Butchering your roosters!

[Bonniebooboo]

I had 3 sizes of cones and the cx didn't fit any of them.. I had read on here about using a 2 gal jug or a kitty litter jug.. cut off the bottom and the spout..I had a kitty litter and it works great.. some heritage fit better in the jug tooView attachment 1119945 .

That's pretty interesting! And You attached it to the Table somehow... I have cats, none live in the house, so don't have a litter container. do have weed killer jugs, but won't use those. Fill me in a little on your set up. Ideas are appreciated..

 

[Parront]

Holy Smokes! That is some big young birds! None of mine are that big. My Barred rock rooster is around 8-9 lbs, the biggest chicken I have. others around 4-5 lbs live weight. Small cones it said for banty's, mine are bigger than a Banty, but not huge birds. I'll have to get my baby scale out and weight a few of them on the hoof. I guess that is why folks do Cornish, Cornish x's because they grow so fast and can be processed young.

If you want them tender, you have to do them young, almost as soon as they even try to crow. My youngest Orp. was ~5 months old, and tougher than the kids like. Only weighed 3.5 lbs dressed, he looked bigger than that. I did not weigh him first, I would if I were doing them again!

 

[Bonniebooboo]

I should have done them at 5-6 weeks for a bird the size you buy at the grocery store. The pros kill them at 42 days old. They did not even have many feathers yet at that age, and I did not want exactly what was available at the store. They did have more chickeny flavor than store chicken, not as much as an Orpington rooster 5 months old. But, they were a lot bigger than the Orpingtons ever got at the age I did them. They could barely walk, they just laid around in the drive way by the back door waiting for more food!

How on Earth do you even breed these birds if they grow so fast and break down from weight?? I like the idea of a faster larger bird, but certainly wouldn't want to waste any time and them get too big and break down on me.. All I can say is WOW!!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I did not use a cone, so I don't know what size would be right. They were about 10 pounds or so, some bigger, at 8 weeks. They dressed to 7-8 pounds. The ones who lived to 12-14 weeks were the size of a small turkey in my roaster, over 10 pounds dressed. I tied their feet and hung them from the garage rafter with a 5-gal bucket hooked to the beak to hold them still and catch the blood. I put water in the bucket and then watered my fruit trees with it. That was how it was done by the old people in my family, one size fits all, no cones. Did the geese the same way. For those, I wished for a plucker. I had a neighbor helping, still took forever!

My husband uses a super jumbo traffic cone., over a rubbermaid can

 

[Molpet]

That's pretty interesting! And You attached it to the Table somehow... I have cats, none live in the house, so don't have a litter container. do have weed killer jugs, but won't use those. Fill me in a little on your set up. Ideas are appreciated..

I used 3 screws w/large washers to attach it to a fence cross brace...I am squeamish so I use a pair of loppers to cut off the head instead of slitting the arteries

... i have a plastic game/fish cleaning table that has an indent close to the edge that directs any blood towards a small sink... I have been skinning them, but just got a plucker ..

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I used 3 screws w/large washers to attach it to a fence cross brace...I am squeamish so I use a pair of loppers to cut off the head instead of slitting the arteries
View attachment 1120002
... i have a plastic game/fish cleaning table that has an indent close to the edge that directs any blood towards a small sink... I have been skinning them, but just got a plucker ..

I am not sure how hubby does it. I just help pluck/ I let him do the dirty work..

 

[Molpet]

How on Earth do you even breed these birds if they grow so fast and break down from weight?? I like the idea of a faster larger bird, but certainly wouldn't want to waste any time and them get too big and break down on me.. All I can say is WOW!!

they have 2 flocks that when mated together give the fast growers. They don't mate cx to cx. trade secret as to the breeds involved in the 4way cross but one is white cornish
another is supposed to be white rock.
But if you restrict the feed you can keep them alive for a year or so.. the male cx are usually to big breasted to mate so I kept a hen back and have some of her offspring.

 

[Bonniebooboo]

they have 2 flocks that when mated together give the fast growers. They don't mate cx to cx. trade secret as to the breeds involved in the 4way cross but one is white cornish
another is supposed to be white rock.
But if you restrict the feed you can keep them alive for a year or so.. the male cx are usually to big breasted to mate so I kept a hen back and have some of her offspring.

Very interesting! Trade secret..That's interesting too. Well you did good getting your own. sounds like you are figuring it out nicely,.

 

[Parront]

How on Earth do you even breed these birds if they grow so fast and break down from weight?? I like the idea of a faster larger bird, but certainly wouldn't want to waste any time and them get too big and break down on me.. All I can say is WOW!!

The Cornish-X you get from the hatchery are a terminal cross, they never breed. The parents are bred to cross and make these, but they rarely would even live long enough to mature enough to mate. None of mine ever crowed!

 

[Parront]

I was admiring DesertChick's Naked Neck crosses. She has a nice looking cockerel that is NN x Corking that I bet will be easy to pluck and taste good. Next year I am thinking of trying them. She posted photos on the Arizona thread.