Provide Transition Housing for Chicks

You'll need to take steps to make sure their transition outside doesn't shock them. Once feathered, the broilers can be transferred to a predator-free, sheltered grow pen, coop or chicken tractor.

Meat breeds finish out at different ages and weights. Cornish Crosses finish at 8 to 9 weeks old with weights of around 10 pounds for males and 8 pounds for females.

Special Considerations For Meat Birds If you’re raising Cornish Crosses, keep in mind that their heavy body conformation makes it difficult for them to walk far, so keep food and water sources close at hand, and don’t expect them to forage.

Even in chicken tractors a la Joel Salatin, these birds are not good foragers, nor do they handle heat well. Eliminate roosts, because unlike most other breeds, roosting bars will cause bruising and blistering of their heavy breasts.

Cover the basic needs for warmth and shelter, give a little extra attention to feeding, watering and housing protocols, and you’ll take your chicks from brooder to broiler stage in a matter of weeks.

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