Update on my Cornish X gals

[nicalandia]

Oh WOW............REX will love to have them as his friends...

 

[raroo]

Aw thanks so much everyone!

I am also a bit curious about breeding. I've tossed around the idea of hatching some of Greta's eggs if she is still around by the time my future roo is old enough. That would make her well over a year old though, that may be wishful thinking. My goal is that they reach at least a year old, I'll consider anything after that a lovely bonus! But I thought wouldn't it be wonderful to have some of their babies to continue the legacy. I'm also concerned about the health of the chicks though, I wouldn't want to pass on any undesirable broiler health issues, especially since any babies from Greta would be pets only. I worry enough over these two without having to tack on any guilt over passing bad traits to their babies!

Only 3.5 months until their first birthday! October 31, come on gals, you can do it!!

 

[nicalandia]

hey...

you are doing a very good job of keeping them healthy, if you want little chicks running around, just use a normal rooster to father their chicks..as long as REX or any other Broiler Sire or broiler end product rooster the chicks will be fine.........

 

[hinkjc]

Those are very pretty girls. Are you sure they are cornish? I thought cornish had yellow skin.

 

[raroo]

I was under the impression all broilers were cornish X? These gals are Ross Cobb broilers from a local broiler farm.

 

[lilmouthy]

You don't know how happy I am to see this post!!!!!

My guys/gals are 10 weeks old now. I also got mine from a chicken house. Was told they were Cobb and Ross chickens. These are my first chickens. We got them as day old babes. Didn't get picture posted on here till yesterday,and that's when I found out that they were Cornish X's. So,after much reading from Google,I was heart broke to read that they would never survive,aren't good layers ....

My DD and I have played and petted with mine since the day we got them. If you sit down outside,you'll end up with a lap full of chickens. LOL They LOVE to be petted on and messed with. We have 12 of them. I was soo sad all last night and all day today,thinking all my chickens would die soon. I am sooo tickled to see this post and to see that maybe,just maybe,mine will live long enough to get some eggs.

I had no intention of having these for meat birds. I just wanted to have chickens for eggs. Didn't think I would ever get so attached to a bunch of chickens. LOL These guys are soo funny to watch. When ever they see me or my daughter,they come running as fast as they can,and will follow us all over like a lost puppy.

Anyhow,don't mean to ramble,just wanted to THANK YOU for this post!!

 

[raroo]

Aww...

I know exactly how you feel, they are such sweet, lovable birds! My girls follow me around as well and love to sit on my lap and be pet.

What you will want to do now is start restricting their feed. Begin by just taking it away for 12 hours each night. Keep them on a regular 18% grower feed. I would do this for a few weeks until it looks like they've slowed down on growing, and then cut back the feed again. I feed my girls 1 and 1/8 cup of feed each divided into small meals throughout the day. When they are 4 months old, you can switch them to a layer feed. Mine get 18% layer/breeder. You can keep an eye on their weight by feeling their keel bone. A thick layer of fat means they are overweight, you should be able to clearly feel the bone, but it shouldn't be too sharp, either. They will still be meaty in the back and breast area though, just try to keep a nice balance on the meat covering the keel bone.
I also use a multivitamin in their water. I grind half a regular strength aspirin per gallon of water too for their hearts but that is entirely up to you. If you notice them panting heavily though, it is a good option to try, it worked for me and I believe it has worked for a couple of other people who have tried it as well. Still I feel like I need a little disclaimer when I tell people about using aspirin.

Good luck on raising your birds! Keep us updated on how it goes.

ETA I just looked at the pics you posted and I think they look beautiful and healthy!

 

[CarriBrown]

George looks like she's up to no good!

 

[juliect]

Beautiful

 

[lilmouthy]

Thanks for the tips!

They do pant heavy every now and then...I just thought they were hot. LOL. So glad you told me. So,you just get a human aspirin and crush it up? I'm willing to try anything to keep my babies with me as long as possible. Not trying to sound dumb,but what is a keel bone? LOL

Mine free range all day,so I just feed them a bit in the AM,a bit in the afternoon,then a bit more right before bed. I will stop giving them any in the afternoon now though. When I say a bit,I have one of those cake frosting tubs and use that as my scoop. Do you think that is too much?

Thanks for all your help!