Red Laced Cornish X and project talk (pics p. 8)

[buzzer]

What do you feed your meat birds do you use a special mix?

 

[kfacres]

What do you feed your meat birds do you use a special mix?

I know many people on here make a custom ration, and I also tried to myself- but found I wasn't happy with it. I worked with my feed guy to forumulate a ration that I was fairly happy with, but come to find out it was nearly identical to the custom ration that I could buy- but was more expensive.

Anymore, I just buy a custom ration and mix it with beanmeal to boost the protein up.

These meat birds and Cornish need more protein that your average feed has.

 

[al6517]

I have also found that too much protein can also have adverse effects, I stumbled on this last year when I was hatching 200 a week, it was fine as chicks but in the young teen stage some had developed some uncorrectable issues. I dropped the protein back and the problems disappeared, but I still feed a higher ration than is available commercialy. These were for my pure LF Cornish I might add, but it may not be an issue with the Cornish X.

 

[buzzer]

What percentage of protein do you feed at different ages?

 

[kfacres]

What percentage of protein do you feed at different ages?

20 percent to my breeders starting one month before I'm ready to begin hatching.

I feed 22-24 percent to the young stock.

 

[al6517]

28% to very young chicks, 20% to breeders, and 30% to show birds during show conditioning. I do custom mix per pen and per certain groups of birds but the chicks stay on med starter for 6 mo.

 

[kfacres]

I don't post much on here anymore, but do read some still.

I got the chance to meet Big Medicine this past weekend to pick up another set of birds, and even got some eggs to try out from his good blues. Have most of them under a couple of broodies- and one dozen in the cooker-- so hopefully I get a great hatch.

Anyways, tremendous guy, with a great breeding program. Happy to say that I'm glad my program is stacked with his genetics- as the Blue Laced and the whites are the future around here. Maybe tutting my own horn, but I sure think these bloodlines are perfect for a backyard meat bird project.

If anyone is interested- I'm willing to sell every White Laced red on the place, they are great birds- just not fitting my breeding program. Have a few other birds that I'd like to cut down on to open up pen space for this next up and coming crop of youngsters. PM if interested.

 

[buzzer]

thanks, al what goes in to your mix?

 

[al6517]

I keep nearly 7 or 8 barrels of seperate grain and feed and supplements, each pen may or may not get a (by pen custom formula), each pen has birds of different ages, different breeding, and different outcomes. Each pen is evalutaed and fed what I think is required based on what their use is going to be and where I want to see their growth develop. It seems simple to me but can become daunting in a nano-second to those who only buy and feed your run of the mill commercial feed. I have worked on these mixes for a long time and have come to see the benefits for each ingrediant at certain times and under certain times of the year and conditions. That is my best show birds get fed an entirely different formula than say my birds for sale and or those desitin for culling or for the stew pot, I also feed differently for egg & embryo quality for those chosen for the bator, breeder birds are fed differently so that their eggs are the best condition to hatch healthy birds. the list goes on and on and like I said it can make your head dizzy. For the average Joe I would stay with bagged store bought feed as opposed to trying to feed to my standards, which may or may not work for many people for reasons like space, expense, availability, concepts, flock quality, feed time and so on.

 

[adorable]

I have been told by some well respected Cornish men and judges alike that a few ( 2-4 ) small barely visable Black ticking along the neck hackles and partialy along the back, is an indication of the true silver Gene in Cornish whites. This silver gene to me anyway will always insure that I will have dominant white throughout my breedings. I want white in my program so dark pin feathers will never be an issue as it can detract from it's appealing look at the table.

AL

I have been reading this thread... I am very new to all of this... So bare with me.. I cant seem to get any standard white cornish around here. But i am planning on breeding my own line of meat birds for my family.. Now i was wondering, how do i breed to get the dominant white . Or start to breed for the whites with out having any whites, I have barred rocks, dark cornish, ect.