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

[Tracydr]

Do the darks and white laced reds have nice, yellow skin? I really like the idea of darker, more camouflaged chickens for free ranging. I'm thinking of when I move in two years, probably to OK. I'd like a sustainable breed and prefer a non-white feathered meat breed as the white birds always seem to attract predators.
That's amazing that the white laced red in that picture weighs the same as the jumbo white! Very deceiving! How much breast meat do they have? I like a bird with a good mix of both breast and thigh meat.

 

[Tracydr]

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Al, I'm really glad this is not the summer that we are moving back to OK! The last time I moved to Ft Sill, from WA,in 1998, it was 115 the day I arrived. It was a bad summer that summer, too, although not as bad as this summer. I remember it being over 100 all the way up until OKC State Fair. I was watching the Paint Show at the Fair and could hardly stand it. Usually, the State Fair weather is so nice, that year was miserable.
We were really bad, 115+, for nearly two weeks and suddenly we hit monsoon and we're having unseasonably cool weather. I sure hope I can send you some cool air without losing it here. It's nice to see my jumbo crosses not panting. If the weather holds, I'll let them grow another week or two as they are really looking good, seven weeks old this weekend.
Finally getting a coop this weekend, yeah! No more rushing out in monsoon thunderstorms to save the chickies by stuffing them in cardboard boxes!

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Has anyone ever actually SEEN a bird flip, can you describe it to me?

 

[SteveH]

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I haven't seen one in the process, but have found them laying on their backs with their feet in the air..................... I've been told they actually flip over into this position as their hearts fail.

 

[SteveH]

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They look delicious.

I've tried to keep with the thread, but pretty busy this week.......................... my mother suffered an afib Monday morning so I've been staying at the hospital a lot. Looks like they've got her heart rythm pretty much stabilized with medication and she may get to come home Saturday.

Seeing you and Al's birds reminds me how much of a hit my breeding program took when I lost those two young DCs. I'm anxious to see how much they passed on to their 11 offspring.

I've either lost 3 or 4 CX pullets this week to a predator [plus an Ameraucanan from the open faced coop] before I caught the culprit last night. The little CX idiots were sleeping with their heads squeezed through the 1" openings in their growing cage, allowing themselves to be decapitated and pulled through the side, and I was too preoccupied to pay much attention to the puzzle of how they were getting taken.

 

[MobyQuail]

Steve, take care of your Mom and yourself, get some sleep! sorry bout your birds, if you were closer, I would drive by with wire and air stapler.
who/what was the culprit?
best wishes to you and yours.

 

[al6517]

Progress is coming along............

 

[Totalcolour]

Al, those birds are absolutely "STUNNING"! I look at mine and want to cry. But then, I bought hatchery stock (before I knew any better). I was just telling "most glorious spousal unit" last night how dreadful my birds were. He said we should go to the bird show this November and try to find some good stock. I haven't found any breeders hereabouts, so I guess the bird show is my only option, unless I can find someone who sells fertile eggs.

At least I found this thread, so can learn from you guys. While the Cornish I bought don't have ANY of the Cornish "LOOK" except maybe the feather, but who eats feathers?. I have been pretty happy with the Sussex so far, but then they are only 8 weeks old.

Just Gorgeous, not sure which I like best, but I think the dark ones are my faves.

TC (aka Katie)

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

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I haven't seen one in the process, but have found them laying on their backs with their feet in the air..................... I've been told they actually flip over into this position as their hearts fail.


Well, yesterday while cleaning and feeding everyone I saw TWO baby freedom rangers that were laying down looking pretty normal, suddenly flip over frontwards onto their sides and have a MAJOR seizure and die. I don't know if it was flip, or the heat, or the mild cocci they were just getting over or what, but it was very disturbing to watch.

 

[knjinnm]

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Yes I had one CX flip. At the time all of my birds were free ranging. I went outside with food scraps and they all came running up to me. On the way one CX literally jumped up in the air and flipped over backwards, DOA.