My Bagurks
Songster
If you are planning on Having birds SPECIFICALLY for meat, I would partition the coop/run or make a new one all together. I have done a few rounds of the CornishX just to get some trustworthy quality meat in the freezer. They don’t require as much space. They were all quite lazy. But I did have them on different feed. I started with a 28% non medicated quail and game bird starter from Tucker Milling Co. and at 4 weeks switched to a 24% from the same line.
I processed them at 7 1/2 weeks at a friends house who does chickens, ducks, turkey, cow and pigs professionally and goes to markets and all that jazz. They were impressed with the size and quality of my birds. They all had a nice fat content, but nowhere near too much. Out of the 45 total, in three occasions, not one came in under 5 pounds.
I am by no means and expert, but I do trust my friends who do this regularly. They helped process the birds from start to finish. They told me and showed me how the organs looked clean and clear of any issues. No anomalies to speak of really. Each time, they kept the feet and everything that came from the inside. They ended up selling the gizzards and feet themselves and felt confident enough to give everything else to their chickens to dispose of.
I ended up eating some of them and selling the rest.
If you have the space to do meat birds, I would recommend it. At least once. It will be a two month investment and they won’t get old enough to crow so your HOA won’t mind. But be prepared before you even order or buy the birds. Have a place to process them lined up.
Oh and meat birds, due to their lazier nature and otherworldly growth, they fall victim to the heat much easier than your layers. So be prepared for that as well.
I processed them at 7 1/2 weeks at a friends house who does chickens, ducks, turkey, cow and pigs professionally and goes to markets and all that jazz. They were impressed with the size and quality of my birds. They all had a nice fat content, but nowhere near too much. Out of the 45 total, in three occasions, not one came in under 5 pounds.
I am by no means and expert, but I do trust my friends who do this regularly. They helped process the birds from start to finish. They told me and showed me how the organs looked clean and clear of any issues. No anomalies to speak of really. Each time, they kept the feet and everything that came from the inside. They ended up selling the gizzards and feet themselves and felt confident enough to give everything else to their chickens to dispose of.
I ended up eating some of them and selling the rest.
If you have the space to do meat birds, I would recommend it. At least once. It will be a two month investment and they won’t get old enough to crow so your HOA won’t mind. But be prepared before you even order or buy the birds. Have a place to process them lined up.
Oh and meat birds, due to their lazier nature and otherworldly growth, they fall victim to the heat much easier than your layers. So be prepared for that as well.