Cornish X questions

[bigdaddyabc]

Why do folks process chickens (it seems from reading) in a window of time between 18 and 22 weeks? Is it bad to let the grow more? Do they become tough? I have 6 Cornish X in my flock of 40, and I am new to chickens and the site. They are getting along nicely thank you, and if they continue as they have been, one will feed my family of 8 for a week! Can I cross breed them with my others or do the genetic problems flow over? Do I have to process my RIR or Americaunas at 20ish weeks too? What do I do in a year or two if I want to eat one? Just curious, thanks!!

Rob

 

[Dar]

Quote:
I personally have not raised meat birds so I can only help a little...

processing at 18 - 22 weeks..... Because some breeds grow way to fast and the internal organs cant keep up and they die of heart failure shortly after that time frame.. if you allow them to get to old and they dont die from other issues.. the meat will start to get tough.. (I dont know how old this happens tho)

cross breeding them? ... I dont know but I would imagine you could

Do I have to process my RIR or Americaunas at 20ish weeks too?.... No and yes.... the older you allow the rooster to get the tougher the meat will be, but great fort he stew pot... if you want to allow these roosters to pass on the genes then I would let them get older then the 20 weeks

What do I do in a year or two if I want to eat one?... the older the chicken the tougher it will be ... I think the brine solution will help a little with too

 

[CoopCrazy]

If they are Cornish X then they need to be butchered at around 9-10 weeks any longer and you will start losing some.. I have some 11 week olds and they have started to die off in the last feew days ... Today will have to be butcher day... And yes the longer you wait to process the tougher they will be .. Brine for 24-48 hours and they will be fine.. i use older birds as crockpot, chicken and noodles etc...

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't do the Cornish crosses. Thye have a limited shelf life so do not fit my goals. They have been developed to put on a lot of meat quiclly and efficiently and then be slaughtered. Unless their feed in greatly restricted, they will develop health problems and die at a very early age. I'll leave the details of that to someone with experience with them.

Not everyone processes their dual purpose chickens at 18 to 22 weeks of age. Some start earlier and some wait longer. The older the chicken, the tougher the meat becomes and the stronger it tastes. Roosters especially. You can fry a 16 week old but don't try that with a 26 week old unless you really enjoy mealtime for you will be at the table a long time chewing that meat. What you have to do is suit the cooking methods to the age of the chicken. The older it is, the longer and slower you need to cook it. We all have different tastes and what I like someone else might not enjoy, but I find roosters even a few years old make great chicken and dumplings. But it has to be cooked long and slowly.

Another aspect of the 18 to 22 weeks is that young chickens gain weight fairly fast, but at a certain age they practically quit adding meat. You pay for feed but get no meat gain out of it. If you are pasturing them, no big deal, but if you are buying feed by the 40 pound bag, it does make a difference.

I raise dual purpose chickens. I try to hatch out a couple of dozen at a time, keep the ones that most suit me for my laying and breeding flock, and eat the runts, the slow growers, the ones that don't have the best configuration, the poorer egg layers, the ones with emotional or behavioral problems, the bullies, basically the ones I don't want to have their genes and characteristics in my flock. I start eating them at about 16 weeks, processing a few at a time. I store the remaining meat on the claw, so to speak, keeping them alive until I am ready for them. I normally finish off the last of that batch around 6 to 7 months of age, by which time I am ready to start on my next batch. At the end of the laying season, when the hens are starting to molt and quit laying, I process the older hens I will not be carrying through the winter. The older rooster is "retired" to that great crock pot inthe kitchen when the annointed crown prince is ready to assume the throne and give me fertile eggs.

This article may be of interest.

Cooking Heritage Chickens
http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/cookingwheritagechicken.pdf

Good luck!!!

 

[bigdaddyabc]

GREAT info. Exactly why I love the forum. Thanks so much, and y'all can wish my Crosses a happy landing in the pot over the next 2-3 weeks then........C'mon over for the chix and dumplings!!!

Rob