make a sound or fight when we turn them upside down to put them in the cone.

 

[Bladeguy]

I certainly don't think that is silly at all. There is a lot more benefit to raising our own meat than just health or knowing where it came from. Really, I don't let them range because I think it will be beneficial only to me (although it may result in healthier meat....I don't know for sure), but I believe it makes sense that a chicken should get to run around. I let them do it because I think they will be happier. My middle daughter loves to pet the chickens. I believe that if we are going to take on the responsibility of any animal, we should do what we can within our reasonable means to do well by them. Besides, there is benefit for us when we care for something else that way. We all need to remember that these are living beings, even if they are for our consumption.

 

[Bladeguy]

I agree with Linda, Ralphie. What you are doing is great for your chickens and for you....your chickens will be happier for it. I try to remind my wife when she says "my chickens are hungry"...they are broilers....they are always hungry!!! Even when they aren't hungry, they will insist they are starving.

 

[JessicaThistle]

I certainly don't think that is silly at all. There is a lot more benefit to raising our own meat than just health or knowing where it came from. Really, I don't let them range because I think it will be beneficial only to me (although it may result in healthier meat....I don't know for sure), but I believe it makes sense that a chicken should get to run around. I let them do it because I think they will be happier. My middle daughter loves to pet the chickens. I believe that if we are going to take on the responsibility of any animal, we should do what we can within our reasonable means to do well by them. Besides, there is benefit for us when we care for something else that way. We all need to remember that these are living beings, even if they are for our consumption.

Definitely. I was raised that you respect animals and if you kill them, you eat them. Thankfully insects, mice and snakes weren't in the requirement. Lol! But anyway, if I am going to raise chickens for meat the least I can do is treat them with kindness and respect.

I also really found that they are extremely therapeutic for me. I own my own commercial printing and advertising business. Every moment of every day I am at the beckon call of my business customers, not to mention the husband and kids and my husband's racing hobby... I have found that when I am stressed nothing relieves it quicker than going out, plopping myself in the grass and having 40 chickens (meaties and hens) surround me. I have found that if I watch long enough, they will never fail to do something that makes me laugh. Just a few minutes of that makes me able to continue throughout my day. Better than Zoloft and these guys give me eggs daily and meat. What an amazing gift of healing and food. I'm totally new to chickens too. My hens are 7 months old but I have found that I love them and will probably have chickens for the rest of my life!

I guess some of this is off topic but I love my Cornish X for what they provide me, therapy, entertainment and food, just as much as I love my laying hens. I enjoy raising them all with positive human attention because it makes me feel so much better about the health of my chickens as well as my family.

 

[duluthralphie]

No I have never given them treats, only feed and water. I do give them attention though. I talk to them alot, scritch their necks and pet them. I just try to raise them to be happy and maybe they can feel love or an attachment just like any other pet would, even though they aren't a pet. They don't know that they aren't staying for long. I feel like giving them that little extra attention is my little thanks for the sacrifice they are making for my family.

I suppose that may sound silly to some but this is only my second batch of cx. Maybe after a few more batches, I won't feel that same way. Or maybe I still will. I don't know. I may lose a couple to injury or a mystery problem but all my chickens will feel a positive human touch. This positive human touch actually results in my chickens being perfectly calm when we get them for processing. They don't run away from me, which means I can just pick them up and they aren't terrified of being held. They don't even make a sound or fight when we turn them upside down to put them in the cone.

I could not agree more, I do not give my chickens treats,,,Unless you consider a mixture of wild bird seed, oats and corn a treat.....


My wife and I sit every night surrounded by over 100 birds, not counting the CX's. I usually go see them by myself. We watch them interact with us and each other over their non-treat mixture....

Tonight we watched a guinea hen and a cocky young rooster fight for rank, It was too funny. The rooster went into the head high, hackle raised stare down position, the guinea hen looked up at him with a look of contempt head low, in a position I am sure the rooster thought was submission.........and attacked the rooster in the belly with about 6 quick beak thrusts.....

The battle was over and the rooster ran off while the guinea hen continued to eat ( for about 6 more seconds then ran away like the guinea hens do for another lap around the farm before coming back to eat more non-treats.)

Way better than prosaic..........

I feel like you do Linda about the killing of the animals, I thank God when they give their lives so we can eat, I thank the animal and the animals spirit. I know it sounds corny in this day and age, but Hunting for food is a long tradition in my family, I was taught this by my Grandfather and will pass it on to my grandkids... People must learn where meat comes from and the sacrifice a living critter made for us to enjoy it......


BTW I may try to weigh a couple more CX's tomorrow, when I was with them tonight I started to think I had gotten ahold of a couple small ones and not the average ones.

 

[duluthralphie]

I weighed some of the larger ones, they were just under 3 lbs. So I have quite a range,, about a pound difference from smallest to largest..


The birds had a good day, They were back to scratching and running around.... NO feed for them to sit next to all day.

When I checked in on them this evening a group of them had captured a mouse. Poor mouse. They were dragging him around, chasing each other, dropping the mouse another one would grab it. And the chase was on again...

it was great, looking at them today you would not call them mutants!

 

[LindaB220]

Definitely. I was raised that you respect animals and if you kill them, you eat them. Thankfully insects, mice and snakes weren't in the requirement. Lol! But anyway, if I am going to raise chickens for meat the least I can do is treat them with kindness and respect.

I also really found that they are extremely therapeutic for me. I own my own commercial printing and advertising business. Every moment of every day I am at the beckon call of my business customers, not to mention the husband and kids and my husband's racing hobby... I have found that when I am stressed nothing relieves it quicker than going out, plopping myself in the grass and having 40 chickens (meaties and hens) surround me. I have found that if I watch long enough, they will never fail to do something that makes me laugh. Just a few minutes of that makes me able to continue throughout my day. Better than Zoloft and these guys give me eggs daily and meat. What an amazing gift of healing and food. I'm totally new to chickens too. My hens are 7 months old but I have found that I love them and will probably have chickens for the rest of my life!

I guess some of this is off topic but I love my Cornish X for what they provide me, therapy, entertainment and food, just as much as I love my laying hens. I enjoy raising them all with positive human attention because it makes me feel so much better about the health of my chickens as well as my family.

Wonderful post. It shows your caring.

 

[duluthralphie]

This morning the babies are running around like crazy. They are chasing each other scratching and acting so much like real chickens!


For those of you that think CX"s are not normal chickens, you should see these. I am feeling bad I raised my first batch the way the hatchery said too. Not one dead bird from Ascites, no leg problems. Just happy healthy slower growing chickens. I may have to wait until mid October to process them, but I am ok with that.

I was going to try and butcher my other chickens on the same day I did the CX's. That plan has to change because the CX's are growing slower than I thought. I am thinking of allowing the blue group ( mainly larger roosters) to depart next week.

I use colored wire ties to denote which chickens stay, go and when, Blue is the first group, Green is second, etc.

I had thought the CX's were in the blue group, I am thinking they maybe a pink or red group now.