- Mar 28, 2017
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Hi there, I raise Cornish cross meat birds regularly for home consumption and sell a few to offset costs. I'm interested to know others' experiences with raising either true-breeding meat birds or first generation crosses, as I'm interested in potentially experimenting with hatching and raising my own meat birds. I do understand that anything but a CX will be a significant increase in cost in terms of feed conversion ratio, time equipment is tied up (time to slaughter), bedding, etc. I'd like to do some calculations to see if the increase in cost would be doable for me. It would be my hope to be able to offset some of this difference by lower cost-per-chick hatching and raising myself (electricity cost, cost to keep the breeding stock, etc) and by possibly selling day-old chicks and/or hatching eggs. Please share any experiences you've had with your own first generation crosses or pure-bred "dual purpose" breeds for meat. I'd like to know:
a) Cost in feed to keep each adult bird per year (or week or whatever, I can math)
b) Calculated FCR for the offspring raised to slaughter (or how much feed you went through per however many birds)
c) Time to slaughter and average carcass weight at slaughter
d) Any notes on taste, type of meat (dark vs. light), toughness in cooking, etc.
Related/unrelated: I already have plans for olive eggers made from black copper marans roo to crested cream legbar hens. Anyone happen to know the average FCR for that specific mix?
a) Cost in feed to keep each adult bird per year (or week or whatever, I can math)
b) Calculated FCR for the offspring raised to slaughter (or how much feed you went through per however many birds)
c) Time to slaughter and average carcass weight at slaughter
d) Any notes on taste, type of meat (dark vs. light), toughness in cooking, etc.
Related/unrelated: I already have plans for olive eggers made from black copper marans roo to crested cream legbar hens. Anyone happen to know the average FCR for that specific mix?
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