couple questions if any one can help

[kenny7673]

i was just wondering about how many weeks on average does it take a chick to reach butchering size,and if you sale any about how much you would charge a pound.

 

[erinszoo]

What kind of chicks are you talking about? Cornish x take 6 to 8 weeks depending on how big you want them. Our biggest at 6 weeks was 5 1/2 lbs and dressed out at 4 1/4 lbs. They are now 8 weeks old and we'll be processing the rest over the weekend. We don't sell them so I don't know about pricing.

 

[kenny7673]

well right now i have light sussex and austrolops i think is how you spell it. thank you so much for the help.

 

[erinszoo]

I don't know about Sussex or Austrolorps. The only meat birds we've ever done are the Cornish x which are specifically bred to grow fast and be processed by 8 weeks. Hopefully there's some others on here that can tell you about other kinds of meat birds. Good luck and happy chicken raising.

 

[booker81]

For those breeds, your looking at about 20 weeks, but you won't get a finished carcass that resembles the store chickens. For selling DP birds, its more of a niche market, not much demand, so prices vary.

 

[acw123]

I am not an expert on this by any means however I think you have a good while to wait until the Australorps are up to a good weight for use as meat birds. Although they are listed as dual purpose birds, meat/laying, I think it will be at least 6 months or more until they are adequate for use as meat birds. This is just based on my experience with my Australorps. If you want a bird intended for meat you should look into Cornish X or Freedom Rangers. They out grow the other dual purpose birds at an unbelievable rate. When we raised Cornish's this Spring they were full size within 8-10 weeks whereas the Australorps of the same age looked like little babies still, 1/3 the size of the Cornish. Good luck. Don't have any experience with the how quickly the sussex grow.

 

[homesteadapps]

It depends on the breed and the quality of the breeding stock. Hybrid meat birds such as Cornish X are 6 to 8 weeks, but dual purpose breeds take longer.

For instance, our Buckeyes can dress out at 3.5 to 4 pounds at 18 weeks, but our show stock White Rocks need 2 to 3 weeks more to achieve the same weight. The White Rocks are larger when full grown but take a little more time to get there.

Both make good table meat with 3/4 to 1 1/2 inch thick breasts.

A lot of your larger breeds take a little longer, but if they are foraging and finding the majority of their own food then the extra wait is no big deal.

You can butcher at any age you like.

 

[kenny7673]

ok thank you every one for all your help