No More Meaties

[bigredfeather]

.....For now anyway.

I thought I was going to be done 2 weeks ago, but I held back 32 of them to put on a little more weight. We finished them up on Saturday, along with 45 my neighbor had, and around 30 Buckeye cull birds from fellow BYCer Buckeye Daves flock. Got all my equipment cleaned up good and put away till September. Seemed strange not having to tend to any CX last night. I still have 7 heritage breed turkeys out on the pasture that need attention, but that doesn't take too long. I have about 3 weeks until the first chicks for my Fall birds arrive, so time to clean up and repair the tractors, and get ready for round 2.

 

[Wifezilla]

Must be great having that full freezer already

I am "accidentally" raising meaty ducks. 3 ducks hatched out earlier this year that were supposed to be hens are looking like drakes and another clutch is loaded with boys. Oh well. My freezer will be full by fall.

 

[itsy]

So now you can sit back and relax for a moment to enjoy the fruits (or gizzards) of your labor!!!

 

[Amyh]

Nice!!! I am envious.

 

[Beckycs]

Hooray! Good for you.

I did meat birds for the first time this year. I have had layers for years, but decided to try processing our own meat this year. I found them to be a lot of work and they are very smelly compared to the rest of the flock.

I purchased 25 and lost three before they were three weeks old. I thought we were doing good though, so we were all set to process next weekend, but nature had other plans. On Saturday, we unexpectedly lost another 7 birds to the heat. I did not want to lose anymore, so we processed early yesterday at seven weeks old.

I was a bit disappointed at our weights, but considering the heat stress they endured this last two weeks and the early process, I guess I shouldn't be too put off. The birds averaged 4.5 lbs each.

I think I will have to start earlier next year, if I want to get a really good process weight and prevent heavy losses.

Our climate is pretty extreme, and I find free ranging our birds works great. I have actually been thinking of raising the Jersey Giants. I have heard they are much hardier, and I figure the six months they need to mature would actually work out better for us.

 

[kinsey228]

I had six this year.

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
That is not a bad weight for 7 week old birds. Given another week, they would have almost been a pound heavier! But, they do very poorly in heat so you'd probably have lost a few more. One tip I hear from hot weather areas is to raise a bunch starting late summer into fall, or fall into winter. That way you don't have to heat much for the first month, and give no heat at all as they get older.

 

[Beckycs]

One tip I hear from hot weather areas is to raise a bunch starting late summer into fall, or fall into winter. That way you don't have to heat much for the first month, and give no heat at all as they get older.

Thanks, that is wonderful advice. I'll give that a try.​

 

[ixnay]

Having just processed 25 birds in temperatures that were approaching 90 by the time we were done, I am completely with the idea of starting in mid-summer (less expense for keeping them warm!) and processing in the early fall. Plus, it's a pain in the neck to get the birds back into their tractors in mid-summer in Maine - it's light until after 9.

Live and learn.

Nan

 

[Boondock Saint]

We Raised our first set of Cornish X this year... started with 24 only lost one. Sent them to freezer camp last month... now 23 nice birds in the freezer... I'm set with chicken for awhile...