I didn't realize raising meat birds would be stressful..

[BCMaraniac]

These are the four I processed at 11wks, L-R 8.5lbs, 7.5, 8.0 and 8.4. I've been using the Food Saver with large bags but I had to cut up the 3 larger ones and bag them in pieces because the bag wouldn't hold anything bigger than 7.5lb. Unfortunately I still have 4 more to do so they'll be 12wks Saturday and that's the first chance I'll have to finish them. Other than one pullet lost at 7wks and my "emergency" processing a couple of weeks ago I think I've been pretty lucky with these.

Great job!!

 

[ZooSD]

Just finished the last 4 and ready to take a break for a few weeks. Dressed weights are 10.5lbs for the male and 6.5, 7 and 7.8 lbs on the pullets. They were 12wks yesterday. I didn't let them go that long by choice and they were a little more difficult than the earlier ones. I highly recommend processing no later than 10wks. Hopefully I will be a little more relaxed with this next group of 15. They're 5wks old and already huge.

 

[SmokinChick]

Doing good on weight. I find that a lot of them falling over dead has some to do with the type of feed. I have found that mash puts a steadier weight on them and isn't as harsh on the legs and organs. But 10 weeks is a typical age to process Cornish cross birds. Anything after that is a gamble on weather or not they will keel over. Panting is typical in most chickens though but if they are large in size it could be they are just to big for their lungs. Also genetics have a lot to do with them keeling over unexpectedly.

I have always heard 8 weeks is the realistic age to process CX. I just took 10 birds to 9 weeks and didn't see any real weight gain over the 8 weekers. Lost 2 to flip @ week 6. Everyone was around 7 1/2 lbs. dressed.

 

[cutechick2010]

Wow, I can't imagine any of these lasting a year, but I certainly didn't expect them to be fine in the morning and dying by afternoon. I have a second group of 15 that are 3wks tomorrow, they weigh between 1lb 12oz and just over 2lb. Should I encourage the slower growth? I can't put them in a tractor due to space requirements. I have them in a 10' x 8' dog kennel and the food trough is mounted on the fence so they have to stand to eat, the water is across the pen on top of cinder blocks so they have to walk over to it and also have to stand to drink.

You have to carefully limit feed, but yes they can live for a couple of years anyway. I NEVER give my Cornish X as much feed as they want, they get as much as they can clean up in fifteen minutes and that's it. I have a Cornish X hen that is about a year and a half old now, and has been laying eggs. She actually hid a nest and is sitting on about 15 or so of her own eggs. I don't know if she will manage to hatch any without crushing them, LOL. But I was hoping to hatch some of her eggs as a breeding experiment anyway, so I will let her try it.

 

[cutechick2010]

If you haven't got a cover for their dog kennel run, go get a tarp and put it shiny side up to reflect sunlight.

You can also put a couple of box fans on them to help keep them cooler. If it's in front of a water-source (think plastic kid's sled with water in it), that will help even further.

Those were two tricks I did last summer in our heat waves. Seemed to make the birds a bit more comfortable. Ours didn't react well to being misted with water (even seen a scared chicken?! It's a chicken chicken!) - but that does help also. Any trick you do to keep cool in the heat works for them also.

When we had the horrible heat wave last summer, I put out shallow pans of ice water for them, they would stand in the water and cool their feet. It seemed to help a lot, I only lost one to the 100 degree temps, and that one had gotten out of the pen and went into a very hot outbuilding for some stupid reason.

 

[dmack]

I have always heard 8 weeks is the realistic age to process CX.  I just took 10 birds to 9 weeks and didn't see any real weight gain over the 8 weekers.  Lost 2 to flip @ week 6.  Everyone was around 7 1/2 lbs. dressed.

At 8 weeks I increase their protean Intake. I have never had a CX die except for in shipping or buying chicks from farm supply store. Then Butcher at 10 weeks. Been doing that for a long time now and thus far has never done me wrong.

 

[dmack]

Protein sorry for the typo

 

[ZooSD]

This group will be 8wks tomorrow and I'm not doing anything different, but the growth rate is the same. Fortunately our temps have been on the cooler side (mid 70-80s). I'm going to try to keep up with the camp schedule - I'm not going to answer my phone.


This guy weighed in tonight at 10lbs (@8wks), he's number one on my list for Saturday.

 

[KFCCHICKENUTAH]

I had 10 and we took one to have the butcher look at it. He said it was to small still so we brought it back. Later that day the heat got up to 104 degrees and two chickens that were fine just a couple hours earlier just keeled over and died. Ive put a tarp over their coop and havent lost any more. Hopefully with the week long heat waves weve been having Ill have something to show for 10 weeks of effort.

 

[Chickens R Us]

These are the four I processed at 11wks, L-R 8.5lbs, 7.5, 8.0 and 8.4. I've been using the Food Saver with large bags but I had to cut up the 3 larger ones and bag them in pieces because the bag wouldn't hold anything bigger than 7.5lb. Unfortunately I still have 4 more to do so they'll be 12wks Saturday and that's the first chance I'll have to finish them. Other than one pullet lost at 7wks and my "emergency" processing a couple of weeks ago I think I've been pretty lucky with these.

Wow nice looking birds makes me want to try meat birds this fall.