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Kat Hannah

@gingerchicksfarmstead

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Homesteading is a state of mind and a set of actions in a direction.
Sharing the journey from a rental.
Join us - No land required.

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These Cornish cross hybrids are growing SO differently than heritage chicks.

Everyone that raises chicks knows that, but seeing it side by side really puts it into perspective.

It’s important for our customers to see this kind of comparison. But why?

👉🏼 Cornish cross chicks cannot be bred and won’t breed true. While you CAN breed the females to a heritage breed rooster (if they survive to breeding age), they will not necessarily pass on their fast growing nature to their offspring. Some will be chunky and some will grow slower. This means in order to replicate the finished product, farms HAVE to purchase these chicks year after year; they cannot hatch them on their own farms.

👉🏼 Cornish cross have a HUGE feed cost in a very short time compared to raising heritage breed chicks. This means a large expense in a very short time. Farms definitely need deposits to help cover the costs; some customers balk at deposits but this is why. One Cornish cross chick will eat approximately 15-16 lbs of feed in just 6-8 weeks. Heritage breed chicks will eat half that much or just under in the same time frame. The cheapest complete feeds cost around $20/50lbs right now, so that’s $6-6.50 per bird over 2 months. Raise 100 birds at once for customers and that’s the equivalent of $300-$325 PER MONTH in feed costs for JUST the meat birds. Small farms still have their layers and other livestock to feed as well, garden seeds to buy, etc.

👉🏼 See those legs? They’re oddly thick to compensate for an insanely heavy body in a VERY short timespan. One of the big concerns with this hybrid breed is them “going down on their legs” — basically being too heavy and their legs can’t support them. At just 2-3 weeks old, I’m already seeing far less activity than their heritage breed peers. They don’t practice using their wings as much. They’re scratching at the ground less each day while their heritage peers are scratching more (normal chicken behavior). We’ll see how this pans out.

Follow for more updates. At 4 weeks I’ll start getting average weights to compare growth.

#smallfamilyfarm #farmfreedom #growyourown #heritagebreed #cornishcross #pasturedpoultry #pasturedchicken

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All these chicks shown were hatched within a day or two of each other.

These chicks — 24 heritage chicks + 11 Cornish cross raised as heritage — are going to be “chicken tractor experiment group 1.” Another group of Cornish cross chicks —raised per standard broiler chick recommendations — will be “chicken tractor experiment group 2.”

They’ll be raised side by side to really give the comparison of how these chicks grow, how they affect the land they’re raised on when using standard chicken tractor methods, and how well they fit into the picture of a sustainably-minded small farm. From what I’ve heard from many, many small farms, the Cornish cross are basically disgusting to raise in the most commonly used tractor setting and can be terrible on the land, but “it’s worth putting up with those gross chicks for a couple of months and if you do 100 at a time you fill the freezer for the year and you’re done.”

When many farmers don’t even want to raise these birds but they’ll suffer through it, that’s a red flag to me. I’m of the belief that you should be happy with what you raise, you shouldn’t hate the work it takes to feed your family (and your customers if that’s your angle), and you definitely shouldn’t have to rely on buying these chunky chicks every year from a hatchery because are you truly self-sufficient that way? For those that don’t know, Cornish cross can’t reproduce naturally, so don’t plan on saving a rooster and a hen and having more next year…

I’m especially eager to see how the Cornish cross chicks compare to their Dark Cornish ancestors that are in here too, and how they’ll compare later in the year in experiment number 2 to what I think is a far more promising meat bird option for small farms. More to come on that in June. 😉

Follow along for weekly updates!

#heritagebreed #broilers #farmexperiments #farmexperience #smallfamilyfarm #regenerativeagriculture #sustainability #selfsustaining #farmfreedom #raiseyourownfood #localfarmers #supportsmallfarms

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Well it’s about time…welcome to the farm, piglets!

Mama, Penelope, delivered 13 piglets today. They are a cross of Hereford (mom) and KuneKune (dad). Born right in the pasture with the rest of the pigs, just back in her own little hide-out. The other pigs are being very good about giving her space, even her obnoxious and super nosy half-sister. 🙈

I’ve been dreaming of this exact cross for over a year, to hopefully get just the right blend of tender, marbled meat, top-notch flavor, higher lard output, and a decent growth speed. It’ll still be at least 9-12 months before they’re ready for the butcher though. I might have to find some piglets to buy in the interim to offset the wait for my customers. 🤷🏻‍♀️

But either way, this was the coolest thing to find today! I’ve been mentally planning onto pigs having the normal 7-10 range for litter size, so I am extra thrilled to see that Penelope is an over-achiever. God provided some extra sales for the farm in this way! 🙏🏼

Cheers to new life, new adventures, and a literal dream come true. And I can’t believe every single one of them is mostly red with the KuneKune wattles. The perfect blend.😅

#findgoodliving #raisegoodliving #pasturedpork #pasturedpigsarehappypigs #kunekune #hereford #smallfamilyfarm #piglets #farmlifethroughourlens #farmlifebestlife #supportlocalfarms

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Don’t count your chickens.

DO count your blessings.

FOCUS ON that which is in the light.

And find a little JOY today.

This sight just plain made me so happy to see.

(And later the egg basket gave me a good arm workout hauling it back to the house. 😅)

Psst…go read the short message in this caption. 😉

#findgoodliving #focusonjoy #raisegoodliving #freerangechickens #freerangelife #happychickens #meetmyflock #meetthemenagerie #100eggsaday #smallfamilyfarm #supportlocalfarmers

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Becky's Bachelorette

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It's awesome when you get to work with your friends!!

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Happy birthday piper!

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Yay I get to be an active auntie again! (Me and my niece piper)

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Niagra falls, NY

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