Wikipedia defines gluttony as the over-indulgence and over -consumption of food, drink, or intoxicants to the point of waste. Which correctly describes the roaster chicks. They are gluttons. They will sit by a feeder until the food is gone. I have read they will eat themselves to death. When done eating their crops are so full they can hardly walk.
The Jumbo Cornish X Rocks which we use as roasters, along with the white leghorns, red sexlinks and barred rocks were all hatched on 3/16/09. Here is the difference in size three weeks later. 
While raising them I swear I won't get them again but the freezer full of this big roasters makes me forget their nasty behavior. When you go to feed the roasters they fly at you, peck you and are noisy as heck. The others are so calm and hardly ever make a peep...or maybe we just can't hear them over the roasters? They were in seperate cages in our basement as the larger ones trampled the smaller ones. I lost two before I was able to get another cage set up. This weekend we moved the roasters into an outside coop as they are more feathered than the others. As luck would have it the weather has gotten colder so we added another light. When it warms they will be allowed outside all day...not that they show any interest in foraging. Which is too bad since we seem to have a bumper crop of ticks this year...I might have to get some guinea hens.
While raising them I swear I won't get them again but the freezer full of this big roasters makes me forget their nasty behavior. When you go to feed the roasters they fly at you, peck you and are noisy as heck. The others are so calm and hardly ever make a peep...or maybe we just can't hear them over the roasters? They were in seperate cages in our basement as the larger ones trampled the smaller ones. I lost two before I was able to get another cage set up. This weekend we moved the roasters into an outside coop as they are more feathered than the others. As luck would have it the weather has gotten colder so we added another light. When it warms they will be allowed outside all day...not that they show any interest in foraging. Which is too bad since we seem to have a bumper crop of ticks this year...I might have to get some guinea hens.
2 comments:
I guess not all chickens are alike, eh? You will probably take extra pleasure when eating those nasty birds and feel more justified when sending them to the butcher.......LOL
Do Guinea hens keep ticks at bay?? I didn't know they were good for anything other than being noisy. :)
And how do you keep them out of your flower beds and gardens? Every time I had chickens running lose, they destroyed the plants.
poor roaster hens...it is their lot in life to eat.
thanks for the heads up warning on the ticks. I found one on me when I worked in the blackberry patch. You'd think with all that freezing weather this year it would have thinned them out a little!
Post a Comment