do i still have a chance?

[streemers]

well i have a new prob and might start another thred about this but.... how old is a roo when they have most of the tail feathers? i am begaining to think that mine are older then i was told...

 

[Andi]

You know, at the very least, using them as stock is an option.

 

[wombat]

The dual purpose breeds aren't really all that feed efficient. They're efficient in that you can have a self-sustaining flock and keep your hens and eat your roos. I've not jumped in to raising meaties, but from what I've read, and compared to what I've fed

I'm guessing the heritage breeds I've raised probably eat twice as much feed per pound of bird as the meaties!

I had a few RIR roos from some chicks I got this spring. They were nicely filled out at about 20 weeks, but they ate like pigs! I gave them to a friend who wanted a couple of RIR roos to build up a laying flock; they're at about 28 weeks now and he keeps telling me how HUGE they are.

All of those you listed are heavy breeds, and they'll be nothing but bone and feathers for a while yet, sorry to say. Use standard grower feed, start augmenting with some corn. I agree with PatandCh, you'll probably need to hang onto them until 16 weeks, though I think for those breeds 20+ weeks might be better. I hope you can find a way to hang on to them for a while and get them up to size.

 

[streemers]

at this point even if they are older then i was told i still cant keep that many chickens running around my yard for 10 more weeks.
guess i have to rehome a few and what a bummer! that or make stock out of half of them and that seems like such a waste for so many birds

 

[wombat]

Could you set up a temporary run? That way they'd not be "running around your yard" ... but I do think you'd need about 10 more weeks for them to have a decent size.

 

[streemers]

i had 1 set up with chicken wire but they jumped it some how. guess i could try again maybe add more wire to make it taller i dont know

 

[cassie]

You might clip their wings. That would keep them from flying.

 

[Bizzybirdy]

8 weeks are way to young to process the birds you have. I have mixed breed roos that are just plumping out at 4 months of age. They certainly do not compare to the Cornish X's I raised last year.

Putting a wire top on your pen will keep them from flying out....

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
The only breed that will be ready at around 8 weeks old is the commercial strains of cornish x meat birds. 60 years of selective breeding gives a feed efficient double breasted table bird.


Your birds will be 16 weeks before any substantial meat is on them. They will be single breasted, skinny, and be just a few lbs. What you can do is pick off the smaller ones early and eat them like squab, use their feet, hearts, gizzards, necks and liver for soup. Or, if you don't like picking meat off of bones, use the innards listed for the stock, and take out the body early and remove the meat for a hardy chicken soup. I hink of a 12 week old "dual" purpose bird as a single serving bird, and it will have more flavor than any store bird. It wouldn't be a waste at all to eat them earlier if you must, since they will eat tons of food to gain a tiny bit of weight.

The babies you have will be fully feathered in teen feathers at 8 weeks old, over the next two months, these teen feathers will fall out and be replaced by shiny rooster feathers.