How old do cornish rocks need to be to butcher

[OSUman]

Well the subject poses the question i decided that since i got chickens i might as well get some for meat and heard about these i got 4 at TSC and one died and i was wondering how big / what they look like when they are ready to get processed im new to this if anyone has pictures of their chickens before they butchered them please post them

 

[mamanani]

Wish me luck, I think we're going to try and dispatch our largest Cornish X rooster today. I'm a total noob and have probably overfed them. We finally got our chicken run fence finished yesterday and everybody went outside for the first time. The big meat rooster somehow bent his toenail back and bled quite a bit. I figure we should do him in before it gets infected and before he gets worse leg problems. I can't say I'm going to miss the amount of poop he produces, but he is super docile for a roo.

 

[danielbrown]

6-8wks
feed 12hrs on 12hrs off(night) after week 2 so they don't over eat.
I think they will be about 70% of there live weight after processing.
process earlier for fryers and later for roasters.

 

[OSUman]

these are mine

 

[jaku]

Quote:
I'd wait a few weeks. Butcher them at 6 weeks if you want fryers, otherwise wait till their 8 weeks old.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

I agree 8 weeks. I was told once that if you let them get over 12 weeks old their legs will buckle at the knees under their own weight. Then you are left with a nice fat fluffy doorstop. Poor critters.

 

[jamieneenah]

Quote:
I've not been withholding food yet because I have several ages mixed. How do I know if they overeat and what happens?
Jamie

 

[danielbrown]

Quote:
If they over eat they out grow there legs and/or organs.
If they out grow there legs they can't walk and have to be culled.
If they out grow there organs they die.
sometimes they just flop over dead anyway.

 

[OSUman]

i had one that just floped over dead

 

[luvbeagles]

We are raising our first cornish rocks. Sunday my husband killed the first - at 6 weeks of age. However, the meat was very tough. Any ideas? Thanks!