MEAT BIRD'S " TELL US HOW YOU DO IT"

[mississippifarmboy]

I think I wanna raise some Cornish cross... but ya'll have about talked me out of it. My regular old chickens aren't as big, grow much slower, are a bit tougher when grown...

But cost me less than $5 a bird too. I think I might just keep eating my culls.

 

[DenverBird]

they are 15 weeks old that is double the time they should be.

I'm raising my third batch of Rangers. Frst two from the FR Hatchery, this is a batch of "Red Rangers" from McMurray. First 2 batches butchered at 11.5 wks, dressed out around 5-7 lbs, raised on about a 20% organic grower mix. Only lost 1 bird for each of the first two batches of 25 ea. Ordered 35 from McMurray and got 39, no losses so far though Mr. Fox has other plans. Cheepers all seem healthy & strong.

BTW - Bruceh - these birds are supposed to have a 12 week grow out. Better flavor, less mortality due to lameness or organ failure. Your 15 weeks was only 3 weeks past recommended processing date.

I can't have crowing birds in my neighborhood and would really like to raise some hens to 4 or 5 months, then put some really big birds on the table. The way I figure it is the feed cost isn't that important compared to processing time.

There's no way I'll ever do the math on the cost to raise birds - if I paid myself $5/hr for labor it'd be pretty demoralizing. Seriously, I think the other costs add up to about $15/bird with strict organic feed after the first 2 weeks conventional medicated starter.

-DB

 

[Beekissed]

I think I wanna raise some Cornish cross... but ya'll have about talked me out of it. My regular old chickens aren't as big, grow much slower, are a bit tougher when grown...

But cost me less than $5 a bird too. I think I might just keep eating my culls.

My CX cost me less than $5 to raise, so, no worries there. Just need to find acceptable, healthy ways to cut feed costs while still turning out a bird that finishes out good. I've done it on two different batches now and it isn't too hard. And the birds have a great life while they are here...can't beat that with a stick!

 

[bobbi-j]

Well, no wonder you feel like you are getting off cheaply by raising meat birds for $16 per! If you could raise the same birds for $4-$5 per bird would you do it?

I think you're replying to DEBBIEJ - she's the one that it cost $16/year to raise her chickens. She's also in Vancouver, so that may be Canadian dollars? I'm not sure how that would convert to American dollars. But I am the one who saw them priced at $16 a piece at the food coop. I don't know if they were organically grown, but I do know that they were free ranged. BTW, I'm in MN.

 

[MikeG]

Great thread. We've done co-op style in the past and usually start the rangers a few weeks ahead of the Xs and process on the same day. TO us, the taste was comparable. Got a late start this year and have 75 Xs at about 2.5 weeks now. Purchased from Shlecht Hatchery (Iowa?) and are wonderfully impressed. VERY CHEAP. Less than $1.00 each and they're great forages. First day we put them on pasture, they all starting scratching and chasing bugs. Haven't really seen that with Xs before (McMurray Xs). Move them daily and plan on processing on the farm at 10+ weeks (around Oct 30). Feed has gone up since last year at $24/100 lb so we'll see how we do.
To date: about $95 in for the chicks
Chick/starter 25lbs lasted about 9 days.
Working through 100lbs now.

 

[bruceh]

dang bee that's really good. $5.00 to raise. i just adapted your fermented feed method. so far so good. 32 chicks at 2 weeks and have not used 40lbs of feed yet. so it works just fine. today they actually needed more feed than yesterday. 1/2 way feathered in. growing in leaps and bounds. next week they get out of the brooder on to grass. yes they will be free ranged as well as ff feed.tomorrow i will post all.

today was bag and tag the freedom rangers, tomorrow is chicken soup day with some older roosters i slaughtered..

my processor told me today he was going to change my price on the processing. i thought he was going to give me a break in price. well he tried to break my something else
( and it is not my wallet and it rhymes with halls ) . he comes and says with a smile i am going to charge $ 6.50 a bird.

i said it was nice doing business with you. i don't think so. what the heck $ 6.50 a bird. so i am building a plucker or back to the 2 hand method.

when i processed with the butcher i did most of the work anyhow. i am still in shock.

i would not pay $ 6.50 to have someone butcher a true french bresse..

 

[bobbi-j]

Wow - $6.50 a bird?? I'd do my own, too, for that. Well, we do now, but we don't raise and butcher large amounts at a time, either. Right now I have just over a dozen roosters to process, but with harvest starting, and my job in town, we're only doing a few at a time. There was a place around here that used to process chickens for around $2 a bird, but that was several years ago. Not sure what they charge now.

 

[WinklerFarms]

Mine average $1 / lb so they would be 4 to 5 per bird. I have to keep it low to make money. I sell mine cheaper than other people around here and never have a problem with haveing extra birds. This year I could have had about 200 more sold but just didn't have the space for any more birds.

 

[loanwizard]

I have about $8.00 per bird including $3.00 per bird processing and vac sealing which includes the Ohio Department of Agriculture seal for retail sales.

 

[foxrfarm]

I have 7.92/bird if I do 100 at a time, feeding strictly organic feed and pasture. This includes $3.50 for certified processing for Minnesota, overhead (including bedding, electricity and water), gas to drive the chickens to the processor and purchase and shipping of day old chicks. My latest batch of Cornish X's dressed out at an average of 5.5 lbs. at 8-1/2 weeks.