Welp. first time with meat birds

[Xouie]

How are your Welpies doing?

 

[B-Goock]

How are your Welpies doing?

I had two more die. First two I would guess weak & shipping stress the first couple days. The other two seemed healthy and died after starting to feed restrict. I suspect their urge to eat they ate so much they literally drowned when they tried to drink after eating. So to prevent this I put the food in and watch when their crops start to fill and pull the food back out for a 1/2 hr. Allowing time to drink and rest. They are fuzzy butted pirahnas!

 

[RUNuts]

Have you considered wetting the feed into an oatmeal consistency? I found this slowed eating down. And gives them water at the same time.

I did it since I was raising summer birds and it was hot. They were hot. I wanted them drinking as much as possible.

 

[B-Goock]

Have you considered wetting the feed into an oatmeal consistency? I found this slowed eating down. And gives them water at the same time.

I did it since I was raising summer birds and it was hot. They were hot. I wanted them drinking as much as possible.

Great idea. I thought about that as an option but tried the "appetizer plate" and wait for the main coarse. Lol

 

[B-Goock]

2nd week random weight. Right on track with Welps growth chart.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

...doing the wetted to oatmeal thing with my new hatch as well. Have found it greatly reduces sticky butt, which was a routine issue in my first birds. Will get a weight as soon as it stops raining. Birth weights (ok, day 2) were 1.4, 1.4, 2.3, and 1.3 oz. All mutts, same Roo. Today is day 14, no way even the heaviest is going to match your random.

/edit New weights, same order. 5.6, 5.7, 11.4, 6.1 oz

Nothing gets even close to CornishX feed efficiency and rate of growth. Oh, and @RUNuts I'm using a medicated 24% protein game bird grower from the local mill to help them bulk faster. Previously, I used a non medicated 18% chicken starter from Purina, by way of TSC.

 

[RUNuts]

I found the higher protein feed causes pasty butt. In our case, an abundance of meal worms because it was fun. Lowered the protein in the next groups to 20% grower and things worked well. What protein are you feeding? For my CX, I used 20% and felt it worked well. No meal worms.

 

[RUNuts]

this is my theory and I'm not convinced yet, the wet food fills them up and slows their eating down. More mass in the gullet, so they don't pack as much dried chow in.

Regardless, I have better results with wet food and plan to continue.

 

[B-Goock]

Week 3 and according to the Welp growth chart they should be at 1.9 lbs.

Most are around 1.8-1.9 lbs and a couple are over 2 lbs.

 

[Timmy59]

Raising, butchering, & processing isn't a new thing for me but all I ever did was excess DP or heritage breed roo processing & old layers. My wife had no experience but wanted to do this. I had my helper and excess roos ready. Everything was good up until gutting. Not wanting to have my helper get squeamish and bail out on me I opted to cut off leg, thighs, wings, and then filet the breast meat off like fileting a fish. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/butchering-without-gutting.1417237/
Kept my helper and she enjoys eating our home grown chicken so much we are chewing through it quick. Hmm 5-6 months is a long time to raise to a decent size which got me to looking at meatbirds.

Reading here I have to thank you all for your experiences with meat birds. BYC is a great resource.

Hatchery search online!
Sold out. Sold out. Then I find cornish x birds at Welp hatchery for $.99 each. Ordered 32. Got 34 this morning. All lively after almost 40hrs of travel time.

I'm following what Welp recommended with sugar water first. Hydrate those fellas. Now they have 22% feed.
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I'll try to keep updating as we go.

Hey brother, feels good don't it ? Im'a 2nd gen hobby farmer, following the parents God love'm.. Had several orders with welp and have always done well.. Love those pluckers don't we.. We got the yard bird plucker and love it.. Priced it at Shawnee tsc at near 400 then priced it at Seminole tsc and it was on clearance for less than 200,, sweet.. I enjoy the fruits having hunted since the 70s.. For me it's old hat, even have a video where the carcass comes out of the plucker no head full neck and intact yet, It's on the edge of the plucker and Ima squeezing it and its a honking up a storm.. Fun and games.. Look at the welp slow grow broilers for a sustainable meat bird..