Our Experience Raising Cornish - Week 2

Not to start off on a bad note, but we ended up losing 3 chicks in our first week this year. Unfortunately this just happens sometimes, and sometimes there’s nothing you can do to save them. Losing chicks just becomes a part of living on a farm.

- - - Week 2

Chicks will spend a majority of their time eating, drinking and sleeping and pooping! They poop A LOT. Most people go by the general rule of feeding 12 hours on and 12 hours off. I tend to forget things easily so I just leave the food down 24/7 but I have a reminder in my phone to fill the feeders every morning (as needed).

At this time we are at 27 birds and haven’t even gone through 50 lbs of feed yet, which can be seen as good or bad depending on how you look at it. I see it as good because Cornish have the tendency of growing ‘too fast’ and causing off health issues such as leg problems, sudden death and heart attack. Others may see it as being bad because it sounds as if I’m not feeding them enough. So far though they’ve been eating, drinking and running around like normal happy little chicks, just with less energy and a lot more napping! I love watching them sprint from one end of the brooder to the other as I walk around to go sit inside with them.

Feed I use for the birds from Day 1 to Butcher

(Pictured Below)

The brooder temperature should be kept about the same at 90-95 degrees. I personally turn off the lamps during the day if the temperature outside is above 75, just because the concrete shack they’re in traps in heat really well and keeps them at a good temperature throughout the day. I have a thermometer in with them as well and will check a couple times a day. If I notice it’s above 95 then I’ll open the window in the back to get some air circulating- just for a couple of minutes.

All in all this week was a pretty good week👍🏻 Everyone is thriving, we didn’t lose anymore chicks and they’re still cute! We hope to have them moved outside in the next couple weeks to their coop till butcher. Stay tuned!