just asking???

[mamarosa]

I am new at this, but have 26 egglayers that are 14 weeks old. They are great and a lot LESS work than I thought.
I am thinking of getting some Meat birds. With the economy as it is I am thinking of getting 25 birds for roasting, baking and frying. I think?????? you raise them about 6 - 7 weeks
my question is
cornis X
vantress
white mt pullets
male/female
which ones are the best tasting, tender and like the ones you buy from the store.
I am doing this for my family to have a more healthy food for my family.
thanks

 

[justusnak]

Congrats on your quest to feed your family fresh chicken. We raise about 75 cornishx a year. I do them in in shifts. They grow fast...6 to 8 weeks...and let me tell you...they POO ALOT..and STINK to high heaven. They wont be the same as grocery store chicken....they are MUCH better. If you can safely pasture them...they will be alot less mess. If you must keep them in a coop...pen...you will be cleaning every day! I have 51 now, in a coop..and I clean them every day...water them with 3...2 gallon waterers 3 times a day...and they are currently going through a 50 pound bag of feed in about 4 or 5 days. I cant tedll you about the others you mentioned.....but I like the cornishx. Fast and easy...and mine run between 6 and 8 pounds after slaughter.

 

[menageriemama]

I would go with straight run cornish x. I think 25 is a good number to start with. I am getting 50 in the spring unless I can talk my friend into going in on em with me- in that case we will get 75. I am also going to get some Freedom Rangers just to see for myself the difference. There is a ton of great info on here about raising the meat birds- and if you do it right you will have GREAT results

 

[mamarosa]

thanks for you thoughts,
how big of a coup and run do these birds need
do they roost on roosting bars
I know they have to be separated from the egglayers and need different food
is there any other things that are particular to this breed
thanks again for all of your help

 

[mikarod]

NO! Do NOT let them roost on roosting bars!

They can dislocate their legs, break their legs, break their keel bones...all sorts of injuries when jumping down from the roosts.

Cornish crosses in the first week are fairly active. After about the second week, they'll only sit and eat. That's about it. Oh...and walk to and from the feeder. So, I'd give 3 sq. ft per bird, but that's just a general rule. Believe me..these birds ain't gonna move much.

 

[moenmitz]

Do a BYC search on "Freedom Rangers" and "Colored Broilers" -you will learn alot that way. They are a nice alternative to traditional meat birds. They are generally healthier, good foragers (reducing your feed costs) and plump up nicely. They take a bit longer to be full size, but feed conversion rates are very similar to the Cornish Cross. I weighed one today who is 7.5 weeks old and it was 5 lbs, 8 oz! Granted, he is my "fatty" and there is a great deal of variation in growth amongst the flock, but overall, I am VERY happy I went this route for meat birds. You get them at www.jmhatchery.com