Butchered 40 Red Broilers from Welp this weekend...

[CC Lefty]

Let them go to 11 weeks. They grew quickly, but definitely not as quick as the Cornish crosses I raised this spring. When it was all said and done, I had a variety of weights. Some as small as 2 3/4 lbs., some as large as 5 1/2 lbs. Averaged a little over 4 lbs. Much different than the consistent 5 3/4 lbs. of the Cornish this spring. I let them go 7 weeks.

Kept them on a diet of mostly Flock Raiser 20% protein with the occasional addition of Nutrina Super Gamebird 25% protein. They had free access to pasture that included an omega-3 poultry forage from Peaceful Valley. Started at 7 a.m. and had them all in the freezer by 6 p.m. with a few hours lag for beers and a fire. Even though these are smaller than the Cornish, something just felt right about these birds. Their skin is much darker as well. Can't wait to see how they taste.

Cheers

 

[PandoraTaylor]

way to go!

 

[TedsFarms]

Nicely done. I am awaiting the taste testing now.

 

[CC Lefty]

We ate our first roaster tonight. Thermometer reached 165 and pulled it from the oven atop fingerling potatoes and onions. Let me start by saying that I really enjoyed the flavor of our Cornish Cross this summer. Having said this, the flavor of this bird was better; much richer. I realize that some equate "richer" with gamey, which couldn't be further from the truth. I eat a lot of wild game and know gamey. This bird just had a much more honest flavor. It was also less greasy that the Cornish Cross. I am very happy with the results and will be doing them again this spring. I recommend them to anyone who wants to eat an honest chicken.

Cheers,

Seth

 

[RAREROO]

Shoot, Do you have any pics of them before you killed them, I am thinking about getting some and I have a post a little further down the list asking about them, I'd like to see what they look like and how big they are.

 

[tnchicken]

Seth,

Thanks for the info. I have a batch from S and G that are close to the end and it sounds like the weights are comparable. I did want to confirm your weights are dressed weights if you would please verify.

Thanks,

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Do you think you could have staggered the processing over a few weeks? Doing the biggest ones at 7 weeks & letting the others grow for a few more weeks without having high mortality?

 

[CC Lefty]

Rareroo - Sorry, I'm not a big picture guy so I don't have any photos of these birds. They were attractive birds and displayed a variety of red colors.

SSU - None of these birds where big enough to butcher at seven weeks, but I absolutely could have staggered them. At 11 weeks I hadn't lost any nor did I expect to. I did notice one of my larger roosters was having a hard time getting around. I worried a bit, but when I dressed him out, I noticed that he had broken (dislocated) his "collar" bone. It retrospect, it may have been wise to let 10 or so birds grow another week or two. Having said that, butchering day is a pretty big production so I like to take care of it all in one day. Twice a year (once in the spring and once in the fall) is enough. Besides, there are times when a small bird is all we need.

tnchicken et al. - I don't have live weights, but of the 40 that I butchered, most were right around 4 lbs. dressed. I did have a few (4 or so) that were as small as 2 3/4 lbs. dressed and a few that were as large as 5 1/2 lbs. dressed. Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Seth

 

[TarzantheChickenMan]

my brother in laws were about the same weight at 16 weeks
so hes not doing them next year more CRxs
im gunna give them a shot next sping i think

 

[CC Lefty]

Tarzan - It's just a different product all together. If your looking for weight quick you can't beat the Cornish cross. If your intersted in something different, try the Red Broilers. Once you get past the slower growth you'll be very happy.