Cornish-Cross - an amazing and, at the same time, grotesque breed of chicken. It is the primary breed used in the meat industry and by many pastured poultry producers. The hatchery we typically order chicks from describes them this way:
This is the most remarkable meat producing bird we have ever seen. Special matings produce chicks with broad breasts, big thighs, white plumage, and yellow skin. The rapid growth of these chicks is fantastic and the feed efficiency remarkable.
However, like any hybrid, the Cornish Cross has "issues." The hatchery does not "recommend breeding, since they will not produce the same high quality in the next generation and due to the extreme rate of growth they will be too large at time of sexual maturity to breed successfully." The birds also struggle with a number of health issues due to their rapid weight gain as well as being almost completely void of natural chicken instincts. The price we pay for perfect, tender, juicy meat!
Our order of 50 Cornish Cross chicks arrived two weeks ago. They spent their first week in a large stock tank inside the stock building. We had one fatality in the first day or two, but the remaining chicks all seemed healthy. The hatchery sent 51 chicks, a common practice which assumes a small percentage of loss due to the stress of shipment. After a week the chicks were getting too big for the stock tank, so we spread a deep bed of sawdust on the cement floor and set them out in a larger area. At 2 1/2 weeks the chicks are about 50% feathered out, plump and eating like their barn yard neighbors, the pigs.
As the birds get bigger, feather out and no longer require heating lamps, we'd like to move them outside so they can forage on pasture (or our lawn, which is primarily dandelions and clover). However, unlike our laying hens, the meat birds do not do well as "free-rangers" for a number of reasons. One reason is that they simply will not stray far from their feeder. These chickens go from a .75 ounce chick to a 6 pound mass of meat in 6-8 weeks. In order to put on that much weight these little chicks need to do a lot of eating! Another reason the meat birds don't range well is because they are not as mobile as the hens. The breading that has created this amazing, tender, meaty animal has also created an animal that has trouble walking and is prone to leg injuries, heat strokes and heart attacks. Instead of ranging over the barn yard and fields, nimbly scratching up dirt and pecking up bugs and greens, the Cornish Cross lounge, loaf, and generally remain blob-like in close proximity to the feeder. Sadly these birds need help grazing.
How does one help an over sized hunk of meat on two drumsticks graze?
A chicken tractor!
Essentially a bottomless, portable cage, a chicken tractor is used to intensely graze an area of pasture. The tractor is moved to a fresh section of pasture, typically daily, but more or less depending on the size of the tractor and the number of chickens in it. Many urban chicken owners use a tractor for a small flock of laying hens, in which case the cage is equipped with nesting boxes and a roost; however, a tractor works quite well for meat birds too. The open bottom allows the bird to literally lay on the ground and graze the forage around it. When the pen is moved the birds get fresh greens and leave behind a layer of wonderful fertilizer.
Although there are pre-made tractors available they are really only suited for a small flock and primarily for the urban homesteader. 95% of the information available online is for homemade tractors, mostly constructed from random things the farmer had laying around. I found several informative resources and blogs, such as The Deliberate Agrarians two posts, and a few sites about Joel Salatin's style of tractor (Salatin was one of the first American farmers to start "pasturing" meat animals and has written several books on the subject.)
As I researched I was able to put together a list of requirements:
* Secure and predator-proof
* Lightweight and easily portable
* Provide enough shade/shelter from rain
* Large enough for all 50 birds
* Accessible so refilling food and water is easy
* Constructed as cheaply as possible, ideally from junk on hand
With these criteria in mind I went hunting through the outbuildings to see what I could find.
This is the most remarkable meat producing bird we have ever seen. Special matings produce chicks with broad breasts, big thighs, white plumage, and yellow skin. The rapid growth of these chicks is fantastic and the feed efficiency remarkable.
However, like any hybrid, the Cornish Cross has "issues." The hatchery does not "recommend breeding, since they will not produce the same high quality in the next generation and due to the extreme rate of growth they will be too large at time of sexual maturity to breed successfully." The birds also struggle with a number of health issues due to their rapid weight gain as well as being almost completely void of natural chicken instincts. The price we pay for perfect, tender, juicy meat!
Our order of 50 Cornish Cross chicks arrived two weeks ago. They spent their first week in a large stock tank inside the stock building. We had one fatality in the first day or two, but the remaining chicks all seemed healthy. The hatchery sent 51 chicks, a common practice which assumes a small percentage of loss due to the stress of shipment. After a week the chicks were getting too big for the stock tank, so we spread a deep bed of sawdust on the cement floor and set them out in a larger area. At 2 1/2 weeks the chicks are about 50% feathered out, plump and eating like their barn yard neighbors, the pigs.
As the birds get bigger, feather out and no longer require heating lamps, we'd like to move them outside so they can forage on pasture (or our lawn, which is primarily dandelions and clover). However, unlike our laying hens, the meat birds do not do well as "free-rangers" for a number of reasons. One reason is that they simply will not stray far from their feeder. These chickens go from a .75 ounce chick to a 6 pound mass of meat in 6-8 weeks. In order to put on that much weight these little chicks need to do a lot of eating! Another reason the meat birds don't range well is because they are not as mobile as the hens. The breading that has created this amazing, tender, meaty animal has also created an animal that has trouble walking and is prone to leg injuries, heat strokes and heart attacks. Instead of ranging over the barn yard and fields, nimbly scratching up dirt and pecking up bugs and greens, the Cornish Cross lounge, loaf, and generally remain blob-like in close proximity to the feeder. Sadly these birds need help grazing.
Laying hens who know how to scratch and graze!
A chicken tractor!
Essentially a bottomless, portable cage, a chicken tractor is used to intensely graze an area of pasture. The tractor is moved to a fresh section of pasture, typically daily, but more or less depending on the size of the tractor and the number of chickens in it. Many urban chicken owners use a tractor for a small flock of laying hens, in which case the cage is equipped with nesting boxes and a roost; however, a tractor works quite well for meat birds too. The open bottom allows the bird to literally lay on the ground and graze the forage around it. When the pen is moved the birds get fresh greens and leave behind a layer of wonderful fertilizer.
Although there are pre-made tractors available they are really only suited for a small flock and primarily for the urban homesteader. 95% of the information available online is for homemade tractors, mostly constructed from random things the farmer had laying around. I found several informative resources and blogs, such as The Deliberate Agrarians two posts, and a few sites about Joel Salatin's style of tractor (Salatin was one of the first American farmers to start "pasturing" meat animals and has written several books on the subject.)
As I researched I was able to put together a list of requirements:
* Secure and predator-proof
* Lightweight and easily portable
* Provide enough shade/shelter from rain
* Large enough for all 50 birds
* Accessible so refilling food and water is easy
* Constructed as cheaply as possible, ideally from junk on hand
With these criteria in mind I went hunting through the outbuildings to see what I could find.
The tension of waiting for part two is actually palpable!
ReplyDeleteUgh, those things always did gross me out. They remind me of some 500lb guy lounging on the couch with a bag of potato chips and a gallon of ice cream....
ReplyDelete