Butchering cornish

[Squishychicken]

So I'm looking into getting cornish for meat. Now for the questions.

Our family eats about 20 tenderloins a week and according to Walmart 20 small tenderloin are roughly 3.2 pounds.how many birds would I need to get? I also have to add in a chance of some dying before processing.

Best way to feed? I've heard 24 hrs on and 8 hours on and 8 off. Which is best? Also which feed nature wise has a meat birds feed. I get all flock or chick feed for my flock could I just feed that instead?

Also how to cut the chicken up? Is there a way I could cut the chicken into its meat groups? So legs of all the birds in one bag breasts wings etc?or is it just best to freeze the whole chicken? We use tenderloins more them legs so unfreezing a whole chicken isn't ideal.

Best way to package? Can I use freezer ziplock bags or do I need something else?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

After the first 4 days or so, you'll want to give the chicks a daily dark period. Preferably about 8 hours each night. They won't eat then. There are all sorts of different feeding schemes for meat birds but it is easiest to just provide feed all day. It is important to keep it available or they will consume feces and bedding when they are hungry. If the bedding has any moisture, that is how explosions of coccidiosis occur.

Since you use pieces and not roasting whole birds, parting out before freezing would be the way to go. At some point, the meat will have to rest to let rigor mortis dissipate. That can be done before freezing or after thawing but it has to be done. Otherwise the meat may be like shoe leather. I like to let the carcass rest for 3 or 4 days and then freeze if I'm going to roast the whole bird or part it out then.
Freezer zip locks will cause freezer burn. You have to either vacuum seal or shrink wrap.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I didn't answer your other questions.
You CAN use the same feed you have but normally, you get better results if you feed a meat bird 22-23% protein the first 3 weeks. 20% weeks 3-6 and 18% or less after 6 weeks. That feeding regimen makes the best use of their genetic propensity to beef up quickly.
I usually do all the processing myself and can't do a bunch at once so I butcher half of my meaties at 3-4 weeks as Cornish game hens. Then let the rest grow out to 6-9 weeks depending on the breed. Usually I can't fit a 8-9 week carcass into a large vacuum seal bag.
I wanted to add that, I don't exactly know the science behind it but I read a study that shows the rigor leaves the meat more effectively when it is kept on the bone. That is why I suggested keeping the bird whole while it is resting, then cut out the tenderloins and separate the rest of the breast meat. The first 24 hours of resting is critical but they continue to tenderize every day for the next 4 days or so.

 

[wyoDreamer]

How many birds to get depends on how much space you have, and how often you want to do the work to raise them and butcher them. You need enough space to raise them as well as space to store the meat afterwords.

My last group of Cornish I let grow for 14 weeks - life got in the way of butchering. The breast meat (boneless, skinless) was over 3 lbs per chicken. They were enormous birds.

 

[Parront]

If you want to just try raising a few Cornish-X for meat, you might start with 10-15 and see how you like them. You might find your family eats more good-tasting home grown chicken than they do now. I like to rest them in the frig 2-3 days for a young bird -- then part them out the way you like. If you mostly like the breast meat, package it in the 3 pound-per-meal size you like and freeze the size you eat. The breast bones and backs, legs and skin can go in the stock pot for chicken broth or soup. YUM, chicken noodle is not like what you get from a can of Campbell's! If you like the results, repeat when the freezer runs low. If you do not have enough freezer space for that many birds at once, that would be a factor that would affect how many to raise at one time. I ended up getting a bigger freezer!

 

[wyoDreamer]

Just a comment - if you cut whole birds in half, they fit better in the freezer because they will stack sorta flat-ish. I have a Cabala's vacuum sealer that will seal 15" wide bags. 1/2 of a cornish cross will just fit in those bags.

Also - I recommend that you do a trial run of just a couple of birds; my first trial run was 4 birds. It would be a crying shame if you raised up a couple dozen birds only to discover that you (or your family) can't butcher and eat them because they are such sweet pets.

 

[Parront]

Just a comment - if you cut whole birds in half, they fit better in the freezer because they will stack sorta flat-ish. I have a Cabala's vacuum sealer that will seal 15" wide bags. 1/2 of a cornish cross will just fit in those bags.

Also - I recommend that you do a trial run of just a couple of birds; my first trial run was 4 birds. It would be a crying shame if you raised up a couple dozen birds only to discover that you (or your family) can't butcher and eat them because they are such sweet pets.

Just a few is a good suggestion.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Starting with just a few allows you to see what works and what doesn't for your set-up - without the worry of loosing a big number of birds. You can see how much poo you will need to compost and how often you will need to clean out their pen. How much work it is to butcher yourself, or if you need to find someplace to take them for butchering.