I've never raised Cornish x Rocks before. Everyone said they grew fast, but it's really quite amazing. They're like little sumo wrestlers compared to the others. :-) They are 1 week old now, and I've started taking the food out at night so they don't get too big too fast. They literally lay in front of the feeder and eat.
yes so awesome, i got to see some friends grow. instead of doubling in size every week it is more like every 3 days!
glad you know to limit their feed so they don't keel over from heart attacks!
you may have to increase the number of feeders you have, or fill them three to four times a day...
i htink htey are like sunflowers or corn, you could sit and SEE them grwoing...
I don't want their legs breaking down under them either. I've got the new batch (the replacement shipment) too, which are just a couple days old, and in a couple weeks I'll get them all out into the coop with a little fenced area where they can roam around and hunt bugs. A moth got into their brooder and you should have seen the excitement! :-)
The other thing I like about these guys is that so far I don't have to go on PBP (pasty butt patrol) a couple times a day. The last time we raised chicks (heavy breed layers), that was a problem for some.
I'm getting some keets this weekend, and then the rest of the replacements next week - my layers - so it'll be quite a little poultry farm around here soon.
woohoo, keets! tis the season, eh?
If you are amazed by how much they grow now, just wait. They grow so fast that their feather can not keep up with their feather and they are really almost bald in places. Good to limit the feed, that is what we have done too. I wouldn't worry so much about their feet not being able to support them.....their legs seem to grow VERY thick. I think they plop down in front of the feeder the way they do because they seem to be very lazy and are very one track minded.....well, maybe 3 ......eat, drink, poop....eat, drink, poop......you get the idea. I have a pic of my DH PUSHING them out of their house.....they didn't want to get too far away from the feeder. Once out, they walk around a bit, but mostly just lay around. (on their sides)
They are so very different than a 'regular' chicken that I too was and still am surprised at the difference. Boy, they sure do taste good though!
Christy
pic of DH pushing them out of the house.
Yeah, I finally found someone who had keets available. I didn't want to order 15 or 30 - we don't need that many, although I probably could have sold the excess, judging from the posts on craigslist. But anyway, we're just getting half a dozen or so. Regular pearl guineas. It's tickville around here, so I hope they will make a difference.
by the time they are 18 months old, you will forget what a tick even looked like!
Hey, TF, I didn't know what a tick looked like except in picture books until about 4 years ago. I have no idea why we didn't have them until then.
GG
I hadn't really seen many ticks either, until about 2 years ago. We have had a HORRIBLE problem with them ever since. I have to do tick checks on the kids everyday and the dogs have them something awful. I am slowly upping amounts of apple cider vinegar everyday in their drinking water, trying to combat them. YUK!
Christy
Christy,
Apple Cider vinegar??? Do tell. How much and how slow to up it.
Well, I'm not really sure how much they need. I got that info from the pro's here. Also, ACV is good for chickens too. I am only going slow with it so that the dogs will get used to it and still drink the water. I don't know how high I will go.....when the ticks start falling off? For chickens I think it is 1 T to a gallon of water.....but that could be wrong. I am about out of ACV and haven't started the chickens on it.
I had some ACV in pill form that I have for me........I had heard that ACV in people is good for all kinds of things so I already had it. It must work.....I haven't found a tick on me for awhile. I'm not sure how to get some into the kids though, they can't swallow pills yet and I don't think there is any way I could get them to just drink it, even with honey mixed in.
Hopefully someone that knows the specifics will be by soon!
Christy
