Mixed breed data for reference

[LaurenRitz]

Last night I slaughtered a 36 week old Biel x JG cockerel.

Weight fully feathered and before processing 6.5 lbs. Dressed weight, 3.75.

Narrow body, I almost couldn't get my hand in the cavity. Narrow breast. They were free range birds, so very little fat and muscles well developed.

I forgot to turn on my water so I ended up skinning him rather than plucking. Skinning was pretty easy compared to other birds I've done. Evisceration, not so much.

Please add data on other cross breeds you have butchered. Biel x Dominique beat this one hands down, although possibly if he'd had a chance to grow more that might have changed.

His half brother, Biel x BA, also beat him in dressed weight.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I had Bielefelder/ Lemon cuckoo Niederrheiner. Processed males at 14-16 weeks. 7 lb live wt-4.5 lb dressed.
Niederrhieners alone grow fast and big. Body cavity is deep and narrow like Biels. Less that 14 weeks lacked leg and thigh muscle bulk. More than 18 weeks the males were chewy. The hens are good layers but prone to repro issues, bumble foot. Males were obnoxious to females.
I’m onto Marans now- in a separate coop- no data yet but I have two cockerels to choose from. I still have my Biel roo in with Brahma and one Marans hen- I may hatch a few for meat at some point.
They ALL eat a lot but Biels take much longer to get to descent weight for butchering.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Jersey Giant x RIR back-crossed to the RIR. I didn't get live weight, final weight without the skin or wings was 4 lbs. Again skinned rather than plucked. 10 months old.

Body cavity was fine, good breast development. Fat in the abdominal cavity but not outside it.

Free ranged that whole time, so probably tough. We'll see.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Harvested 6 birds this morning, all had varying amounts of Jersey Giant and Rhode Island Red. Mothers were BA, JG, Marans, and Buckeye.

The following weights are fully processed and skinned so they are probably lower than another bird that has just been plucked.

17 week weights

2.5 lbs
2.75 lbs

22 week weights

3.3 lbs
3.5 lbs
3.8 lbs

32 week weight

4.6 lbs

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

It interesting to see the numbers that people are getting on their chickens.

I raise mostly Naked Necks because I live in a very hot climate, but I added in a White Rock rooster to the flock a generation back. This is an average of about thirty 13-week-old cockerels that were home hatched and raised free range by my hens, they are 1/4 Rock and 3/4 Naked Neck.

4.7lbs live weight
2.3lbs skinned and ready for the freezer

That does include the neck, but not the wing tips since I don't bother to skin those. I process almost all the cockerels at 13 weeks so that I don't have all the hormonal drama or have to figure out separate housing for the boys.