How much to expect to pay for feed 6 weeks

[greyfields]

Skeeter - No. All meat chickens are crossbred hybrids.

Now, I've held back a few and put my Cornish cockrel on them. Results are in the incubator as we speak.

 

[greyfields]

Quote:
You should be able to brood them together just fine. Brooding any meat birds with laying breeds, though, and you'll quickly have squashed hens. They need to be separated at around a week just for safety reasons.

 

[silkiechicken]

I have successfully kept 4 meat birds and 2 layers till 8 weeks together... however, any more than that and it would be disaster to maintain. Layers jumped all over the cornish and the cornish could have easily smushed the layers had they not been the feisty leghorns that panic at the twitch of a feather to get out of the way.

 

[skeeter]

Quote:
at what age did they start to lay,and when will those chicks hatch

 

[greyfields]

I imagine that with most chickens they started to lay between 5 and 6 months. My two black rangers were in the breeding 'pen' with two Black Sex Links as well (trying purebred sire on hybrid dames for this science experiment). I have my hunch which eggs are the Freedom Ragners vs the Black Sex Link. I'll know more once they hatch (April 23rd).

The FR's had more English breeding in them. It appears Sussex and Barred Rock went into their breeding (possibly dorkings too). But, of course, it's a closely guarded secret exactly how all meat chickens are formulated and the parental lineages they use are selectively bred and may or may not even resemble the 'breed' they allegedly are.

Here are some photos of my last pen here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=36776

 

[tiki244]

OK I skimmed thru the last page so appoligize if I missed it but where do you get freedom rangers? I am now interested. I believe this is what I want.

 

[greyfields]

http://www.freedomrangers.net/

Webpage is a little clunky. But there are 3 breeds available now int he online store. There will be a 4th in June, which is the Grey Ranger which I raised last year and really liked.

Minimum order is 50 with a $5 charge for ordering under 100. Split an order if it's too much. Also, you will be very surprised how quickly you go through 50 meat chickens once your friends realize how good htey are.

 

[chickenannie]

I work at a farm where they raise pastured Cornish cross in 8 weeks. they raise 2,500 every summer. They feed a specialized antibiotic-free, high protein diet, and figure they get 15 percent of their diet from eating grass and bugs. they move the chickens mobile pens every day so they can get fresh grass and it keeps them healthier.
(Greyfield, my chickens eat blades of grass all the time, and if they're penned up and I put a pile of grass in their house its gone in short order. I heard that the best eggs come from grass-eating chickens because their diet has more nutrients from the soil and their yolks are much darker orange). Anyone else?

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

I've found the same thing with my eggs. I thought they tasted much better this past summer and had darker, richer yolks. I've only been feeding them the feed and scratch during the winter.

I do have a question though - I'm getting 10 FR's this weekend and have never processed a chicken before in my life. I'm trying to read all I can but can't find any info on this: after you do the deed, how long do you have to let them bleed out? Does it take an hour or a day? And is the meat better if it hangs for a while like a deer?

Thanks for any help -

Cindy

 

[greyfields]

It only takes a few minutes to bleed them. Chicken does not benefit from being 'hung' (dry aged). If you can at all find a processor to do it for you, that would always be my recommendation.

Clarification: Chickens do eat grass, but not being ruminants there is no way they are accessing much of any nutrition from it. I think it's just something they do out of simple pleasure of doing it. More likely, they were pecking at the bug beneath the blades and got the grass instead.