meat chickens

Today we processed our Rainbow Rangers. Typically my husband chops the heads off with an axe and we both process. He does it because he's stronger and also has accuracy from splitting wood since he was a kid. However, I mentioned to him that I feel I should also participate in the kill part so I...

This was my second time raising CX. My last batch got huge. By 8 weeks I had birds 6.5-8.5 lbs dressed (20-22% first 3 weeks then 18% for remaining weeks). While I was happy with the results in my freezer, I felt a little bad to see them having a hard time walking near the end, even though I...

This is our second time doing meat chickens (Cornish X) & we started an experiment with two brooders - one with a traditional heat lamp & one with a plate style brooder heater. So far they are all looking great with the traditional heat lamp ones slightly bigger. My question is in a couple weeks...

Hello, my meat-loving friends! A few months back I posted this thread because I was on the fence about keeping meat birds. I've been interested in having meat birds for a while, but I'm from the suburbs (and now live in the city) and have never killed an animal in my life. However, you all...

The red rangers broilers i got are supposed to be killed at 16 weeks. If I slaughter early, like8 weeks, will they be cornish hen sized? Or is this a bad idea? This may sound weird but I don't wanna kill them all at once at 16 weeks. I wanna do 1 or 2 a week. And I wanna start while they're...

Hi everyone, I was scrolling through this forum trying to read up on what people thought of the taste/size/etc of the Cornish Cross chicken breed and decided to post my own results. We butchered ours at 5.5 weeks, and wow, what a range in sizes we got! Our runt was 2.5lb and Big Bertha was 4.3...

So, I purchased the red broilers on accident actually. I wanted broilers, but not reds. I'm not finding any answers on Google about how old to kill them. I have found 12 weeks for Red Rangers, but not for red broilers. Maybe it's the same thing. The roosters are getting bossy and kind of mean...

Hello! We currently have 5 laying hens who will be transitioning to their coop/run soon. Their run is 80 Sq ft. and their coop is 120 Sq ft. We also have 3 ducks that will be sharing the coop with them. Could the ducks also share the 80 Sq ft of run or do we need more space? Also, in a few...

Looking to buy some meat chicken hatching eggs. Let me know what you have and how much. Shipping would be to 24422. Looking for anywhere from 12 to 24 and will be a repeat buyer if the price + shipping is a good deal. Thanks!!

Hello everyone, My husband and I are raising 25 Cornish Cross and plan to harvest them this week and next, but we just came across additional information we weren't aware of would appreciate some help in understanding. So after we kill, scald, pluck, clean we read that you need to rest in ice...

Hi! This is my first post here. We have been raising meat chickens without ever having an issue. In fact the meat is always juicy and soooooo delicious! But last night I cooked up a chicken and when cutting into it, the meat looked darker than it should have been in the lower portion of the...

has anyone crossed Jersey Giants with another breed to get a faster-growing bird? I would like to start selling some of my own meat birds. I am looking to create my own version of the Cornish x with Jersey Giants, of course, nothing that grows as fast as the Cornish x.

This is our first try with meat birds and I wonder, what feed should I go for to create the best tasting meat? That is the whole idea, right? Backyard chickens should taste better, not just be fed the same thing they are getting at the factories. Other than free ranging, and various treats...

I have 200 Red Ranger chicks a 100 of them are three weeks old in chicken tractors on pasture, 100 of them are 2 days old in a brooder, I'm just starting out feeding fermented feed and looking for a guideline on how much to feed. Would anyone have an average guideline?

First time raising meat birds. We've lost 7 so far. Crows (grrrr) and coccidiosis. They are 8 weeks and not as big as they should be, but only one with a leg issue, and even that one was very active. I have fed them variable feed. Two weeks of 18% organic with plenty of dried worms....Then...

Can I feed my broilers the same start/grower I use to feed my layers? It's blue seal multi-flock and has a protein content of 22%. I know I should feed my layers broiler food, but this seems like it would work... thoughts and insights needed. Thank you.

I'm told I need Finisher in CRUMBLES & I'm only finding it in PELLETS ??????

I'm new at this & this is my 1st batch ??of 10 I'm being told that I need to now feed my chickens (just finished 2nd bag of "starter crumbles") turkey finisher ??crumbles?? The only finisher I'm finding is pellets ?? Anyone raising meat chickens out there have any advise? I'm not sure what...

Hi there. I've been researching the chicken breeds we have and I'm wondering about birds who are good for eggs and meat. I have several chickens who are at the end of their laying days. They were hand-me-downs from the people we bought our house from. Most of them are meat/egg birds, so my...