Please help me talk the men into doing meaties...

[GiddyMoon]

We have an acre in Tucson..I want to do meat birds..the men in the family are the squeamish ones but my BIL did say he was game & would help do the processing.

Sell it to me please. Tell me how great it is..or what I REALLY need to know.

If I was going to do 25 birds at a time..and I pay $18 for a bag of 50lb feed...plus water and such...in the end..what is one of these chickens costing me? And yes, I know it is healthier..but I need to break this down somewhat to get them to go for it..heck..I am doing most of the work!

Show me your meat bird coops. This is AZ..we are talking frame and wire..do they still need as much space as egg birds?

I come from a hunting family...my grandparents raised cattle to butcher...frog legs in the fridge...I WANT TO DO MEATIES!!

 

[carrlr]

I'd be interested in if anyone has actually broken it down to the price per chicken. Meaties can be eating, sleeping, pooping machines.

 

[KBlue]

If I recall correctly, you should expect to feed 20 lb of feed per bird.

So...

25 birds x 20 lb/bird = 500 lb of feed total

500 lb / 50 lb/bag = 10 bags of feed

$18 /bag of feed x 10 bags = $180 of feed cost total

$180 / 25 birds = $7.20 / bird (just for food)

 

[Country Parson]

Assuming you can get your meaties for $1.99 per bird (my local TSC price), your total cost per bird would be around $9.19.

Adding to KBlue's figures:

25 birds x 20 lb/bird = 500 lb of feed total

500 lb / 50 lb/bag = 10 bags of feed

$18 /bag of feed x 10 bags = $180 of feed cost total

1.99 x 25 birds =$49.75

$180 + 49.75 = $229.75

229.75 / 25 birds = $9.19 per bird

Assuming you get 5lb birds (processed weight), that is about $1.84/lb. Your weight's could be higher (5lb would be low average). It seems your feed costs are very high. For a 20% chick starter (which I feed all 8 weeks) I'm around $14. The last week I feed 50%-75% cracked corn, which reduces costs a little (and adds a little fat). You may need to think through ways of reducing your feed costs.

 

[andrew6d9]

just keep on asking nicely or bribe them

 

[GiddyMoon]

There is no way anyone is going to go thru all that trouble and pay over $9 per bird. Bottom line, they only feed economical enough to give them is not soy free, nor is it organic..so we are putting a lot of what we are trying to avoid right back in them ourselves...that would double the feed costs right there.

 

[GiddyMoon]

Quote:
These are the things I am looking for..I can get starter for right around that too...and of course we can throw table food out to them right?

 

[Bossroo]

The above figures will work IF you raised the Cornish X chickens and butchered them no later than 8 weeks of age. DPs, FRs, etc. will not atchieve those figures as only the Cornish X has the highest feed conversion to meat rate of all chickendom. The FRs will take at least 12 or more weeks while the DP will take 18-24 weeks to reach butcher weights. Therefore more labor and feed costs to raise. You can raise 2,3 or 4 crops of Cornish X in the same time frame as the other types. Too, You will not have to contend with the cockerels of the DP wakeing you up at 3:00 am. when they start to learn how to crow. Do not raise the Cornish X in the heat of Tucson Summer as they will not do as well due to their extreame rate of growth. Also become versed in proper dos and don'ts of proper Cornish X chicken husbandry protocol. Be aware ... They eat a lot, drink a lot of water and poop a lot, in their short 6-8 week life span, so the huge amounts of poop in a short time frame will produce odors. Some people will derange them due to odors, however have they smelled what their doggie's mess or their kitty's potty box smells like? WOW !!! The rewards of bountiful meat yields at a lower $ costs and short timeline are GREAT ! Education + execution of protocol = great homegrown eating.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Certainly there are economical ways to raise meat birds at home, but for most folks that raise home-grown chicken for the table, cost isn't the primary motivating factor. There are manymanymany other benefits to raising your own meat birds besides beating the cost of chicken at the supermarket.

 

[GiddyMoon]

Quote:
Then help me convince them..what are the reasons?