meaties are **3 weeks** today!

[backyardmenagerie]

Quote:
Yeah, the only reason I would capon the CX is just for the learning experience. Probably won't bother. Thinking about ordering the Frying Pan special or just a bunch of cheap males from McMurray and using them as practice. We've got the Freedom Rangers who I don't feel comfortable practicing on due to how big they get as adults also.

But how much chicken do we need in the freezer?

I've thought about doing that myself. Mt Healthy has a bargain of $50 for 200 chicks, all large fowl males

When I saw that deal I thought it would be the perfect way to get cheap meat birds, and caponize them. I work at a spay/neuter clinic as a vet tech, so the surgery doesn't seem too daunting. And if you could find a market for dual purpose capons, I hear their meat is worth more than from the cornishx. I'll probably never do it though, I doubt I'd want to do that much work.

 

[backyardmenagerie]

To: LindsayB, Tgrlily, Averytds, Bubbles_ erin, In His Service, BigDaddy's Gurl, Renee' and anyone else interested in joining the meatie weigh-along, I will be posting an updated weight chart tomorrow, so send me your weights for this week. Thank you!

 

[LindsayB]

Mine are around 24 oz or 1 1/2 lbs

 

[tgrlily]

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Two were 2 lbs & the other four are 2.25 lbs. I was getting concerned after reading so much & restricted feed a little. 3/4 pound gain in weight in a week!

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

Quote:
I will weigh mine this afternoon after work! Thanks!

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

Quote:
Yeah, the only reason I would capon the CX is just for the learning experience. Probably won't bother. Thinking about ordering the Frying Pan special or just a bunch of cheap males from McMurray and using them as practice. We've got the Freedom Rangers who I don't feel comfortable practicing on due to how big they get as adults also.

But how much chicken do we need in the freezer?

I've thought about doing that myself. Mt Healthy has a bargain of $50 for 200 chicks, all large fowl males

When I saw that deal I thought it would be the perfect way to get cheap meat birds, and caponize them. I work at a spay/neuter clinic as a vet tech, so the surgery doesn't seem too daunting. And if you could find a market for dual purpose capons, I hear their meat is worth more than from the cornishx. I'll probably never do it though, I doubt I'd want to do that much work.

Nice!!!! Will look into that also. Been looking at http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/frying_pan_special.html. Same price, fewer birds however. But really, what am I going to do with 200 birds, plus the others we have. Plus, despite it being a hatchery, I've always had good luck with McMurray. Healthy birds, no problems with shipping, etc.... We are ordering the turkeys and ducks soon, so may just stick the boys in with that. Plus, we are buying for meat production, I don't care how pretty they are, however the kids usually show from this group in 4-H and they have consistantly done extremely well and we easily sell our excess birds.

Then the jumbos for fall. Think we'll have enough chicken for a year

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

Just weighed mine and the largest was 1 3/4 pounds and the smallest was about 1 1/3 lb. The other two were somewhere in between.

still on the off brand 18% and they are in an outside coop but I did install a heat light as we've had a cold snap.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

I have about resigned myself to having to wait to butcher until about 9-10 weeks. I just don't have a supplier around here that offers higher protein feed for the same price as what I'm using. If I buy the more expensive feed at TSC that has a higher protein, I will end up paying probably 10.00 per bird in the end...I'm already looking at 6.99 ea. in the end, not counting electricity in the light.

I went by TSC today and looked and they had more cornish X but I talked myself out of it for now. Mine have grown so much and now I have a broody hen with chicks using the old brooder. Wonder if she'd notice the difference from the itty bitty OEGB chicks she has now and some broilers...hmmm...

Maybe I could swap them out... lol Imagine a silkie hen hovering over some broilers...lol

I will admit that it's going to be hard to butcher these cuties. They are so ugly but so friendly! I opened their coop earlier and realized I had left their feed on the porch. Turned around to get it and heard the "rolling thunder" of their feet pounding across the porch chasing me! They are so friendly and it's going to be hard to butcher them.

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

I love the CX as babies, cute, adorable little balls of fluff turning into adorable feathered munchkins.

But once they hit 8-10 weeks, the love of adorable gives away to the size and the health problems that I know will start soon. So there isn't the same guilt about killing them, because I've saving them from broken legs or heart attacks.

 

[blueskylen]

if you want to up the protein of your feed - add soybean meal to it. my feed store owner told me this last year when he was out of the 23% flock raiser. i mixed 10 lb soybean meal to a 50 lb bag of 18% feed.

i have raised the cornish x for the last 4 years, and at eight weeks have not had any problems, but it is important to restrict their feed at nights, as besides the fragile legs and hearts, they can also get fluid in their cavities which you cannot tell until they are butchered - they can't be used then.

Good Luck!