My Cornish X experiment

[JacobH]

Might be the fermented feed. No clue. I'm trying to push more feed on them though. Their breasts don't feel as big as I had wanted/expected. They've definitely been eating more the past week or 2 though.

 

[GoodwinFarm]

Duluth, can I ask where you bought your chicks? I've noticed that different lines from different hatcheries act differently. For instance, when we bought from hatchery S, all of the meaties acted like eating machines and didn't even go inside at night. When we bought from hatchery h, they acted more like yours, although they loved their food too much. Hatchery M, where I bought chicks this year, were the least healthy and didn't forage at all.

Next year I'd consider buying the chicks from the same hatchery as you, see if I can get the same results.

 

[duluthralphie]

I got mine from Hoover Hatchery in Rudd Iowa. They sent me a good count, a couple extras and they got here in a da, every bird was alive!

I am going to get from them and somewhere else next year and see if I can tell the difference.

 

[GoodwinFarm]

That's really funny,because I have thought that the most normal behaving birds I ever got were from Hoover. good luck with your birds, myself, I'm going back to get my birds from Hoover.

Edited for typos

 

[duluthralphie]

That's really funny,because I have thought that the most normal behaving birds I ever got were from Hoover. good luck with your birds, myself, I'm going back to get my birds from Hoover.

Edited for typos

I love my birds from Hoover!


The CX's are extremely normal.
All but 5 of my chickens came from Hoover. Hoover was really good to me when I ordered direct from them. My complaint was the feed mill I bought them from.


They get the birds in huge orders from Hoover and “sort out “ the orders for the customers. I am not and was not a regular at that feed mill. I feel they divided the birds in a manner more favorable to their “good” customers. Which is a good way to maintain customers, but not a good way to get new ones.

I will never got back there. It was near St. Cloud, and not real close to me, I had heard they had good chicks is why I went there. From now on I will order directly from Hoover.


That said, I will still try other hatcheries for CX's just to see if they are “different”, maybe even get one with a black feather...

 

[GoodwinFarm]

I have ordered directly from Hoover and been quite happy. Except for the year that the box got caught in the PO sorting machine and my chicks were apparently hopping all over the machine!

I've been doing meaties for my family for about 7 years now. You did this year something similar to what I would describe as the perfect way to raise them. I've tried, many times, the "heritage" meat birds and was disappointed. They take far too long to grow and don't have as much meat in the end. I can't tell the difference between free range cx and heritage (Dixie rainbow, freedom ranger, etc) in taste, so I go with efficiency.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have ordered directly from Hoover and been quite happy. Except for the year that the box got caught in the PO sorting machine and my chicks were apparently hopping all over the machine!

I've been doing meaties for my family for about 7 years now. You did this year something similar to what I would describe as the perfect way to raise them. I've tried, many times, the "heritage" meat birds and was disappointed. They take far too long to grow and don't have as much meat in the end. I can't tell the difference between free range cx and heritage (Dixie rainbow, freedom ranger, etc) in taste, so I go with efficiency.

Ahhh..

I am thinking of more Rainbows next year, I really like their size. BUT camp day will tell for sure.

 

[LindaB220]

That's really funny,because I have thought that the most normal behaving birds I ever got were from Hoover. good luck with your birds, myself, I'm going back to get my birds from Hoover.

Edited for typos

GoodwinFarm good to know. I looked up the Hoovers and they look good. Prices are really good. Shipping for me is $14 or so.

 

[duluthralphie]

GoodwinFarm good to know. I looked up the Hoovers and they look good. Prices are really good. Shipping for me is $14 or so.

I think I paid 13, so that is not so bad for you.

I really am happy with the chicks I got from them, just not happy with the feed mill that was acting as a middle man.

 

[JacobH]

Well...walked out to 11 dead bodies this morning. So frustrating. Something just reached through and ripped the heads off. Didnt eat a single bite. They were all spread around the edges of the tractor. Whatever it was did it for sport. Idiot.

Honestly, I don't even care about money. I'm really more upset that we lose that meat for our family. That's the whole point, was to give our food a better life. Oh well, it happens I guess.