I need encouragement and some good advise

[shaveudogg]

well I didn't break it down that far.we have 50 cornish x and at least11 roos to cull.Right noe they are eating a 50 lbs of food every3 to 4 days at 11.00 a bag.we start with starter 24% then starter/grower 20% then devolper/finisher 18%.I am not sure of the excacted price of each kind,I have all the stuff just need to take care of it.We will cull at 12 week.I bought a natural dewormer and lots of grit because we feed ours worms and weeds, bread and leftovers.the grit is 4.99 a 5 lb bag and we have use at least 5.broiler boosterat 8.99 and vitamin 2.49.gro gel plus 3.65. 50 jumbo cornish x rock at 1.34 plus6.76 for vaccinate them.That by it self is around 6.20.That doesn't acount for the shaving(9 bales so far at 5.15 a bale)Plus being the first time to raise chicks I bought 4 small water three one gallon waters and had to go to 2- 3 1/2 gallon waters.Small mason jar feeders then one thirteen gallan feeder as they grew.Two heat lamps and all the wire to inclose the horse stall and wood.All in all maybe $8 .00 per chicken.It will be alittle cheaper next year if we make thruogh culling and processing this year.

 

[silkiechicken]

My cornish come out to be about 8-11 a bird, or about $2 a lb dressed. I start with chicks that are 1.50 each because that is the cheapest in this area in quanities less than 25, and then buy food for them at $15 or so per 50lb bag...

 

[jmofaustin]

Here in Austin, our food is about $10 a bag, that's a third less, why is it so expensive other places?

 

[silkiechicken]

I don't know why food is so expensive here... could be the fuel stuff or the fact that I'm near seatle in western washington, to where if you don't have an income of at leat 80k, you can never dream of owning a home near any jobs, a condo costs nearly a million dollars, and a 2000 sq foot house with no yard starts at 350k 30 miles from seattle...

I feel lucky that my grandfather brought the small property we have 30 min from seattle 60 years ago... taxes alone each year is more than a person on minimum wage makes in a year.. and minimum wage here is like 8 bucks an hour...

 

[mudhen]

I agree with all the reasons everyone has posted as to why raise and process your own.
Unfortunately, (in theory mind you, cuz I haven't done it yet), where I am less squeamish about the chopping block, the 'scalding and plucking' is what stops me from even thinking about it.
Right now, I have 9-10 extra leghorns, 5 of which are suspected cockerels, and none of which I want to keep.
I have been trying to find a home for all of them but the only taker is over 5 hours away and we can't meet for another month. By then these 2 wk old fuzzbutts will be over 6 wks old, and I'm thinking I'll have invested enough feed and time into them that giving them away will be goofy.
Who/what do I search for in my yellow pages for butchering/dressing these birds? (I've checked under meat processors, but none of them do poultry.

)
Any advice?

 

[jmofaustin]

The way I found the guy here in Austin was by just calling around to the guys that don't do chickens and asking them if they know anyone who does. Also you could ask your feed store.

 

[mudhen]

duh! I didn't think to check with the feed store!

Thanks!

 

[silkiechicken]

Since your fuzzies are leghorns... I can tell you that by 6 weeks, they will weigh less than a pound alive.... so maybe 8 ounces after butcher at 6 weeks... I butchered my leghorn roo turned evil at 1 year... he was only 3 lbs... that's 50 some weeks...

I say let them grow to about 4 months old and then butcher. If you don't want to dip and pluck, try just skinning them. Really, you should try the butcher thing. It's not hard at all.

 

[mudhen]

Thanks for the info! I talked to a woman that raises cattle who lives down the road. She tells me that her problem is the actual killing of the bird, but she has no problem with plucking and dressing.
Looks like we may partner up so that I deal with the cleaver and she with the rest. She's got three full grown RIR roos too many that she wants to put in a pot.
Based on what you've said, I've decided to just let these leghorn peeps go to a new home. Seems hardly worth the effort for such small return on meat to butcher them.
Thanks all!

 

[silkiechicken]

Sounds like a plan. I would keep them because I found that they barely eat anything and do make a sweet soup when they are like 4 months old. 18 leghorns eat the same amount as 4 cornishx's in the first 8 weeks of life... They free range alot too. It would be challenging to do if you only have one coup for them. I have a coop dedicated to raising out the leghorn roo's so its not so bad. Good luck!