On average how much does each one of your meat birds cost you?

[Flyboy718]

Oh, well the fuel and cost of slaughtering will definately add to the cost.

 

[booker81]

Quote:

Commercial cornish cross that most folks opt to raise (and the majority of the broiler industry raises and sells in the supermarket) are a bit more than any ol' cornish roo over any ol' white rock hen. Someone posted a really nice video that showed how they were "made" - effectively, they are hybrids.

You can breed them, if you regulate feed and try to keep them growing slowly and not going down with CHF or the like. The resulting chicks however will not be true to the type, as they are meant to be a terminal cross, and not reproduce.

 

[booker81]

Found it again:

 

[4-H chicken mom]

We usually have $7-$8 per bird, with the bedding because I can't stand dirty birds, but you can't buy breast, wings and thighs the size we get from our birds at the store. My DD also sold 8-10lb broilers to friends and family for $12 each and they continue to want more every year.

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

booker81 thanks for the video it was very informative.

4-H chicken mom, that's exactly what I hope to accomplish is to raise a great product that people keep coming back to.

 

[mohillbilly]

it looks to me like your high cost is in feed....i pay $7 or less for 50lb feed once i divide it up as I buy a ton at a time from a feed store that makes its own feed..cost me from 175.00 to 280.00 depending on time of year.

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

I wish I had a way to store a ton of food. I'm buying bags of from TSC

it looks to me like your high cost is in feed....i pay $7 or less for 50lb feed once i divide it up as I buy a ton at a time from a feed store that makes its own feed..cost me from 175.00 to 280.00 depending on time of year.

 

[mohillbilly]

mine comes in bags ...storage tho can be a problem

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

Agreed, I'd be afraid of mice, though my girls are pretty good at catching mice and eating them

mine comes in bags ...storage tho can be a problem

 

[booker81]

Check around and see if you can find some local feed mills. Being in Ohio, I'd assume most smaller towns will have one. Many mills make their own non-branded feed that is very good quality, that costs less that TSC. I can pick up 50lbs of 21% grower feed for my meaties there for something like $11, or pay $16 for 50lbs at TSC for Dumor brand. The more I buy, the less I pay per pound - 100lb bags cost $20.

I store feed in those blue 50gal barrels you can usually pick up for $10 in the area (or get for free from folks who don't need them, as I did). The tops have a clasp that seals them from mice and critters, and they'll hold something like 200lbs of feed or so (I can't remember).