Dressed out weight

[jher77]

How much would an ordinary 7 lb chicken weigh after it is cleaned and gutted? What is the % weight lost?
I'm wandering the total cost to raise vs just buying one at the grocery store. Looks like the stores are around $1/lb.

 

[MysteryChicken]

How much would an ordinary 7 lb chicken weigh after it is cleaned and gutted? What is the % weight lost?
I'm wandering the total cost to raise vs just buying one at the grocery store. Looks like the stores are around $1/lb.

I think a pound, or two is lost. Just a rough estimation.

 

[iwltfum]

As a generally rule, you will yield 70-75% of the live weight. 7lb live weight would yield 4.9-5.25 for the average bird

 

[3KillerBs]

I personally have no expectation of saving money on the meat birds I'll raise this year. I can go to Piggly-Wiggly and buy a 40lb box of "miscut" parts for $20 or get leg quarters for under a dollar a pound on sale.

What I want is nice roasters that haven't been injected with "broth" or "flavoring and tenderizing solution" -- both because my DH is sensitive to that stuff and ends up in the bathroom all day after eating it and because salty, mushy chicken is gross.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

The larger the bird the higher ratio of yield. 7lbs live weight is 5-5.5 dressed.

 

[iwltfum]

I personally have no expectation of saving money on the meat birds I'll raise this year. I can go to Piggly-Wiggly and buy a 40lb box of "miscut" parts for $20 or get leg quarters for under a dollar a pound on sale.

What I want is nice roasters that haven't been injected with "broth" or "flavoring and tenderizing solution" -- both because my DH is sensitive to that stuff and ends up in the bathroom all day after eating it and because salty, mushy chicken is gross.

Agreed. You will definitely find that grocery store chickens is alot less expensive than any chicken that you can grow yourself. Sometimes whole chickens sell in the grocery store for less than the price of a chick. Same with turkeys. We pay the extra communally in tax based subsidies that are paid out to not only chicken growers, but feed growers as well. Feed alone costs the consumer at least 10x what the big guys pay for the same stuff. Pennies on the dollar. The difference is all in the quality of the meat and the implications that come along with it (aka long term effects of poor land management, heavily subsidized food programs, and preservation/tederizing agents)

 

[Tre3hugger]

Tip for bringing your final price per lb down: buy twice as many chicks as you need, preferably on sale for around 2 dollars each or less. Than sell half of them locally for 4 dollars each. This essentially makes your chicks free, GREATLY reducing your final average cost per bird. I did this on both my batches last year. The birds sold within 3 days using social media. The finished product meat ended up costing me between 1.50 and $2.00 a pound. Essentially just the cost of feed and bedding. This is the only way I have found to make my pastured chicken make as much sense financially as it does ethically and health wise.