I understand the business analysis, but man cornish x feel wrong!

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
This is the reason I started raising them (knowing where it came from). I had no intentions of being where I am at today, but after doing it and enjoying it, I wanted others who didn't have the necessary resources or the will to raise their own to have the same opportunity for their family. Honestly, I don't charge enough to get compensated for the amount of work that I do. Just last week, we had a new customer contact us. Her son was suffering from some sort of digestive issue, and the doctor told the childs Mom to avoid foods that aren't natural. Luckily she found us, and is now able to confidently feed her 3 year old son chicken that fits that description. That is why I do what I do.

 

[Neil Grassbaugh]

Isn't that a bit on the small side?

ETA
Scratch that. Those are 6 week old birds.

We do not strive to have the best FCR. Just to be in the upper classification. For the best FCR of the week you get a 100 lb box of nice fresh ready to cook chickens.
So long as we meet the FCR level that pays the most per pound of production we strive for bigger birds. More pounds = more dollars.
Generaly we get the largest payment per bird of the weeks production and often times have the largest payment per bird for the year. However we evaluate the efficiency of the farm by giving great weight to the number of cents each square foot of broiler building space produces per year.​

 

[MetalSmitten]

y'know, all other points aside, the one thing that really bothers me personally about meaties is that you can't have your own self-sustaining flock. i don't like the idea of buying chicks from outside sources year after year, paying per bird and shipping on top. i want a flock that reproduces, and where the chicks would be approximately the same quality as the parents.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

Wait until you have to feed that breeding meatie flock year after year!

 

[halo]

I just raised a few Cornish X just to try them, in fact I have 2 left to process this weekend, and will definitely do them again. They ran with my other chicks and did just fine. They do seem to suffer in the heat, but as someone else said, they all do. Im sure do to their size and bulk the heat bothers them probably more than other birds, but I wont raise them in the heat of the summer again. I will get some more this fall.

They arent the prettiest birds, but they act just like my others. Since they free range, I dont notice them being poop machines or eating until they cant stuff themselves anymore, because they are out in the yard with the other chicks. I have butchered some Heritage breeds roosters at 5-6 months, and all they are good for, as far as Im concerned, is feeding to my puppies. I was so amazed with the first Cornish X I butchered, as such a beautiful clean carcass, skinned out was nearly 5 pounds at 10 weeks.

For me, I dont see any reason to raise any chickens for meat other than the Cornish X.

And no, I didnt lose any.

 

[Bossroo]

Are you aware that our parents and/ or grandparents baught their chicks from the Sears & Roebach catalog untill the 1970s when they quit selling them? Wonder why ?

If you calculate your true holding costs, then add hatching costs of your

" sustainable" flock you will soon discover that those costs will be the similar or higher compared to the purchased chick ( depends on where you buy the chick from a feed store for just a few or a hatchery in larger numbers) which will produce more meat in a shorter period of time at a lesser amount of feed ( better feed conversion rate) and cost.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

isn't that great? I saw a house one time with the Sears & Robucks stamp on it, they really sold houses in kits!

 

[MetalSmitten]

that's all well and good, but what happens if a disease wipes out a big chunk of the CX breeding stock? or a fire breaks out on their premises, or a flood washes away a few mega-barns, or an eco-terrorist group sets them all free, or the rapture happens but only chickens ascend to heaven?

or if the hatcheries decide that since they control the market, why not raise the price of chicks? or any number of things. i want at least a backup option, yaknow? if they would sell the parent lines so i could breed my own CX at home, i'd probably buy them. (i understand why they don't, but, just sayin').

but i'm not a commercial chicken farmer. i enjoy the presence of the chickens, i use them for bug/weed control and compost making (as well as meat and eggs), and so i'm happy breaking even on their upkeep. i don't keep a huge flock, so overwintering them is not very hard or expensive. i'm not badmouthing the CX here, i'm just saying, for me, i'd want something that breeds.

 

[AKsmama]

Quote:
Now, that would be something to see. I can just picture a group of them, opening chicken house doors, and saying, "Run! Run free, run for your lives!" And the Cornish X just sitting there, blinking.

 

[awesomefowl]