Harvesting tales.

[LaurenRitz]

I harvested one of my cockerels last night. Halfway through I was finding dirt and rocks under the skin and all over my working surface.

Finally realized, yeah, no food for two days. I had nicked the crop and it was full of rocks.

((JGxRIR)x RIR)xBuckeye), 33 weeks. 3 pounds skinned, narrow body cavity.

 

[FunClucks]

Some days are like that, aren't they? I don't usually withhold food (not often organized enough), but when I do I find rocks and wood chips in the crop.

 

[DemeterAD9]

Learn something new every day! I’m not terribly surprised, just one good reason I prefer to not fast and butcher come morning before I let them out. Crops are emptied over night and so long as you are careful not to nick the intestines there should be no problems.

He was a good one to cull, you probably don’t want those genetics passed on. Sounds kinda small for 33 weeks. I butchered a RIR cockerel at ~19 weeks and he was 4lbs (skin on). I’ve also butchered 2 EEs at about 15-16 weeks and both weighed just over 3lbs plucked. But I’m not super experienced, I’ve only processed a handful of my own.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Learn something new every day! I’m not terribly surprised, just one good reason I prefer to not fast and butcher come morning before I let them out. Crops are emptied over night and so long as you are careful not to nick the intestines there should be no problems.

He was a good one to cull, you probably don’t want those genetics passed on. Sounds kinda small for 33 weeks. I butchered a RIR cockerel at ~19 weeks and he was 4lbs (skin on). I’ve also butchered 2 EEs at about 15-16 weeks and both weighed just over 3lbs plucked. But I’m not super experienced, I’ve only processed a handful of my own.

Some day I'll pluck and get a weight comparison for skin off vs on. I think the skin runs about a pound or a little more. He was definitely smaller than his brother, who finished out at 3.8 without skin 5 weeks ago.

I prefer to fast. Otherwise they end up pooping (so to speak) on the processing table. Problems on one end or the other.

I'm looking forward to seeing the weights for the Tank. Same age, twce as wide, mother was a Ranger.

 

[Molpet]

I used to withhold feed, but nowadays I just harvest 1 or 2 at a time first time in the morning.

Yes that's small. The JG crosses I had took forever to fill out.

 

[FunClucks]

Maybe my frame of reference is skewed, since I am used to processing CX, 3 month broilers, and very heavy, optimized for meat New Hampshires, but it's hard for me to justify processing a 3-4 lb bird. As soon as I think a bird isn't going to get bigger than that, I'll sell him at a price that at least breaks even on the feed cost. It's not worth the almost 2 hrs of my time to get maybe 2 lbs of usable meat on a 3 lb carcass.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I am actually in the beginning stages of creating a dual purpose breed. Some of my roosters are no larger than the hens, but at the moment I'm working on rooster behavior rather than size.

I am hoping the Ranger descendants will bring in a wider frame, but so far the RangerX boys have all had behavior problems. That aspect may have to wait.

 

[Molpet]

Maybe my frame of reference is skewed, since I am used to processing CX, 3 month broilers, and very heavy, optimized for meat New Hampshires, but it's hard for me to justify processing a 3-4 lb bird. As soon as I think a bird isn't going to get bigger than that, I'll sell him at a price that at least breaks even on the feed cost. It's not worth the almost 2 hrs of my time to get maybe 2 lbs of usable meat on a 3 lb carcass.

People around here can't give away cockerels.
I used to sell the extra/ smaller hens.
People eat quail which you need 2 to make a serving. So even the small cockerels are bigger.

 

[FunClucks]

I am actually in the beginning stages of creating a dual purpose breed. Some of my roosters are no larger than the hens, but at the moment I'm working on rooster behavior rather than size.

I am hoping the Ranger descendants will bring in a wider frame, but so far the RangerX boys have all had behavior problems. That aspect may have to wait.

I've heard the Red Rangers are bad about behavior problems. You might consider a production red roo, as those can have a moderately large frame and are bred to be docile.

I've had good luck with Freedom Ranger New Hampshires as far as roo behavior went. I've also had pretty good luck with White Rangers, but they are a bit big for breeding. My Ginger Broilers roos were all mean through 3 generations, and the egg quality of the hens was never great, then declined, so I just ate them all and moved on.

 

[LaurenRitz]

My main line roos (JGxRIR) are great. It's been the 4th generation mixes that got fiesty.

This one was human aggressive. First one that's been human aggressive in three generations. I think the human aggression piece is pretty well nailed down. Now I'm working on behavior toward the hens. Two are in isolation for nasty behavior toward the girls.

I have two great roos right now (technically cockerels) that ask for mating and don't push it if the hen says no, with no interest in young pullets. The older is (JGxRIR)xRIR, the other is Bielefelder, BA, JG, and RIR.

Two behaviors I will not tolerate are attacking me, and mating pullets that are too young. Any bird that does either is Jerky.