I have a 1/2acre residential that I would really like to have the experience of raising Cornish X. I ordered 25 due to the minimum (still have time to cancel). Not looking to hear about zoning or ordinances. My neighbors have never been outside the last 7yrs we lived here but they just built a pool.we live in SoCal & plan to complete the whole process before summer. A 5ft Fence is what separates us. To utilize, I have a garage 10x16, a 9x9 shed, & 10x8 Run, & a 15ft trampoline I’m considering turning into a tractor.
The goal is to accomplish this without pissing off my neighbors. Can you please tell me by weeks, what age would be a non-issue & what weeks they become loud, poop machines? Would it be smart to process them young at 5 weeks or even six at a time per week to experience quality of different texture & taste?
Good questions. The answers really depend on what resources you have available and your personal preferences. I raised 25 CX (23? - lost a few) to processing age. Brooded them in my unheated garage in an 8 ft x 3 ft space - they had outgrown that by week 3. I kept them until week 4 because it was super cold out and their coop wasn't done. Then I raised them in a covered run (dog kennel chain link covered 100% in hardware cloth with 3 ft apron, covered with clear tarp, under medium shade). Outside in February, processed end of Feb thru early March in North Alabama - it was cold!
150 sq ft for 21 birds = 7.5 sq ft per bird. I had to go turn the litter at least once a day to mix in the poop. Used about 3-4" deep wood chips from tree service. Worked pretty good. They sounded like waterfowl, and were loud, but not really crowing, just wild-life noises really.
I started processing mine at 5 weeks - was able to use the English method on 5-6 week old CX (snapping necks with your hand), and that went well. Then they got too big and strong, and I had to use a knife. I was the only one processing, with no plucker. I had a plastic table and folding chair, and hung them up on a tree to skin. Took me 2.5 hrs per bird to scald, pluck, and part, or it took me 2 hrs to skin them (I started doing scalding and plucking, but the stench of that water got into everything, so towards the end I skinned them since it smelled better). Others are faster, but not me.
2.5 hrs per bird, two birds per evening after work, only a few evenings I could do them a week. No more than 4 per weekend because I got tired and had kids and a life. I was processing them until they were 9 weeks old.
Takeaways -
1) if you have "help" make sure you can still do it yourself when/if they don't help.
2) There is a vast difference between a 5 week CX and a 9 week CX. Like triple size difference. The meat changes slightly, and you have to decide what size you want them to be. I'd process at a range of sizes, and see what you prefer. After about 6 weeks, you'll need to part them out, cook all the legs together, etc., because an oven roast will have overcooked areas and undercooked areas once the birds are super large. You'll see what I mean. Super fat legs and breast of different thickness, and skinny back, etc.
3) Make sure every single bird has enough space at the feeder ALL the time - had some pretty knarly wounds on them figuring that one out.
4) 9 wk old CX, if they fall over on their backs because they lose their footing on non-flat surface, can NOT flip back over. They will panic and die. Luckily, I caught mine in time.
5) Do NOT let them get rained on or sit in wet grass/mud. They catch respiratory diseases and die easily. Must keep dry. Make sure you have bath towels and a hair dryer to devote to this activity if you get a hole in your tractor or have a flood.
6) Expect 2-3% attrition due to various causes (heart attacks happen)
7) Do NOT get attached - these birds quality of life goes down hill very quickly as they age, especially if you're raising them for meat and they are already super large when you decide they're sweet. Even the best kept CX doesn't live more than 1-1.5 years past hatch.
8) 3x the amount of poop eggers have. And it's watery.
9) will not move OUT OF THE WAY of ANYTHING (including the chick feeder). You will have to physically make contact and move them.
10) Best cost of any meat bird - highest amount of meat / feed cost, and super tasty no matter how you cook them.
11) Have a good method of dispatch, and one or two backup methods when that one doesn't work.
12) Keep them from flapping in panic at older ages - they can get green muscle disease which you'll have to cut out and discard when processing - the rest of the bird is edible, but you don't want to have that issue and waste the meat. Plus, the poor birds!
