Meaties - How old?

[HissyFitsAndHal]

HELLO!

This is my first time raising ANY KIND of chicken.
My question is.......

What is the ideal age to process the meat birds? I have 10 C/R's

I've heard 6-8 weeks.
But I've read also people waiting twice that long.
I don't want to be in a hurry, but I was thinking 6 weeks.

~Dawn

 

[kizanne]

Most go by weight. How much meat per bird do you want? You can process at 4 weeks for cornish hens but I'd rather have more meat. Also the older they get the more you run the risk of heart failure if you haven't been super careful of feed and exercise.

Most start processing when they hit 7 lbs. live weight. You'll get about a 4-5 pound dressed bird. I let mine go longer for various reasons and had some birds that dressed over 6 pounds but that doesn't bother me. It bothers some.

 

[HissyFitsAndHal]

Hum....so I need to purchase a good weighing scale.
I'd like to process them at about 5 pounds.
It's just me and my husband. I'm figuring 1 bird could be 2 meals

And scale suggestions?
I'm going to have to look for something in my local area because I am pushed for time now that I am JUST now worried about this.

They will be 6 weeks on the 28th.

~Dawn

 

[AtChaseFarm]

My first batch of CRx's (first chickens ever) are almost 6 weeks old, and I've been feeding them a bit less than I think they'd like and making sure they get lots of exercise. I think if they have room to run around they'll develop stronger legs and perhaps avoid breaking their legs.

When I start weighing them, I plan to use a bathroom scale and have my husband pass me the largest and then smallest one. I can't imagine them being still enough to be weighed without being held, firmly!

I hope to keep them until around 11 weeks.

I'll look forward to replies to your post, as I have plenty to learn here

 

[kizanne]

Yeah we just use the bathroom scale too.

 

[HissyFitsAndHal]

I thought about using the bathroom scale, but wondered about how much of a pain that would be.
I was thinking that putting them in a sac, and hanging them from a scale would be more acurate.

I was sitting out watching the meaties yesterday, and I really think that they are going to to be processed at 6 weeks.
Some of them are just so round! and make me laugh so hard when they run!

I woke up at about 1am because I thought I heard something and I FREAKED because I remembered I had forgotten to turn on the HUGE yard light when I went to bed.
I've got the light on at night with hopes that it will keep away the creatures of the night.
So far I feel like I have been lucky that nothing has attempted to snatch my chickens.
Keeping my fingers crossed. So there's another reason for me to do them at 6 weeks. Because I can't take the worry anymore.

 

[HissyFitsAndHal]

Went out to check on my birds this evening and found one dead.

Now I'm worried to DEATH

 

[kizanne]

Died of what?

lying on its back with no wounds?

Killed by a dog?

Look for signs of distress such as labored breathing. Those are having trouble you can process at any age and any weight so if they are having trouble you have to decide to either risk it and let it go or process that bird.

Killed by predator of course means fix your run.

 

[HissyFitsAndHal]

Died of what?

lying on its back with no wounds?

Killed by a dog?

Look for signs of distress such as labored breathing. Those are having trouble you can process at any age and any weight so if they are having trouble you have to decide to either risk it and let it go or process that bird.

Killed by predator of course means fix your run.

She was on her side in the house.
No sign of distress. No predator. No wounds.
I suspect coccidiosis. Bloody droppings.
I'm processing them on Sunday. Just made a appointment with my chicken guy.

 

[erinchelsea]

Aw, I'm sorry. We've had trouble with cocci in the past. Thankfully this year we didn't lose any even though they had it.

You do need a scale, they can really vary in their weights. Last year we butchered at 7 weeks and they were HUGE whoppers. We raised them in moveable tractors on the lawn. This year, we built a big run and let them free range and I can see at 7 weeks they are no where near as big as ours were last year, but they are healthier and eat SO much less feed. So I think we will have to wait till 9 or 10 weeks.