First time raising meat birds - my journey of raising Cornish X in the city

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Coming in late with the WEEK FIVE UPDATE

I've been a little busy and overwhelmed with stuff this week. But luckily, my Cornish X are all still very healthy and are growing at what I think is a nice rate. We've had some nasty weather lately. It's been cool (40s), rainy, and very windy this week. So I have had to make some temporary accommodations to the tractor to block some of the wind and rain.

Because these guys and gals are getting so big and were barely fitting on my tiny kitchen scale anymore, I bought a hanging scale from TSC that I thought I could use with a bucket. Well, either I'm not using it right or it's just not very accurate, because it was saying the chickens were 7 or 8 pounds, even when I zeroed the scale out after hanging the bucket. So, weights were a mess this week. It just got too difficult doing it alone. I opened the tractor and they all jumped out, and I just grabbed a random few and got what weights I could on my old kitchen scale. They all look the same so I have no clue how many I actually weighed and if I weighed anyone twice lol. So I'm just going to give a rough estimate. Every bird was near or at the 5 pound mark. So I think this is pretty good!

I've been generally following this growth rate chart from Meyer Hatchery (scroll down): https://meyerhatchery.zendesk.com/h...ers-101-How-to-raise-from-hatch-to-processing
And so far, they are pretty much spot on with weight (subtracting 33% from their weight to get dressed weight)!

At what weight do you guys typically butcher? I think at this rate I'm still going to shoot for 8 weeks so I can have a 6+ pound dressed bird. Our goal is to have as much meat for our family as possible for the winter. But if they get leg issues before then, we will process sooner I think.

 

[AmberFields]

I took weights on the first day. I don't have a way of telling the CX apart, so I just took all their weights and will average them every week.

Yesterday's weights were 42g, 54g, 44g, 52g, 43g, 46g, 40g. = Average of 45.85 grams

I used grams because they are so tiny. I'll convert this to ounces later on when I have a few weeks of data.

For comparison, the day-old Salmon Faverolles weighed in at 33 grams. The week-old mystery chick weighed in at 46 grams.

When it comes time for butchering... if you don't need the skin then you can forego plucking and just skin them, feathers and all. Plenty of YouTube videos on this. Best wishes for you and yours.

 

[Morrigan]

Plan on your birds dressing out at approximately 70% of live weight. One way of getting weights, is to stand on a scale, note your weight, then pick up a chicken and step back on the scale.

I would think that 8 weeks should get you to 5 to 7 lbs dressed weight. They are a good looking size, and I think you will be pleased with the result.

I've always plucked my chickens because I really like crispy chicken skin. It is a bit of a pain, but it does get easier with practice. The key is getting a good scald before you start plucking. There are a lot of videos and threads about that.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

When it comes time for butchering... if you don't need the skin then you can forego plucking and just skin them, feathers and all. Plenty of YouTube videos on this. Best wishes for you and yours.

Thank you!

Unfortunately we love to eat the skin and want the feathers for our compost, so we'll have to do things the hard way I suppose.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Plan on your birds dressing out at approximately 70% of live weight. One way of getting weights, is to stand on a scale, note your weight, then pick up a chicken and step back on the scale.

I would think that 8 weeks should get you to 5 to 7 lbs dressed weight. They are a good looking size, and I think you will be pleased with the result.

I've always plucked my chickens because I really like crispy chicken skin. It is a bit of a pain, but it does get easier with practice. The key is getting a good scald before you start plucking. There are a lot of videos and threads about that.

Oh nice, I heard they lose about 33% after processing. 30% sounds much better! I think next week I will have to do the weights the way you suggest because this was just too difficult this time around, especially since I was doing it alone.

And yeah I'm gonna try to pluck because I love chicken skin when I cook. I know it will be a pain but I think it's worth it for the flavor, plus there is less waste. Luckily, my dad has a propane turkey fryer setup that he uses to cook clams. I'm planning to use that if he'll let me because it's plenty big and seems to hold a temp well. I think this should be ideal for scalding.

Oh and I also should mention (maybe I did already on here) that I found someone experienced who is going to come over on processing day to help out and show us the ropes. He's a hunter and processes deer and other game, but he has also processed dozens of chickens that people have given him. He said he's known several families that bought chickens for their kids to teach them about raising their own food, but when it came time to butcher, they couldn't do it so they gave them to him since he has processed many animals and loves to eat them. He's never been a chicken keeper, but at least it's someone I know who has done this before. Should be helpful!

I can't believe it's only about 3 weeks until processing day! Ahhhhhh

 

[3KillerBs]

Thank you!

Unfortunately we love to eat the skin and want the feathers for our compost, so we'll have to do things the hard way I suppose.

I don't find hand-plucking as horrible as many people say it is.

The wing tips are hard and pinfeathers are annoying. I have to practice more to get the scald exactly right. But it's not the nightmare often described and Cornish X should be easier than 4 or 6-month dual-purpose cockerels.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I don't find hand-plucking as horrible as many people say it is.

The wing tips are hard and pinfeathers are annoying. I have to practice more to get the scald exactly right. But it's not the nightmare often described and Cornish X should be easier than 4 or 6-month dual-purpose cockerels.

I hope you're right! I've heard the CX feathers come out easier because of how young they are. And if not, then I'll just be happy I only have 6 to process! With 3 people, I don't think it will be too bad.

 

[3KillerBs]

With 3 people, I don't think it will be too bad.

Yes. I have to do it all myself, which is time consuming since there's no assembly-line process.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Yes. I have to do it all myself, which is time consuming since there's no assembly-line process.

Kudos to you! That's quite the accomplishment to do that on your own.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Question for anyone willing to chime in:

I'm about to be done with the big bag of broiler feed I got from the hatchery. It's 18% protein and that's what they recommend because too high of protein levels can also contribute to leg issues apparently. Anyway, I also have a ton of extra 20% chick starter/grower for my other 2 chicks that they will likely never finish. Could I start feeding this to my Cornish X? I was thinking I could also throw a couple handfuls of cracked corn to them daily as well, to slightly lower the protein intake, and to keep them warm.

Does chick feed contain all the right nutrients or am I better off buying a new bag of broiler feed?

I think my only option for broiler feed at my local store is Purina Flock Raiser 20%.