150 Lbs of Chicken!

[Recon]

I wish I could say I knew for sure how much feed it took but I don't. I intended to track it but somewhere along the way I lost track. It's probably better that way considering it was my first time... sort of just had fun with it and if I worried about how much it was costing it wouldn't have been as much fun.

I hate to think about how much time I invested in the whole thing either. I'm probably a pretty slow processer at this point.

I noticed today at the grocery store that a bird slightly more than 5 pounds, like 5.36 pounds, was selling for more than $9. My gut feeling when I saw that was that it might have been slightly cheaper than I was able to do it considering the initial cost of the bird, but not enough cheaper to make me feel like I SHOULD buy grocery store chicken anymore.

Our feed store offers a price break at ten bags of feed. I think next time I will probably buy 12-14 bags and whatever the meat birds don't use will get gradually fed to the layers. That way there will not be anything for me to loose track of. Whatever number of bags don't get used will tell me how much feed I used...

 

[Their Other Mother]

Did you butcher them your self?

 

[Recon]

Yes, thats what I meant when I said I am probably a slow processor. I can do two birds from live to wrapped in about 45 minutes...

 

[quercus21]

How many birds did you leave as whole birds? I processed 43 Cornish X this year. I kept about 10 birds for roasting (whole) and bartering for pork and such. The remainder of the birds were quarter. Quartering the birds takes a lot less room in the freezer. We also only have 2 people to feed the majority of the time, as both of our daughters are in college and visits on holidays and such. Our cost so far this year was $1.48/lb.
I started out with 46 birds, lost 3.

 

[Recon]

I was a one man show for processing, so I left them ALL as whole birds. Luckily we have a fairly big freezer. I had to clear some stuff out but it was stuff that should have been eaten or discarded a long time ago.

We have at least four, and often six or eight, to feed at every meal. We have two boys, my wife's parents live in an in-laws quarters on our property, and our house is commonly the gathering place.

I like to BBQ on weekends so I will just do enough for dinner, however many people that is, and make sure there is enough left over for me to pick from for a few days.

 

[Peruvian]

This is what it's all about. Hopefully it will last until late spring!

 

[Acre of Blessings]

Quote:
All I can say to that pic is............WOW!!!! I sure hope I get that much from my 34 CornishX.

 

[Acre of Blessings]

Quote:
Are these live weights or dressed weights?

 

[Peruvian]

Quote:
You certainly will. Don't forget to save the livers (pate..mmmmm) and backs & necks (for broth if you are cutting the CX up to freeze).

 

[Acre of Blessings]

Quote:
You certainly will. Don't forget to save the livers (pate..mmmmm) and backs & necks (for broth if you are cutting the CX up to freeze).

I am going to can the biggest majority of ours. I think I will freeze about 10 of them.