Is my math right??? Raising meat chicks for about $6 apiece???

[mmajw]

It depends on how you feed them on how big they will be. Just know that Cornish X are known for heart attacks and after 8-9 weeks you could start loosing some if they are too big.
I book my killing appointment the day I get them then I know that I am scheduled (most places fill up fast in the summer).
It is up to you if you want them for 12 weeks but I am almost willing to bet that after 8 you will be ready to have them go.
They require more cleaning then layers and more shade and more food and water.

 

[silkiechicken]

Hmm.. from my estimates..

You want 10 lb dressed birds. That would be about 13- 14lb live weight birds. If you figure a FCR of 3.0, each bird will eat about 40 lbs each.

With 30 birds.. that would be 1200lbs of feed.

I don't think it ever costs less to raise meat compared to factory farmed meat.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Also, please don't forget that if you send them away to be processed, you would have to figure the cost of that into the cost of bird. You'd save money by butchering yourself.

 

[cjeanean]

hmmmm.....that still wouldn't be too much more than the store.....about 12 cents more per pound....I just want to give my mother in law an estimate, cause if she can't afford 5 or six I won't get a full 50 of them. Thanks everyone!!!

 

[MissPrissy]

I raised jumbo cornish x last fall. In the end the 27 birds ate 25 lbs of feed a day.

 

[cjeanean]

Quote:
OMG!!!! There's no way I could afford that!!! But the price of the chicks is so hard to pass up!!!!

 

[MissPrissy]

At $10 a bag that was about $5 a day - 19 cents per bird per day in feed.

 

[kees]

Could you lower your cost by just letting them free range?

 

[silkiechicken]

They don't free range well... they can... but unlike a layer, don't glean much from things on the ground. They rather just poop on everything.

 

[kees]

Ick! One would think that they'd be interested in eating some fresh grass and bugs.