Each Wednesday for the next 8 weeks, we'll bring you along as we watch our Cornish Cross meat birds mature until it is time for slaughter. Last Wednesday we got 51 birds in and put them out in our makeshift brooder under a heat lamp. We only turn it on at night as it is in the mid-90s during the day - no heat lamp needed.
This week we lost one bird unexpectantly. A rare rain came through in the afternoon and the heat lamp was off. Some rain (not much) and thunder and lightning must have got them wet and scared and they piled up in a pile. It didn't take me long to check on them, but one was laying dead at the bottom of the pile. That was our lagniappe bird. We ordered 50 and got 51. Any others that die are on us!
After one week, I've expanded the circumference of the brooder as they are growing and need more space. We're still feeding the Game Bird 24% protein feed, morning, noon and night. I also swapped out the three quart sized waterers for a gallon-sized one. They are drinking a lot of water, and it is easier to fill one than three. We're still adding 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar per gallon of water.
So each Wednesday night I'll get the kitchen scale out and put a sheet of paper on it. I don't want the chick pooping on the scale. The chick will be positioned on the scale and we'll do weekly weigh-ins to see how they are growing. Here's the first chick on the first week's weigh in:
After one week the average chick weighs 8 ounces. I looked in records from last year and at the one week time frame, it weighed in at 6 1/2 ounces. So far we're a little bit ahead. Remember our goal at week 8 is to have an 8 pound bird that will yield a 6 pound carcass.
See ya back next Wednesday night for the Week 2 Weigh-in!
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