Okay.. My Cornish X are 10 weeks tomorrow.

[mstricer]

Not everyone wants to bucther at 6-8 weeks. I for one raised my birds to live longer lifes. They free ranged all day everyday and only recieved breakfast & dinner daily. It was fermented food and I loved them! No stink, No lazy and No outragious feed bills! I also had no problem plucking them today. Ready to order 50 more chicks

Why are you making it seem like others don't care about their birds. I feed mine once a day for 12 hours (as recommended), they have a wooded and grass lot of one acre to free range and have 2 - 5 gallon waters. I give them save a chick in their water. ALL 47 are happy and running around and growing at a normal pace, as suggested by hatchery. I have let my birds go longer also. But after 8 weeks the feed cost out weighs the growth. When you are feeding 50 of then for 10 weeks let us know if you still feel the same. Mine go through 100 lbs of feed about every 5 days (I do have other layer type chicks eating from that 100 lbs) That just started eating that much within the past week and half.
As for the outrageous feed costs you only had 8 birds. I'm happy that you had a great experience. Let us know how your 50 go.

 

[donrae]

I also started getting dangerously fond of my little "Chubbies". We carried some until 12 weeks and I knew I had to get rid of them at that point.........they're so friendly!

 

[Yukonchick]

They must be really huge at 10 weeks. Mine are 6 weeks and getting up there. I should weigh one and see. How many do you have.??

 

[AbbyDog]

I just processed three CX cockerels yesterday that were 8 weeks old, and they weighed from 7.6 to 9.2 lbs live weight. Huge! Too large for a 1 gallon freezer ziploc, that's for sure.

 

[Yukonchick]

Wow, really. I bought all hens so they wouldn't be too big. Theres only me and my husband to feed.

What weight did they dress out at??

 

[Yukonchick]

Ya , mine are 6 weeks old so I'll do some of them at eight weeks and leave the others to get bigger.

 

[bruceh]

i will give my results on the cornish x. i raised mine with my layers. they were pastured raised and feed grower and veggies. mine jumped after bugs, walked around , and laid under trees. i let mine go til 13 1.2 weeks. i would recommend going to 11 weeks to 12 no longer. after the 11 th week it did nothing for growth. the birds seem to have slowed to a holt never leaving the pen. they did however gobble food like mad after the 11 th week. i processed them my results are 8 1/2 to 11.4 lbs dressed out for the oven ( meaning no neck or organs ) i also got 5 lbs of organ meat.and 3lbs of necks . i was very pleased.
just so others know . you lose about 30% of weight after processing.

example
live weight 10 lbs
dressed weight 7 lbs

 

[Yukonchick]

Okay cool. I was going to go out and weigh one of my birds today so I'll know how much meat I'll get out of them. Mine got a 30 ft run outside. I've got to keep them closed in. We've got too many predators up here in the Yukon. They've picked all the grass out of their run so I'm going to go out and thow some into their run. they got lots of vegies yesterday; lettuce grapes celery and a bit of bread ends.

 

[mstricer]

I will be processing 25 of the biggest ones on Tuesday. The rest of the 22, will go an extra week. I find the bigger they are the harder to put freezer bag and there is only 2 of us so I'm hoping to keep them around the 6 to 7 lb weight for the boys for roasting. Mine have been free ranging and eating close to 24 lbs of feed a day. ( well the turkeys and layers sneak a bite)

 

[SD Chickens]

I have 8 CX hens that I didn't have time to butcher, when we did the other 17 at 8 weeks, that are still running around at 15 weeks. They are all healthy and roam the 3/4 acre run they share with 13 layers and 12, 7 week old CX. All the CX will head to freezer camp in one week. The 15 week ones are huge guesing 10-12#. I set there food 20 yards from the water and they also chase bugs and eat grass.