Please tutor me to raise Cornish X for my freezer

[kathyinmo]

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That is exactly why I am doing this. When I get through this, I will decide if I will ever try it again.

pongoid....
I do not figure in the price of the feeders, run repair, coop costs, etc. All that is used for other things. I want to figure only the cost and amount of the feed.

 

[bigredfeather]

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After one bite of those birds, I'd guess you'll be doing more of them. Once you get used to all the uncontrolled eating and excessive poo, you won't think twice about their nasty characteristics. Great tasting meat and quick turnaround.

 

[bigredfeather]

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If they are not on pasture, I usually figure 20 pounds of feed per bird in 8 weeks. This is the first year I have had mine on actual pasture(in the past, it has just been in my yard), and their bagged feed consumption has dropped several pounds each. Mine go crazy over the white clover in my pasture. They will fight each other to be in the front part of the tractor when I move it to get to the new clover. Their poo is green colored from consuming so much of it. Only drawback is it takes them a little longer to reach the higher weights. My 8 week average weight has dropped 1/2 a pound.

 

[kathyinmo]

bigredfeather,
Thank you for the information! I do plan to let them free range after a week in their new open air coop (or whatever it is). I wanted an easy to move tractor, but ended up with an 8' x 8' playpen looking thing (3 ft tall with corrugated tin roof) made with 2x4s and hardware cloth. Free ranging here is in the yard and timber area.

I sure hope they all make it to processing, and I do look forward to having some great chicken dinners!

 

[pongoid]

Yeah I know I shouldn't include the equipment and coop costs but....my wife does include them because she doesn't believe I am going to keep this up.

 

[bigredfeather]

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The best thing you can do is prove her wrong!

 

[kathyinmo]

They have been outside for just 2 days now. I do not know how they have so much poop, for such little chicks. I know, I know, it will get even worse!

All those 2x4s were brand new 2 days ago.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

lol, just wait they get bigger and grosser! but whoever said they taste great IS RIGHT ! ! !

 

[Paganrose]

Yeah it defently gets worse! when they get bigger they will dump absoultly everything that may have food in it, plus the poop gets bigger! I have to clean out my coop at least 2 times a week!

I moved my CX's to the coop at two weeks, with just a heat lamp from the brooder, and they survived a mid may snowstorm, with no losses. I started free ranging them at 3 weeks on my acre, and took away the brooder lamp. I feed them at right before sunset, when I feed my other chickens. There is very little feed left mid morning when I let them out to range. They have also been on naturaly grown, home mixed feed, which averages about 20% protien. The feeder is also set up so they can not lay/sleep in it. They are growing slower, we just slaughtered half of them earilier this week. At 10 weeks they are dressing out about 4 to 4 1/2 lbs. The carcasses also had very little fat on them. The rest will wait a couple more weeks.

These bird seem to act more like normal chickens, than other CX's. They do like to roost on lower roosts, they forage, are active, follow my older hens everywhere, and still come running (wobbling all the way) when they see a feed bucket, or see someone heading into garage (where feed is kept). I have not lost any since moving them outside.

Dose anyone know if there are different strands of Cornish X's, some that grow slower than others?

 

[kathyinmo]

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I wonder if it is that, or if it is because they free range and get exercize, instead of just eating from the feeder all day long.