How big do you harvest mest birds?

[Silverpotter]

I am very new at this. I have 12 RI and four meat birds. The meat birds are three times the size of the RI. I got them on May 1st. I am worry that the meat ones are getting too big. They lay down to eat. I am planning on harvesting them around the 10th of July. Is that good timing? Also what is the best, safest and easiest on the birds? (Me as well) if possible. Thanks

 

[Silverpotter]

Sorry for spelling mistakes. I hate auto correct.

 

[Molpet]

Depends on how big of a bird you want.
5 wks is small Cornish hen size
6 to 8 wks is when most people harvest them.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/processing-poultry-video.1387911/

 

[Phunktacular]

If your meat birds are the standard Cornish Cross birds, you're going to have some very large birds after 10 weeks. When I order, I buy only hens. They tend to grow a little slower and don't eat nearly as much as the male birds. I process after they've turned 8 weeks old. My birds were hatched on May 4th so, I'm processing my birds on July 1st. They will be 8 weeks and 2 days old on the first. I expect them to be about 5lb carcasses. If I let them go for another 2 weeks, they would be much larger. However, the amount of feed that they would consume over the next 2 weeks is nearly double what they were consuming over week 8. Not worth the weight, in my opinion.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Also what is the best, safest and easiest on the birds? (Me as well) if possible.

How you can. There are several different methods we use. None of them are "best" for every person on the planet. What you want is a way that is sure and quick. What you don't want is for you to flinch or close your eyes at the wrong time. That could lead to injury for you and the bird. Not good.

I use the hatchet and stump method. I don't recommend that unless you are comfortable you can hit the target. There are a few little tricks with that. If you want I can share them.

Many people use some version of the cone method. You hang a cone and pull the head out of the small opening at the bottom. They might use a knife or something sharp to cut the throat so it can bleed to death. They might use something like pruning loppers to take the head off. The cone method is probably the most used one on this forum.

Some people use the broomstick method. You put the head under the broomstick, stand on the broomstick to hold it firm, and jerk by the legs.

Some people shoot the bird in the head with a gun. You need to make sure it's a clean shot and be aware of what is down range plus watch for ricochets.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some methods. Your purpose is to kill the bird, that is not pleasant. As many as I've done I don't really enjoy it but if I'm going to eat the bird it is necessary. For most people once the bird is dead it becomes a lot easier to process it. Killing is the worst part by far for most people.

When you kill it you will probably see some death throes where it flops around. If you get a clean kill it's not suffering but that can be really unnerving for people to watch. Just be prepared for that.

 

[IceChick13]

We processed at 8 weeks of age and they were getting on the larger side (unsexed). We will probably do 7 weeks of age next time.

As for the culling, I highly suggest you YouTube as much as you can. We did the cone method and my father in law cut off the head in one clean swipe.

 

[Compost King]

The more I grow Meat birds the more I like processing early. Since I never eat a whole giant bird it seems like a waste of feed to let them get that big. Others may have a large family and want to cook one large bird. How big you want it? grow it until its the size you need, no need to max out a bird.

 

[Morrigan]

At 7 weeks, your CX should already be a decent eating size. I usually process mine anywhere between 8 and 13 weeks depending on the weather, what I've been feeding them, and how big I want them. A couple of things to bear in mind.

First, I don't know where you live, but summer heat can be very hard on CX, especially as they get larger. Waiting too long, could result in some losses, depending on what your climate and ability to keep them cool is. If they look like they are struggling to walk and panting, those are signs that it may be their time.

Also, it sounds like you are processing these yourself and that are new to it. You may find it easier, physically, to process them before they get truly huge. Getting a 7 or 8 lb bird squared away on a stump, or in a killing cone, is going to be easier then wrestling with a 12 to 15 pounder.

One thing to think about is doing a test run now, with one of your larger birds and see if you are happy with the carcass size.