Meat Bird Pictures

[cluckmecoop7]

Do they look big enough to butcher?

 

[JeffPr]

Weigh them.....

 

[Mountain Roost]

We space them out too. I have 96 meaties right now and when they start to look like 8-9 pounds we weigh them and use different color poster paint on their backs to tell us who is ready or who needs another week. We choose to harvest starting at 10 pounds. We buy all males but there are a few females out there. 15-18 birds on one processing day makes for a long day but there is a lot that goes into preparing the equipment and washing it down again when we are done. We try to find a balance between number of processing runs and not being up until 1 am.

We weigh them by weighing ourselves on a people scale and then holding the bird we get on the scale again and take the difference. I saw a nice tip on the forum somewhere that they put the bird in a large reuasable grocery bag with a zip top and the darkness calmed the bird down. It all depends on what you have around to use.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Do they look big enough to butcher?
View attachment 3546897View attachment 3546898

They do, but that's more depending on you. In the large scale industry, they butcher their birds at six weeks, but they're getting a much smaller bird (these are what you're getting in the grocery store). With my family, we were always looking for bigger birds because of our big family. That's why we butchered them at eight weeks.

If you are looking for bigger birds, something to keep in consideration is what you are planning to cook them in. For many years, my family had a rotisserie that could hold a small turkey, which cooked the birds wonderfully. Now, we're down to a smaller rotisserie that can't hold a bird as big, and the wings get caught on things inside. That's just an example of a cooking issue you could have because of the bigger size. Depending what you have to cook them in or how you're planning on doing it, their size might not matter.

 

[MalSabreur]

That's nice of them! I wish I could process some of my roosters I hatch, but the killing part is hard.

I use one of these. It's fast, efficient and I know I'm going to kill the bird cleanly and humanely.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I use one of these. It's fast, efficient and I know I'm going to kill the bird cleanly and humanely.

What is that and how does it work?

 

[Isadora]

They're about 6 weeks old, right? You may have a few females that are on the smaller side but some people prefer that.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

View attachment 3544349

Lots of females- was that by request? Do you mind sharing where you purchased from?

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

They do, but that's more depending on you. In the large scale industry, they butcher their birds at six weeks, but they're getting a much smaller bird (these are what you're getting in the grocery store). With my family, we were always looking for bigger birds because of our big family. That's why we butchered them at eight weeks.

If you are looking for bigger birds, something to keep in consideration is what you are planning to cook them in. For many years, my family had a rotisserie that could hold a small turkey, which cooked the birds wonderfully. Now, we're down to a smaller rotisserie that can't hold a bird as big, and the wings get caught on things inside. That's just an example of a cooking issue you could have because of the bigger size. Depending what you have to cook them in or how you're planning on doing it, their size might not matter.

What was the ave dressed weight for your 8 weekers?
My fam is just me and hubs- one kid at home but is a vegetarian- (it’s meat texture thing). Reading from above I’m thinking a 4-5 lb dressed wt is ideal, but I don’t want to sacrifice flavor or that precious fat. I have 30 males. thoughts?

 

[MalSabreur]

What is that and how does it work?

It's a humane dispatcher. You screw it to a wall or door at a comfortable height for you. The birds neck goes in the u- shaped piece. You put the lever across the neck, holding the body under one arm. Pull down on the lever hard, dropping the body at the same time. The neck breaks cleanly and quickly. You can then use a sharp knife to cut the neck to bleed the bird if you want. We don't bother as we like to pluck and dress the bird whilst it is still warm. The feathers come away far easier. Just don't ask me about poultry pluckers!