Processed first chicken

[Mosey2003]

Although the CC grow faster, they also consume more feed during that time, so I'm not sure if it's cheaper to raise CC for meat than heritage breeds but I still choose heritage.

I just recently read a guide that claims the CC typically eat twice their carcass weight in feed. If I aim for a 5lb bird, that's 10lbs of feed, which works out to $5 here (tax included). If that turns out to be accurate, that's actually a really good deal to me. Considering I got the chicks at 2 weeks old for $1 each, that's comparable to store bought, without any brining or injected broth.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I just recently read a guide that claims the CC typically eat twice their carcass weight in feed. If I aim for a 5lb bird, that's 10lbs of feed, which works out to $5 here (tax included). If that turns out to be accurate, that's actually a really good deal to me. Considering I got the chicks at 2 weeks old for $1 each, that's comparable to store bought, without any brining or injected broth.

Funny how things change over time... I now have some BBW and heritage turkeys... and I can see the appeal for meaties!

I haven't seen them local for under $3 for CC, but I have seen some crazy deals on larger towns when they haven't sold fast enough, so maybe I will keep my eye open next season instead of buying early.

Man, the $5 roasted chicken at Costco is DEAL! Now I want some.

 

[Mosey2003]

Funny how things change over time... I now have some BBW and heritage turkeys... and I can see the appeal for meaties!

I haven't seen them local for under $3 for CC, but I have seen some crazy deals on larger towns when they haven't sold fast enough, so maybe I will keep my eye open next season instead of buying early.

It's kind of a tough call. I tell myself every year, when I see the sale bin, that I should get the meaties for cheap. But there was always something else in my barn at the time. This year, I actually just wanted a few companions for a lone chick that hatched, and ended up getting talked into the meaties by the store kid. If I really want to buy some, it's kind of hard to wait around and check for sales. But, on the other hand, you just can't beat 60% cheaper PLUS already fed for two or three weeks...

 

[Newyorkrita]

Man, the $5 roasted chicken at Costco is DEAL! Now I want some.

Not been growing my own eating chickens here. Yup, eat a lot of the Costco $5.00 Rotisserie Chickens!!

 

[charise564]

Your choice. The resting process is to let rigor mortis pass. The muscles will tighten up and chew like rubber if done wrong. General rule is to let them rest at least 48 hours in the fridge. After processing, wiggle and move the leg. See how loose it is. After an hour, do the same wiggle. Expect some resistance as the muscle tighten.

You can rest the meat before freezing or after, but do rest it for tender results. Few people enjoy chewing rubber. After a bit, you can recognize the difference. Having said this, tough old birds are called tough old birds for a reason. They are.

Are these meat chickens? Are they young? Young ones are hard to mess up. The 2+ year old ones are tough and should be cooked at low temperature and slowly. Think simmering soup, gumbo or other wet and slow cooking method.

Search the site for young birds. They are classed based on age as fryers, broilers or soup birds. Best wishes and congratulations on your first butcher!

 

[charise564]

Thank you for the advice. We feel like it was a success. Did ten birds in under 2 hours. They were exactly 20 weeks old and had a wonderful life.

 

[charise564]

Thank you for the advice. We feel like it was a success. Did ten birds in under 2 hours. They were exactly 20 weeks old and had a wonderful life.