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You are in an extreme environment. You live in the desert. There are a lot of predators. There is no forage. You use round-up and kill all the plant life except a few things that are not plants used by chickens as food. You have to keep your birds confined. Your feed costs are higher than in many other areas. From what you have said, evidently you've had disease problems. To you, it makes sense to either buy store bought or raise the short-crop time meat birds. You don't care about organic issues, or many other factors that are some people, including me, do care about.
I can't speak for everybody else, but I can tell you my situation.
I live in a very green place. There is a lot of forage, tons of vegetation, and with very rare exceptions, I don't use pesticides or herbicides. The exceptions are ivermectin once a year during molt to prevent rampant mite infestation, also heartworm prevention for my dogs, and neem, a natural herb used for the prevention and treatment of a variety of problems, and for pest control. It's safe for birds and mammals, in fact you can drink neem leaf tea, with many benefits and no ill effects at all. (That is, if you can stand the taste, I prefer to use it in capsule form.) My birds free range, I seldom lose one to a predator. I almost never have a disease problem.
I keep layers year round. I have an incubator, and if I choose, I can hatch fertile eggs from my hens anytime, but usually only do so during warm weather. It costs very little to run my incubator for 21 days. I forget exactly how much, but we figured it up not long ago, the cost was minuscule. I also have a great many hens who are good brooders. they incubate the eggs for free, and raise the chicks for me.
My feed costs are low compared to many other locations. I feed them for 14 weeks, or even 20 weeks. During that time, they eat a great many bugs and weed seeds. The feed consumed by my dual purps before butchering is similar to the amount your C X's would eat, they just don't eat it as fast. Then the excess roos go into the freezer, I may keep pullets for laying hens, or sell my extras.
You've often stated that time is money, but if one isn't selling the meat commercially, and nobody is paying for your time anyway, that doesn't apply. I'm not getting paid whether I raise Cornish X or dual purpose.
So I prefer to raise strong, healthy birds, that are capable of reproducing, and I prefer to eat chicken that has been raised free-range, on my own farm, with no herbicide or pesticide exposure. They're safe, they're healthy, they taste good, they are sustainable, and they are my choice.
You prefer something else. That is your choice. I wish you happiness with your choice.
You are in an extreme environment. You live in the desert. There are a lot of predators. There is no forage. You use round-up and kill all the plant life except a few things that are not plants used by chickens as food. You have to keep your birds confined. Your feed costs are higher than in many other areas. From what you have said, evidently you've had disease problems. To you, it makes sense to either buy store bought or raise the short-crop time meat birds. You don't care about organic issues, or many other factors that are some people, including me, do care about.
I can't speak for everybody else, but I can tell you my situation.
I live in a very green place. There is a lot of forage, tons of vegetation, and with very rare exceptions, I don't use pesticides or herbicides. The exceptions are ivermectin once a year during molt to prevent rampant mite infestation, also heartworm prevention for my dogs, and neem, a natural herb used for the prevention and treatment of a variety of problems, and for pest control. It's safe for birds and mammals, in fact you can drink neem leaf tea, with many benefits and no ill effects at all. (That is, if you can stand the taste, I prefer to use it in capsule form.) My birds free range, I seldom lose one to a predator. I almost never have a disease problem.
I keep layers year round. I have an incubator, and if I choose, I can hatch fertile eggs from my hens anytime, but usually only do so during warm weather. It costs very little to run my incubator for 21 days. I forget exactly how much, but we figured it up not long ago, the cost was minuscule. I also have a great many hens who are good brooders. they incubate the eggs for free, and raise the chicks for me.
My feed costs are low compared to many other locations. I feed them for 14 weeks, or even 20 weeks. During that time, they eat a great many bugs and weed seeds. The feed consumed by my dual purps before butchering is similar to the amount your C X's would eat, they just don't eat it as fast. Then the excess roos go into the freezer, I may keep pullets for laying hens, or sell my extras.
You've often stated that time is money, but if one isn't selling the meat commercially, and nobody is paying for your time anyway, that doesn't apply. I'm not getting paid whether I raise Cornish X or dual purpose.
So I prefer to raise strong, healthy birds, that are capable of reproducing, and I prefer to eat chicken that has been raised free-range, on my own farm, with no herbicide or pesticide exposure. They're safe, they're healthy, they taste good, they are sustainable, and they are my choice.
You prefer something else. That is your choice. I wish you happiness with your choice.
