do i still have a chance?

[streemers]

i got 25 roosters off a lady for butchering. they are 8weeks and they feel way to thin, breast bones very prominant and they have very thin "drum sticks". i was wondering if i feed them a bunch of broiler feed if i can get them up to size with in a few weeks or is this a lost couse?
any advise would be great. i have never raised chickens before but got a lot of great info off here and it seems like i might be out of luck

oh and they are barred rock, road island reds, jersy giant and buff orpington

THANKS!!!

 

[justusnak]

You might be able to increase thier weight some, with broiler feed, however...for the most part, you will not get a plump bird, like the cornishX. Either way....meat is meat...and providing for your family will make you feel good!

 

[streemers]

i am very excited about providing for the family. but, they are so thin it feels almost like a wast of time if i cant get them bigger

guess i could do a few and see how they look naked?

 

[cassie]

Personally, I don't think the broiler feed will help. I don't think they will really utilize it. How old are these chickens? The dual purpose breeds need to be at least 20 weeks or so. You could feed them for a while if you like. Just because they are small should be no big deal. We are spoiled by the yield of the Cornish X. Back in the Dark Ages when I was growing up, the rocks, orpingtons, etc. were what people ate. They would buy straight run chicks, and the pullets were used for eggs and the males ended up on the table. There will be nothing wrong with the way they taste. Just fry 'em up if they are young and fricasee them if they are not.

 

[streemers]

they are all 8 weeks and i have had them on 20% broiler the 2wks that i have had them. if i have to i will do them all and cut off what little meat they have for eating. i dont mind that they arnt store size at all but these guys are skinnnnyyyy! lol

 

[EGGTASKTIC]

I agree you will need to give them some time to grow a little more.
The broiler feed will not get much extra meat on these types of birds.
Just a thought -- I had 4 extra roos. I put 2 in a confined space and pumped them with with feed (flock raiser) and water for 6 weeks- lots corn and grain. I did not let them out and put artificial light on them. The other 2 stayed with the layers- and got to free range and layer pellets. I will not say they were a cornish x, but there was a little difference. The confined roos were about 6 oz bigger and had a little more fat to them. The good news is the soup was excellent- did not make a difference in taste.
The sample was not big enought to be be valid.
Imo I would go to about 18 weeks and see what you have and then have at them.

 

[lmblackburn]

This is my first year with meat birds...we ordered straight runs, barred rocks and buff orpingtons. We're keeping the hens and one roo...the other 9 roos are headed for the chopping block this weekened. They are 21 weeks old and just now big enough, judging by the drumsticks and the fullness of their chest. Keep 'em around for a while and fatten em up a bit. They are really just too young at this stage.

 

[patandchickens]

you're not going to get a whole lot of meat (especially, not a lot of white meat) off those birds, no matter how you feed them. If you want to eat them, I'd suggest feeding them just regular feed (no point in extra protein), possibly with grazing or corn added, til they are 16 wks old and then process them. You should be able to get 2-3 lb carcasses from them at that age. They will not look like supermarket chickens tho.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[streemers]

well i cant keep all of them for that long

i dont have a big enough property for all them and my ducks. i live in a neighbor hood and i am getting worried about getting in trouble. guess i can do most of them and hope for the best and do the others in a few weeks or rehome some of them

it was my understanding that these breeds would be ready around 8 or so weeks. live and learn i guess

 

[Mac_]

Several years ago I raised a batch of heritage breeds for broilers. At 18 weeks they were still all on the small side, and had eaten a lot of feed. Since then I've been raising either red broilers or black broilers from Ideal Hatchery for meat chickens, which I've found to be a good compromise between the heritage breeds and the cornish cross. I typically process the red or black broilers at 13-14 weeks.

Mac_