How many?

[Rare Feathers Farm]

How many birds do you process each year?

Why?

Do you sell extra's?

What breeds do you process?

I'm looking for something that grows pretty fast but not like a freak of nature with issues....

It's just DH & myself as far as meat goes & we have a good sized chest freezer which will have 1/4 of a beef in there next fall...

I'm not sure I want to order 25 all at once...I will probably cull & process any roos that don't sell this spring and then again in the fall...but I would also like some specific breeds or techniques to try as this is a first for me.

 

[miss_thenorth]

For a family of four, we usualy do about 50 chickens per year, averaging eating one a week. I only ordered 25 meat birds last year, and the rest of our chickens wer extra roos. Wehen I do the meat birds, they are usually processed and finish at about 6-8 lbs. My extra BR roos finish at 4 lbs. When I do it this way, I roast the meaties,-- and the extra roos, I usually slow cook them or part them out and shake and bake them.
This year, I am ordering some standard cornish and some buff orpingtons, I plan on crossing them to make my "own meaties" I realize they won't come close to the ones you get from the hatchery, but I'm looking forward to the experiment.

 

[menageriemama]

15-20. Just the right amount for my family. I don't sell any. I have always done the Cornish X from McMurray. I love them, and I have never had health or leg problems with them.

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
over 600

Why?

I intially did it to provide my family with quality meat. After discovering others had the same interst but not the desire/ability to do it themselves, I started selling to others.

Do you sell extra's?

Absolutely

What breeds do you process?

Cornish X mainly. However, I do process any DP roos that I have hatched in the Spring, plus any nonproductive or illmannered birds.

I'm looking for something that grows pretty fast but not like a freak of nature with issues....

If you are referring to the Cornish X with this statement, they are not freaks of nature IMHO, nor do they have issues if properly cared for.​

 

[blueskylen]

i usually get about 40 cornish x, but last year had requests from family so got 65 - just too many for my space available. i have 40 coming next week from Meyers for this year.
.
last year when we processed they dressed out ranging from 3.5lbs to over 7lbs for the biggest roos. we had the biggest ones cut in halves and the smaller ones left whole. i also took the necks and processed for broth - had about a dozen quarts of a rich broth to can.

we only lost about 3 of the 65 with no problems and they were fairly active at the end of the 8 weeks.

i like the cornish x for their fast growing and finished size. i get them in mid march and process them before Memorial Day.
i had tried the rangers one year, but after 12 weeks they ranged between 3 - 4 lbs dressed and were a bit tougher meat. the cornish seem to use their feed more efficiently for the shorter 8 week period.