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  1. homesteader

    Why the White Cornish?

    So what's a good thick breasted breed I could cross with a Cornish rooster? I'd love to keep 1 or 2 cornish roosters to breed my own meat birds, but I need to know what breed of hen would be good. Right now our flock consists of Buff Orpingtons and Barred Rocks.
  2. homesteader

    Why the White Cornish?

    I've learned that the White Cornish is the sire of choice for Cornish Rock X's, and possibly for the Freedom Ranger meat birds as well. Can anyone tell me what it is about the White Cornish that make them such a popular meat sire? My wife and I are thinking about trying to raise a version of...
  3. homesteader

    Jumbo Cornish X Rocks from McMurray Hatchery

    My cornish did not come from McMurray and I am considering buying from them next time. One thing I immediately noticed with my chicks was that they were very quiet and not super active like my laying hens were when we got them. I have not been very satisfied with these chicks. The ones that...
  4. homesteader

    Survival rate for meat chickens

    I fed mine the high protein feed I was supposed to and a lot still developed leg problems. I've lost 7 out of 21 so far. I'm butchering them all this weekend since they reached 8 weeks old yesterday. One developed a leg problem at about 4 weeks and one developed leg problems at 7 weeks. I...
  5. homesteader

    Chickens are gone....

    Maybe you were a tad harsh with your hubby. It sounds like he was just trying to help. I know we men have trouble listening sometimes, but at least he was trying to let you get some extra sleep. I don't know how you actually talked to him. I wasn't there. I just hope your anger didn't blind...
  6. homesteader

    What's your loss rate?

    Good Egg wrote: It's not that she thinks it's gross. She just can't stand the idea of eating a "pet." I guess when kids are raised from little bitty on a farm where animals are eaten, it's just normal to them. My kids love our pig, and also love to talk about how good she'll taste. The...
  7. homesteader

    What's your loss rate?

    I'm a little surprised that so far we've lost 5 out of 21 of our Cornish. The remaining ones seem healthy at almost 5 weeks of age, but that's almost 25% loss. 2 died at just a few days old, one was killed by a predator (our fault...we now have the dog sleeping by them at night), and 2 more...
  8. homesteader

    Ducks dying

    I purchased 6 white Pekin ducks to raise for Thanksgiving dinner, and two have died so far. I'm concerned because everything I've read says that ducks are supposed to be hardier than chickens. They're only 3 weeks old, but should I be concerned about this? Is it as normal as baby chicks dying...
  9. homesteader

    Bald Bellies and Butts - Normal?

    Our Cornish X are 3 weeks old and their entire underside and little butts are completely bald. They rubbed off all of their chick down. Their feathers are coming in nicely, but I don't know if their bellies will grow feathers. They sit around on their bellies all day. Could that be causing...
  10. homesteader

    pictures of size of bird just before slaughter?

    They'll definitely be bigger at 8 weeks than your layers, and most people slaughter meat chickens at 8 weeks. I have heard some say they take theirs to 12 weeks to get a really big bird. Beyond that, I haven't heard anyone going longer. I would assume as long as the chicken is under 6 months...
  11. homesteader

    Young turkeys with chickens?

    I will be getting 2 turkey poults, and 25 broilers. I plan on keeping the poults with the broiler chicks until the turkeys get too big and crowding becomes a concern. Do you think if the turkeys are as big as or bigger than the laying hens, it will be ok to put them with the laying flock? I...
  12. homesteader

    Processing - how long does it take?

    Here's the differing criteria for processing. Try to give me an estimated time per bird or some group of birds (i.e. - 1 per 30 minutes, 5 per hour, etc). - Beginner, plucking by hand after scalding. 2-man team with one killing, scalding and plucking, and one eviserating. - Experienced, same...
  13. homesteader

    Raising Ducks for meat

    Has anyone here ever raised ducks for meat? My wife and I are getting ready to raise 6 white Pekins for a possible Thanksgiving dinner. We'll try one and raise the other 5 for Thanksgiving. How long do they typically take to grow to slaughter weight? I've heard at 12 weeks they should weight...
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