CX's from Schlecht's

[CarriageStone]

Just reporting on my batch of CX's from Schlecht's. We got them the last week of March and I have to say I've been impressed. They are six weeks old now and have been growing well. They are so big that we processed four today just to see how they were. We haven't weighed them, but they were bigger than the rotisserie chickens you buy at the store. We started off with 78 and lost some early on to piling on in the brooder. For the most part, we've raised 67 to this point. The feed conversion has been great. We've gone through fifteen 50# bags of 20% grower to this point. I can't believe how big they've gotten for their age. I will definitely call Schlecht's again for our next batch. They're nice folks and the birds have been remarkable.

Another good thing about today is that our six year old son dispatched two of them. He did it respectfully and listened to my guidance. He wasn't squeemish or freeked out nor was he goofy or treating it as a game. It was a good life experience. He also helped me scald them and try out the plucker for the first time. Worked great!

Of course, the flavor is great. We put one in the rotisserie tonight. All in all, good stuff.

 

[Bossroo]

Congratulation on a job WELL DONE all around...

 

[brandislee]

That's awesome! I wish I could talk my kids into doing the dispatching for me... its the part I dread the most. Of course, they're 2 and 4, so perhaps in a few years. I know some may disparage allowing kids to do things like this, but in my opinion (as both a parent and a child development professional) it teaches kids respect for life and appreciation of where food comes from. I grew up on a cattle farm and each year, since I was 8, I had my own 4-H calves (and often had sheep, too, and one year did broilers) that I knew were destined for the dinner plate, and part of the reason I have chickens now is so that my children also grow up knowing where their food comes from (and not "the grocery store").

 

[CarriageStone]

You hit the nail on the head with respect for life and appreciation for where food comes from. I told some of the parents at my sons karate school about it and they just shivered. Some others thought his attitude was great. Some folks just never want to know where their food comes from. Oh well.

You all would probably appreciate what our 3-1/2 year old daughter said when our Speckled Sussex roo went after her. "Tell daddy to take that mean ol' rooster and put him in the pot and cook him!" Of course, it sounds much more humorous coming from a little girl.