Is it normal?

[jaredthefox]

I was given 10 roosters. I took them in planning on having them all processed. I was wandering if it's normal for them to be as small meat wise as they are. They were RIR and barred rock mixes. I know that Cornish X hens are meat birds and that's wgats sold in stores etc. can there really be that big of a difference?? My roosters were crowing and doing everything my old rooster was doing. I got annoyed with all the fighting that was going on and figured noes a good time. But they still seem lanky. Kinda tall and scrawny. Is that normal for non meat hybrid birds?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I was given 10 roosters. I took them in planning on having them all processed. I was wandering if it's normal for them to be as small meat wise as they are. They were RIR and barred rock mixes. I know that Cornish X hens are meat birds and that's wgats sold in stores etc. can there really be that big of a difference?? My roosters were crowing and doing everything my old rooster was doing. I got annoyed with all the fighting that was going on and figured noes a good time. But they still seem lanky. Kinda tall and scrawny. Is that normal for non meat hybrid birds?

Yes, what you are seeing is absolutely normal for the types of birds you have......Cornish X are ready to butcher at 8 weeks, the breeds you have are not really a size that would make them worth the effort to process until 16+ weeks and, even then, will not yield nearly the same amount of meat as the Cornish X. The difference is night and day.

 

[jaredthefox]

So can I expect to see the same results with my hens once they have run their course or will they be more plump?

 

[Ridgerunner]

The hens will likely be quite small even if you keep them until their best laying years are over. You are likely to get a higher percentage of white meat compared to dark with a hen but the overall amount of meat is usually not much.

Some are large than others, but it’s sometimes amazing how much of a hen’s apparent size is just feathers. It’s fairly common on this forum for people to see a hen in full molt and think she is sick because she is so scrawny, but that’s just them seeing what size the hen really is under the feathers.

You can eat any chicken regardless of sex or age, just adjust the cooking methods as required, but nothing can touch the broilers for meat production.