Age to Butcher Cornish X

[Photokitty]

I am getting my first set of cornish X in on Thursday. I have read you can start to butcher the birds around week 3 but I was wondering if they were any reasonable size at that point? I am not wanting to go the full 8ish weeks since that would be a bit too big for my personal needs. I was wanting the smaller butchering size. Around what age would that be? I am getting straight run, about 31 of them. This isn't my first time raising or brooding chicks but my first meat birds.

Any advice or good luck thoughts are appreciated! I am a single mom of three small children just trying to make some of the food we eat a little more "close to home."

 

[Ms Biddy]

Cornishx can be butchered as small as Cornish game hen size, but I would expect it's a little trickier to gut them. We processed 8 non-cornish cockerels today that averaged 4.5 lbs live weight and the guys couldn't really get their hands inside so I did the gutting. They dressed out modestly, losing around a lb each in the butchering process.

 

[charthorn]

I currently have 25 birds that were also a straight run. They just turned six weeks old and weigh in at 4.5 - 5 lbs. I'll probably start butchering sometime next weekend.

 

[Photokitty]

Strange how things work out. I had a chick that was 11 weeks old out in the run. I thought it had gotten too cold and so i brought inside to the grow out brooder. and hour later it wasn't doing well. So I figured, well I could do my first cull and butcher on a bird that was clearly not going to make it. After plucking I discovered rows of puncture wounds on its thigh and back so it was actually a good decision to cull the chick.

I was fine! My reservations are more on butchering and processing, not killing. Now I know they will flop more when they are more peppy but the whole slit the neck thing was easy. The processing could use some work but its size was about what I want. It was a good practice and it was one of my favorite frizzled naked necks roosters so to do it to that versus something I know I am killing from the get go was helpful. To see it was injured, something you couldn't tell with its feathers on made me feel fine with my decision.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

I would say eight weeks of age, that's what the most votes were anyway......

 

[JDN]

I would say eight weeks of age, that's what the most votes were anyway......

I did mine at 8 weeks but if I were to do it again I'd do 5 or 6. Too big for some of the cooking I wanted to do.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

I did mine at 8 weeks but if I were to do it again I'd do 5 or 6. Too big for some of the cooking I wanted to do.

Well, it really depends on what you want to cook.

 

[RUNuts]

Cornishx can be butchered as small as Cornish game hen size, but I would expect it's a little trickier to gut them. We processed 8 non-cornish cockerels today that averaged 4.5 lbs live weight and the guys couldn't really get their hands inside so I did the gutting. They dressed out modestly, losing around a lb each in the butchering process.

When I am faced with a small carcass, pull the rib cage looser. You will still have a good looking carcass. Just better access. Other option is to cut out the backbone.

 

[RUNuts]

8 weeks is advertised as the best pound of feed per pound of meat point. Also know as the economical point. Earlier and later is also fine. Target the size you want and go. There is no wrong answer on this one.

At 6 weeks, if the size looks right, do the first set. I can do 8 birds a day hand plucking. 4 or 6 is more comfortable because that is work. The following day or weekend, do the next batch and repeat. Weather permitting, of course. Made my way through 21 beautiful CX. Only had one cockerel that had a mess of pin feathers that I skinned. Just too tired to fight the pin feathers.

 

[Acre4Me]

I would determine a bit by your calendar (when you are free), and when the garbage gets picked up. We unwisely culled 3 cockerels the day AFTER trash was picked up...just a friendly suggestion to keep that in mind, unless you have other plans for the guts than throwing them out.

We raised some meat birds last year. Pretty big by 7.5 weeks. Generally, if you are looking for a bit smaller chicken than I would target the 5-6 week age and then make a final decision when you are close to that age. 3 weeks and they are small .. gigantic compared to other chicken chicks, but still small.

Good luck.