Letting my broody raise 20 meaties. Now I have a rooster raising 50 CX chicks~new batch!

[Beekissed]

I'm hoping to rename it and repurpose it so that the info isn't lost....anyone think of a good name for this thread so that others can add their progress, things they've learned, etc. to it so that everyone can try this also?

 

[Wolfwoman]

How about....

Raising meat birds fed various ways
Meat Birds A-Z
Cornish Cross Free Range, Tractor and in the Coop

??? lol

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

Great thread Bee. So to what age do you feel they free ranged well and continued to grow? Or at what age did they stop foraging and growing might be a better way to word it. So if you had to set a processing date what age would you do it at?

I agree with you about the cool weather, did the meaties in hot weather once and it was not nice for them or me. I did not have a broody to lead them but did get them out on grass and converted them to whole grains which I broadcast so there was no fighting for the feeder space. No feeder, they learned to forage by looking for the grains I threw, and never got the heavy meals that way.

 

[Beekissed]

They seemed to keep foraging and growing well right up to 7-8 wks but suddenly just got to a plateau of growth and now don't even seem too hungry at the evening feeding....they still do eat plenty but seem too sluggish to get excited and fight for it.

They really seem to be having trouble supporting their breasts right now, at 9 1/2 wks.

Seeing as how they don't seem to be adding more growth and would be even more uncomfortable if they did, right now would be the processing time. I will probably do them this upcoming weekend, if I can put together my plucker I want to make by then.

We are getting pretty high temps for around here and the birds don't seem to be panting or suffering but they do seem to be more affected than my layers. I think I might see some losses if they have to continue to live this uncomfortably and in this heat. I have a fan in the coop but they mostly lay out in the cool, shady orchard anyway. I'm thinking of moving their water back outside to the orchard so that they don't have to stress themselves climbing the ramp into the coop in the heat of the day.

That is why we do these things, isn't it? To learn and improve upon the central idea each time.

I'm thinking that I may even use White Rock roos next time instead of CX. A slower growth and less meaty frame but better health, less stink, cheaper chicks.

 

[Beekissed]

Today my mother and I processed 12 of the meat chickens and, let me tell you, it was an eye opener! I will post some pics of the process tomorrow to show the killing cones, the birds, the finished product.

My live weight birds at 11 wks of age averaged 9 lbs.
Dressed weight average wt. was 6.5 lbs.

We will process the remaining 8 meaties and about 10 of my layer flock on Monday.

Today it took us 4.5 hours to take the 12 birds from life to the fridge for a rest period and all areas cleaned up, residue disposed of and equipment cleaned and stored. That was with hand plucking and just two people working....I think that was pretty good time.

We plucked by hand and it was very easy! I was surprised at the ease that the feathers came off the carcass...not a bit like a regular bird of the same approx. size. I'm assuming it is because these birds are so young and tender. You could almost wipe the feathers off, it was that easy!

Here is an interesting tip....if you want to remove pin feathers easily on these birds, just scrape a blade along the skin and they scrape right out....no individual picking of pin feathers. This does not injure the skin and makes for a very clean bird. Also, it was really cool to peel the feet and note that the toenails themselves actually lose their outer layer to reveal soft, new and clean nails underneath. Weird and neat at the same time.

When we process the next batch, I will take pics of the insides, the different organs, a detailed pic of the place to cut on the neck for quick and efficient death, etc.

It was interesting to see the amount of greens in the gizzards, the general health of the livers, the size of the hearts as opposed to regular birds, the massive size of the breasts.

Tomorrow I will download some pics of this batch....I was impressed at their size, even the hens.

 

[Wolfwoman]

Sounds like all went well! Mine will be 11 week this friday as I just have NOT had time to process. Heck they might make it to 12!!

I'll let everyone know how it goes.

 

[phoenixmama]

I just found and LOVED reading this thread. Awesome, Beekissed!!!

 

[frozen1]

been following this tread, good to here it went smooth!!! want to see the pics

 

[halo]

Dressed average weight was 5.5#? Thats huge! I can't wait to see the pictures. You processed at 11 weeks, isnt that a bit longer than most people do it? I think Ive been reading most people go 8 weeks. Do you think the added 3 weeks was worth it or not?

Great thread, very fun to follow this.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Halo, I think other folks who raised them in the traditional manner are reporting weights of 6.5 lbs. at 8 wks, so mine aren't really that big for 11 wks, I guess. But then, I fed differently and my birds were free ranged, so I was expecting a difference in my bird's finished weights.

The extra weeks were due to the fact that I couldn't get a weekend free to do the deed and couldn't find anyone to help me until my mother came back to my place to visit. She is 75 yrs old but she has been killing and processing birds for a long time and she can work circles around most folks...she was a great and huge help to me!

They really didn't gain any weight after the 8 wk mark, that I could tell. Sort of hit a plateau...not sure if it was the heat wave we have been having or if this is just how these birds are.

I'm glad you all liked the thread....I was hoping to document that one could raise them like you would any other dual purpose breed and get a similar size but have a bird that didn't have the traditional health problems of organ failure in high temps and weak legs.

Well, my birds faired well in the heat and had no real health issues but they still got too heavy for free and easy movement like a regular chicken. They were fed less and less often than other folks' meaties and given a lot more exercise but they still had similar finished weights, so I expect folks could save some money by not buying and feeding high protein feeds 24/7 and maybe even save the lives of a few birds they would normally lose.

I have dial up, so downloading pics takes some time...will work on that today and will post other pics of the processing of the rest of the birds on Monday. When we get done~ if you round down on the finished wts~ we will have 100 lbs. of free ranged, organically raised chicken. The birds will have been raised humanely in a clean environment free of disease and illness, nurtured by a mama hen instead of a heat lamp, processed right where they lived and in a calm, nonstressful manner.

I think this was a great learning experience!