I believe in a straight-forward approach from the get-go. Before we got our chicks I told my two-year-old son that we would raise the chicks (broilers) and then we would put them in our freezer to be our food. This way, it's just the way it was. My son enjoyed helping with daily chores -...
I wondered how much mine foraged in their pasture pen. I don't have a percentage of daily intake, but I do know that of the five random gizzard samples (of 40 birds), all of them had grass inside.
Cornish Xs all the way. I've seen people mention concerns about them (heart attacks, leg problems, etc.), but I've had pretty good luck with them and find them to be pretty hearty. I raise them until 3 weeks in a brooder set-up. Then I move them outside to a moveable pen.
I'd say the biggest question relates to processing. If you haven't done this yourself yet and plan to...I'd go with 26 (due to price break) or less. Processing 26 birds for a first timer will be plenty.
I agree with Brian above...if possible, process them yourself. The meat yield ends up being pretty low as there isn't much breast meat and bone seems to dominate the carcass.
Another couple things...
Regarding processing, I've found that the lower breast of the DP birds comes down much further towards the vent than on the CXs. This makes it a little more difficult to get your hand in for evisceration. Also, it's a little trickier when cutting around their vents due...
I didn't get free bonus birds, but I did order Murray McMurray's "All Heavies" special. It sounds like this is what other compamies call "bonus birds" and give away for free. I wish I would've known that...
At any rate, I raised these dual-purpose birds while raising and butchering a couple CX...
Depending on what you normally expect, you may want to get some straw stockpiled so you have plenty to put on the ground should you get a ground-soaking rain. Good luck!
Google "Herrick Kimball poultry shrink bags." I used them a couple weeks ago and they worked great. Check for yourself, but I believe Kimball had the best value/deal.
Did you put any sugar in the water? I've put 12 tbspns per gallon in the past for the first couple days. I don't know if it's the reason or not, but I've had pretty decent survival rates.
I just butchered 40 birds this past weekend and used poultry shrink bags I bought from Herrick Kimball. Go on Google and search poultry shrink bags. They cost about 50 cents each, but you end up with a good looking, well-sealed bird for the freezer. They're supposed to last in the freezer quite...
I have contemplated renting my plucker out, but I had concerns similar to those posted here. I like the reasoning that chicken plucking is a specialized activity and that renters would want to stay in your good graces. A friend and I are building another Whizbang plucker today. Is there any...
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You bet. Here's the address. He also uses a pre-wash prior to scalding. I won't put bleach in mine, but I will use a pre-scalding rinse tub so my scalding pot stays cleaner longer. I figure for the pre-wash I can use some hot tap water, whereas the scalding water obviously needs more...
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Is there a belt-tensioner you can adjust? We had the same problem with our Whizbang when the spring we were using was too weak. A stouter spring kept more tension on the drive belt and got rid of the slippage.
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The water needs to be sprayed to rinse the feathers out while the bird is being plucked. A friend and I have made multiple Whizbangs, and we just spray with a garden hose for the 15 seconds it takes.