Help! Cornish Giants Cockerals or Hens??!!

[Happydaze]

I am getting 100 of these on Friday....I can't decide to go with mixed run or all Pullets! We plan on butchering them out at 7 weeks old. Will the meat be the same? Which are better? So far I've switched my order 3 times and right now as it stands I'm getting all Pullets.

Second question. I'd like some tips on brooding 100 Cornish Giant cross chicks. They are day olds when I get them.

Third question. Can anybody tell me what the total amount to feed these should be. I've figured this out on my own but I'd like to see if I'm way out to Lunch.

Starter Feed is $15.70 per 44 lbs bag
Grower Feed is $17.30 per 44 lbs bag

Thank You!

 

[chicmom]

Males are generally slightly larger at maturity, so wouldn't you want a larger chicken to eat?

 

[Happydaze]

Well, logically...I would think that yes they are larger but what makes them larger is their bone mass. More bone = Less Meat. Smaller breast and larger legs.

I've changed my order once and for all. I've ordered 60 Unsexed this way I can tell for myself which is better. I chose this after speaking to a man at the hatcheries that tells me they are butchered too young for their sex to interfere with the meat. He told me that in his experience the males are all the Hutterites buy and I've bought their chickens and loved them!!

It will be nice to have a mixture of pullets and cockerals just for having the choice of Broilers and Fryers!

Thanks!

 

[blueskylen]

we get the straight runs and usually keep the hens whole and halve the large males.

we use the purina flock raiser and last year with 65 straight runs for 8 weeks - used 19 bags plus 20 lbs of soybean meal mixed in. the soybean meal is to add just a bit more protien and they love it too.

 

[Happydaze]

Oh, that's great! Thank You!

 

[Saltysteele]

you might consider butchering some at 4-1/2 pounds or so for friers, and letting the rest get larger for roasters.

 

[donrae]

We butchered five roos and one hen at 9 1/2 weeks and there was less than half a pound difference. We just got tired of butchering that night and have three hens left, they'll be 12 weeks this weekend, I'll weigh them when we're done.