Please tutor me to raise Cornish X for my freezer

[kathyinmo]

I am in a panic with these chicks. I don't know what my problem is.

I hope it is ok to just treat them like my other chickens. I just don't know. I have read too many stories about them, I guess. I want to move them outside. We are currently in a heat advisory until the end of the week. Lows at night are 80. It is 84 now. Then I intended to let them free range also.

 

[SteveH]

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I lowered the brooder down to 85 or a little less at the end of the first week . Mine are now at 8 weeks , and though a little smaller than if grown for slaughter , are handling the 90 degree temps just fine .

 

[Winsor Woods]

I started my first two batches of Cornish X's in my normal chick brooder. I, too, ran into problems with huge amounts of poop. After they get to 3 weeks old, I had to change the litter out a few times a day. What a waste. I held off getting my next batch for this year and put some effort into modifying the floor of my brooder Box. It's an old orchard crate that's about 4'x4' and I have the corners rounded off so no chicks get stuck in there. I removed the solid floor and made a frame to hold a sheet of 1/2" hardware cloth. I installed that frame/cloth as the floor into the brooder box. I also raised up the brooder on runners (I'm thinking of using casters eventually. I spread sheets of paper on the floor and then slide the brooder over the paper. The poop will fall through the wire floor eventually. Sometimes it just takes being stepped on by the chicks but it all gets to the paper and then It's much easier to ball up the paper and compost it than scooping out all the old litter and putting in the new. It's also much cleaner for the birds when they aren't sitting it their own poop.

Dan

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

I put mine outside at one week, with no light, and night temps in the 50's. I only lost four the whole time . . . you're right THEY ARE GROSS! LOL! ! !

 

[kathyinmo]

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Well, that is reassuring. They are on the way out the door right now. One week old. It is 98* now, heat index is higher. Low tonight to be in the 80s.


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If yours made it in the 50s, then I hope these will be fine in the 80s at night. I can not take it in the garage anymore! Thursday til Tuesday, that is enough for me! I have changed that brooder so many times, I can't even remember how many! It HAS to be better outside, for them and for me!

I gave away a dozen of them, so I now have 39.

GROSS, GROSS, GROSS ! ! !

 

[SteveH]

GROSS, GROSS, GROSS ! ! !

Welcome to the wonderful world of CX . That MO soil will soon be much richer than it was

 

[cluckcluck42]

I could NOT believe how much they pooped. Gross little creatures, but boy do they grow quick. Mine are 8 weeks tomorrow and my butcher guy convinced me to wait. Everyone in our area does theres at 12 weeks, I'm doing mine a little over 10 weeks. Good luck with the meaties and try not to worry! I lost 30 right away (still don't know why) andhave only lost 3 since during a heatwave.

 

[kathyinmo]

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Welcome to the wonderful world of CX . That MO soil will soon be much richer than it was

I did place them where it can use some help!

I soooo miss the dark rich Iowa soil. This crappy rocky clay stuff is not at all like what I had been used to.

 

[chick_magnet]

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what does feeding 12 on 12 off means?

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

you only have feed available during daylight hours. at night you take it away and turn out the lights so they go to sleep . . . and wake up STARVING! LOL don't get in the way of that feeder! I did mine that way from one week forward and had zero issues with legs or hearts.