Meaties 101

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On our fourth year raising Cornish X for my dd's 4-H market broiler project....raise enough for her to have three matching meaties for the fair, the remaining birds go to our freezer. We have not had too many problems raising them (beyond minor leg issues with two birds out the of 37 we've raised so far, and learning we aren't up to the butchering process if we don't "have" to, but we've found a great place that can handle our 'leftovers' and process them start to finish in less than 40 minutes) but I still want to learn more and really appreciate this thread, especially from another Buckeye!
I saw a previous poster was interested in a photographic diary of their progress...just so happens I did the exact same thing two years ago. The chicks arrived on a Wednesday, so from that evening on for the next eight weeks, until they headed to the fair, I took a photo, using a tennis ball (once a whiffle ball when my dog 'stole' the tennis ball) as a comparison. Still pull it up to show folks just how amazing the growth is.


700

Day one

700

1 Week
700

2 Weeks (yea...dog stole tennis ball this week)

3 Weeks
700

4 Weeks
700

5 Weeks

6 Weeks
700

7 Weeks
700

8 Weeks and end of the road....


Bigredfeather....on a sidenote, I'd like to build a predator proof tractor for 20 meaties...do you feel an 8'x10' size would be sufficient for the last 5 weeks? We've always kept them in a horse stall or blocked off half the coop--paranoid with raccoons, foxes and coyotes in abundance here, not to mention the occasional hunting dog that passes by and kills a Buckeye hen...
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, very helpful and not just for those first starting out! (not that we're all that experienced..:)
 
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I am thrilled with the amount of meat we have raised so far this year - but the fragility of these birds is something to keep in mind.

Our first batch of 12 went off without a hitch, but they dressed out a little smaller than I liked at 8 weeks.

Second batch of 20 we lost one as a chick (suspect mishandling by a visiting child, but can't prove it). Two flipped over and 7 and 8 weeks respectively. Processed at 9 weeks with 4.8 average.

Third batch - caught a disease at 3 weeks. Of 15 chicks, 6 died in the first 3 days and the rest had to be culled. Heritage chicks caught the same disease - but no one died. I had to cull them to prevent spread of disease to other birds here, but all were doing a pretty good job of surviving the respiratory disease. Clearly they are hardier.

I am planning to harvest some of the excess cockerels we have this year and breed Buckeyes and Wyandottes for meat next year. Not sure if we will do Cornish again but we will likely do some since they are so easy to raise - barring disease and accounting for possible flips (it was super hot that month - sure that had something to do with it).
 
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bigredfeather said:
DelcoChix..........an 8'x10' is plenty big for 20. I wouldn't be afraid to put 50 in a tractor that size. I figure 1.5 sqft per bird.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Can't imagine us raising more than 20 in the future so might scale it down a little, make it easier and cheaper to build and smaller to move around too. Also have another question for you...how do you ensure the graceful (not), quick (not) meaties move along with the tractor when you move it...so you don't accidentally run one over? Just move it very slowly, have helpers to 'herd' them along, all of the previous?
 
We use a 4 by 8 tractor for the Cornish. We actually have 5 tractors and all but one are 4x8. I manage to move them alone but would be easier if they were lighter, had wheels, etc. I ended up making all 5 a little different. The easiest one to move has hinged lid flaps on each end so I can open them while moving. Makes it easy to see where the birds are. Cornish rarely try to escape. Salatin says his run to the new grass but our pasture is pathetic so they don't care very much. I did learn to put some feed down at the far end to encourage them in the right direction.
 
DelcoChix said:
Thanks! Can't imagine us raising more than 20 in the future so might scale it down a little, make it easier and cheaper to build and smaller to move around too. Also have another question for you...how do you ensure the graceful (not), quick (not) meaties move along with the tractor when you move it...so you don't accidentally run one over? Just move it very slowly, have helpers to 'herd' them along, all of the previous?
Click to expand...
They seem to catch on after the first couple of moves. That said, I have ran a few over, especially when I used the Salatin style tractors and couldn't see the birds. I really like the hoop house type.


This pic is from last year. When I replaced the tarp this year, I used a smaller one that doesn't go all the way to the ground. I like it much better, as it allows the wind to blow through it which keeps the birds cooler.
 
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DelcoChix said:
On our fourth year raising Cornish X for my dd's 4-H market broiler project....raise enough for her to have three matching meaties for the fair, the remaining birds go to our freezer. We have not had too many problems raising them (beyond minor leg issues with two birds out the of 37 we've raised so far, and learning we aren't up to the butchering process if we don't "have" to, but we've found a great place that can handle our 'leftovers' and process them start to finish in less than 40 minutes) but I still want to learn more and really appreciate this thread, especially from another Buckeye!
I saw a previous poster was interested in a photographic diary of their progress...just so happens I did the exact same thing two years ago. The chicks arrived on a Wednesday, so from that evening on for the next eight weeks, until they headed to the fair, I took a photo, using a tennis ball (once a whiffle ball when my dog 'stole' the tennis ball) as a comparison. Still pull it up to show folks just how amazing the growth is.


700

Day one

700

1 Week
700

2 Weeks (yea...dog stole tennis ball this week)

3 Weeks
700

4 Weeks
700

5 Weeks

6 Weeks
700

7 Weeks
700

8 Weeks and end of the road....


Bigredfeather....on a sidenote, I'd like to build a predator proof tractor for 20 meaties...do you feel an 8'x10' size would be sufficient for the last 5 weeks? We've always kept them in a horse stall or blocked off half the coop--paranoid with raccoons, foxes and coyotes in abundance here, not to mention the occasional hunting dog that passes by and kills a Buckeye hen...
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, very helpful and not just for those first starting out! (not that we're all that experienced..:)
Click to expand...
Wow talk about chicken factories =P
 

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