Chronicles of Raising Meat Birds - Modern Broilers, Heritage and Hybrids

[LilyD]

Going to try and get photos and video tomorrow to post. The cornish are about the same size as the Fry Pan chicks but I like the Fry Pan ones more. I haven't had a loss since the 2nd day after they got here. They are more interested in being out and eating bugs and seeds than being in the grow out area and will stay out until I get home to feed usually around 7:30 in the evening. Cornish also use a ton of water I have currently 5 gallons a day in the grow out coop and the cornish will have it empty by the next night. Wondering if a freedom ranger or rainbow broiler would be better foragers I know breast meat wise they are better than standard dual purpose chicks. Long term I have dual purpose Orp chicks in my layer coop. I am going to put a English Orp Choc Mottled roo over them and try to hatch out at least 2 incubator loads of babies each year keeping the best girls and boys each year for breeding the next spring and eating the boys and girls as they grow. I have pictures of the parents for the DP Choc Mottled Orp chicks I will be getting. They are due to hatch in a week and a half. Once I have a good start on a breeding program I won't be ordering anything only breeding and eating the ones I don't keep.

 

[jolenesdad]

Omg. They’re GORGEOUS.

 

[LilyD]

Omg. They’re GORGEOUS.

Thank you the roosters get about 8lbs at full growth but hens are the same size as the roos. Of the fry pan chicks I have in the grow out coop I love the buffs the best their bodies seem the most filled out for their age and they are looking very nice. They are currently 5 weeks I should try and bring out my scale and see what their weights look like and snap a few pictures of them when I get home tomorrow evening.

 

[perchie.girl]

Very interesting thread I read the first five pages and the last three....
I will read it all eventually but Am interested in raising up a few meaties for myself when i move back to my land.

Just a General question.... How many do you raise for a family of two? I know its subjective.... But A general idea?

What I should do is google that info online.... But I will be canning and freezing and making Dog food as well...

deb

 

[LilyD]

Very interesting thread I read the first five pages and the last three....
I will read it all eventually but Am interested in raising up a few meaties for myself when i move back to my land.

Just a General question.... How many do you raise for a family of two? I know its subjective.... But A general idea?

What I should do is google that info online.... But I will be canning and freezing and making Dog food as well...

deb

I have a family of 3 but also have 5 dogs that eat RAW so I have 45 plus 14 turkeys

 

[LilyD]

Much better result free ranging today I had quite a few birds out in the pasture they all came running about 1/2 had already put themselves to bed. The others ran up when they saw me headed in with the grain bucket.

 

[jolenesdad]

Woah those Buffs do look good!!!

I’ve got a blue marans cockerel at 4 weeks that looks big but the rest are still shrimps!

 

[LilyD]

yeah the barred and dominiques aren't as impressive. The Speckled Sussex are the next biggest followed by the australorps or maybe they are black orpingtons? Some of the birds in the crew are still pretty tiny I will probably grow those out until 20-24 weeks just to give them more time to bulk up. The gold lace wyandottes look big but they are all bone and very little meat imagine a skeleton with feathers lol. They are healthy but I think they are building frame and not much muscle. The buffs and Speckled Sussex are consistently out of the pen even when I have it closed up. The fencing on the end is only 2 feet high and they just fly over it to get out and back in if they want lol. There were only two Cornish X chicks that came out with the others the others were actually sitting right under the feeders waiting for me to come in rather than out eating the bugs that were everywhere. We have a ton of the little midge flies that almost make a cloud when they all fly together and the fry pan chicks love to chase them.

 

[perchie.girl]

I have a family of 3 but also have 5 dogs that eat RAW so I have 45 plus 14 turkeys

I have only vague knowledge about the barf diet.. but yeah thats about how many dogs I will have. My Aunt helen had an Ancient Cauldren in the back yard like a witches cauldren... Over a fire she would cook "Stuff" for the dogs .... Smelled good. I suspect she got trimmings from the local slaughter house. So cooking was mandatory for health reasons.

I wont be doing that.... Can you freeze the dog food?

I hope to have about two Large dogs and three Ratters.

45 divide by three is 15 for one person... times two for two people... So Ball park would be 30 chickens... and 10 turkeys... I also hope to raise some Muscovy. They are the other red meat and you can make Proscheuto.... As well as Corned and Pastrami.... oh and sausage too. The breakfast kind I dont know enough about aging it.

deb

 

[LilyD]

I have only vague knowledge about the barf diet.. but yeah thats about how many dogs I will have. My Aunt helen had an Ancient Cauldren in the back yard like a witches cauldren... Over a fire she would cook "Stuff" for the dogs .... Smelled good. I suspect she got trimmings from the local slaughter house. So cooking was mandatory for health reasons.

I wont be doing that.... Can you freeze the dog food?

I hope to have about two Large dogs and three Ratters.

45 divide by three is 15 for one person... times two for two people... So Ball park would be 30 chickens... and 10 turkeys... I also hope to raise some Muscovy. They are the other red meat and you can make Proscheuto.... As well as Corned and Pastrami.... oh and sausage too. The breakfast kind I dont know enough about aging it.

deb

Yup I grind most of mine and then freeze and label with the date. Muscovy are a great meat source I did them here for years and in fact I have 10 eggs in the incubator right now. Girls will probably be sold and boys will be eaten. I just skin them it's too much work to try and pull all the feathers off to keep the skin and they taste fine without it.