How Do I Make a Broiler?

[Broke Down Ranch]

OK, so I want my eggs and eat them too....lol. What breeds do I cross to get the fast-growing Cornish Rocks? How many generations of back-breeding does it take to get the broilers? I would like to have my own for when I want meat without having to go thru a hatchery to get them. I think it is a cross between a cornish rooster and a rock hen. Does it matter the color of birds you use? And do you use standard for both the roo and hens?

Thanks for any input ya'll can give me!

 

[Bossroo]

A little background history to match... one will need at least 4 grandparent crossbred lines of Cornish x Rock, a bunch of geneticists and 60 ( give or take) years and a wheelbarrow full of gold to match up with a modern Cornish X that one can buy ready made chicks for now. They are meant to be butchered at 6-8 weeks of age for their lifespan as they will have reached frier and/or roaster weights. Very few will ever reach a year of age due to their genetic makeup. There are other crossbred birds or even the heritage dual purpose chicken breeds on the market now, however they will still eat the same amount of feed but take at least 2-4 times as long to reach frier weights depending on one's knowledge, and environmental growing conditions. One must factor in one's additional labor, housing , power, land and other costs to figure out one's return on investment. As they say, TIME is MONEY !!! Today, I can buy a 6 lb. Cornish X frier at the local grocery store for $0.79 a lb, or $4.74 each. Whereas, it costs me TWICE as much or more to raise my own purchased Cornish X chicks at home.

 

[Broke Down Ranch]

But I think the day may come when the reverse is quite opposite meaning it will be next to impossible to just go buy a fryer/broiler bird (which has usually been fed a bunch of junk then coated in formaldehyde for preservation) unless you are slightly wealthy. I like knowing where my food is coming from, what it has been fed, and how it has been handled during life and after death.

But I do agree - it is easier and cheaper to just go buy one already ready to cook. But what is the TRUE cost of doing that??

 

[TXmom]

I've wondered the same thing...if we have Cornish Roos and Rock Hens, can we make our own "meaties"? I think it would be great to be more self-sufficient, meaning we can grow our own meaties instead of ordering them from hatcheries. Even if they're not quite as fast growing as the hatchery birds, I'd still consider it.

This is for future consideration for me, I just now have my first pullets and haven't gotten my first eggs yet

But we're getting there...we'd like meaties maybe next year.

 

[ChanceRider]

I simply buy "ready made chicks" (day old Cornish X) as Bossroo said, and just raise them myself. That way I know what food has gone into them and can control how their raised/processed. Maybe not cheaper than grocery store bought chicken in the long run, but the quality far surpasses that of store bought!

Sorry I can't answer your question about how to actually breed for a broiler... seems like it'd take a bit of time and a lot of birds?

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Bossroo pretty much covered it... it's not impossible but close to it. If you want a broiler type bird like the one that is on the market you need to have at least 5-10 years of selective breeding to even get anwhere near the 70 year plus broilers that are on the market. I think the strains were started in the late 30's early 40's and they have been perfecting them ever since.

With that said your best bet is to start with a Freedom Ranger and start with them and work your way towards a commercial broiler. They are almost like a cornish x but not quite, but it will give you a good start.

It's hard to even come close to the parent stock of these broilers and if you want the lines be prepared to buy 10,000 minumum at a time. It's a buisness and it's like having a patent on something.... well these companies have patents on their genetic lines of broilers that you buy from your local hatchery. Not even the hatcheries have acces to these parent stock just the eggs they produce.

 

[Bossroo]

As we all know... TIME is MONEY. All of the very large commercial farms works on a very narrow profit margin per bird. So everything they do is very carefully studied and rigorous biosecurity protocals are followed. They have teams of scientists in their employ and fund Universities to perform original research to constantly improve on the parent stocks of the comercial chicks as well as feed stuffs, and management of the growing chicks. The commercial farms feed a carefully scientifically formulated feed and each batch is rigulously tested for pathogens and quality controls so that their chicks receive proper nutrition for optimal growth in the shortest amount of time possible. The slaughter houses have to follow strict Federal and State safety and sanitary protocals to operate. Also the USDA Veterinarians make inspections and perform tests for bruised carcasses, foreign matter, fecal matter, and pathogens. If one has worked with formaldahyde in a University laboratory like I have, one will know that having it come in contact with organic tissue will cause it to very shortly to turn grey. A color that will turn off any customer. Also it has a very distinct odor that will cling on ones hands even when one uses rubber gloves. Again, an item that would cause a turn off to any customer. When a poultry farm is in business to provide a product that would have a consumer to purchase it's product, they will do anything in their power to market an visually and olfactory appealing and nutricous wholesome product or they will not be in business for very long.

 

[walls0stone]

I agree, the fraud that some people spew about people feeding trash to birds is a wee part of the big pic. Fear mongers wave those sick stories around like a sword....so they can sell BOOKS!

In truth, why would a farmer harm his birds when he/she knows it will cost money to do something wrong?

Most people THINK of inspectors as the groups that comes into there work place from time to time. In packing houses, those people work full time on the line, 24/7. I'm rather tired of all the smear campains agenst anyone who is not pay'n into the whole organic CULT.

That said. I also feel that raise'n your own will become more proffitable after the large stores of grain in bunkers is feed up. The USDA says there will be 5 million fewer acres in corn this year.
I look at the things I'm not doing when I'm working with birds and other hobbies on the farm. I'm not at the Mall, I'm not spending at the Movies, I use a chicken tractor to get the most of my birds.

When it's time to kill the birds, I tell a few good friends to come on over if they want a few birds, and they in kind do things like that for me.

yes time is money, and I think in times like these, my time is worth more spend stacking up food in the pantry, than any other way.