Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[chiques chicks]

Do you know if anyone on the PA thread raises the CX Ray?

Not sure who, but I believe some raised some once in a while.
No one I'm aware of breeds them.
I didn't like them, other than eating. They were a very good way to get into processing, something I didn't like and wanted to get rid of.

 

[fisherlady]

Yes, the stuff you use for stuffing.
And I need some dry rub recipes!

I will try to remember to get a couple for you tomorrow when I am home. I am at work today, so not off till 0700 tomorrow morning.

I've done CX and some SLW roos. The CX had more meat, but still had more flavor than store bought. The SLW less meaty, slightly tougher, but more flavorful. Moisture in cooking was key, along with time.
I had raised all from chicks and all were intended for the freezer groom the start. Taking any life is never easy, I don't want it to become easy. By three same token, I feel it is important, especially in todays society, to know where your food comes from. I have a city friend who had only ever known store bought, plastic wrapped food. She has come to look forward to fresh eggs, meat or fish, and vegetables. A summer picnic with all home grown ingredients is a treat to be savored. She has even joined in processing, from killing to cleaning. Looking forward to knowing what it becomes helped her face it. Yes, it was hard, but she got past it. She wanted to learn and kept that at the front of her mind, to get through it.
Always remember, even the food wrapped in plastic was live at one point. Someone had to do it. Why not be connected to your food? That way you know what you are eating and gain an appreciation for your food.

I am in your camp on this... If I'm going to enjoy eating chicken anyway, I'd rather know how it was raised/fed/treated before it made it to my kitchen.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: Here in Woodland CA, Tractor Supply Center will order them in for you--6 chick min.
Don't TSC order from ideal?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: your scaring me RAY! the meaties from Hell! lol

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote:
MEE tooo MEE too on the recipes!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Meaties should get 20% protein?
How do I add more protein to my mash?

I ran into this http://ramblingredneckmom.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-process-chickens-at-home.html


"They are cornish cross from Tractor Supply. They are seven weeks old, about the average age of all the chicken you get in a store. They are fed a 20% protein feed, no medication/antibiotics/hormones etc. These guys eat a LOT - in seven weeks, one dozen consumed about 200lbs of feed."


doing the math That's about $50 in feed for a doz for 7 weeks (assuming 7 weeks is the norm?)

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

so Cornish whatevers are the best way to go right?

What are "red stars" production or meat birds?

Cornish-Rock crosses, AKA white broilers, AKA Cornish X, are the big, white, ugly birds you see under the "meat birds" section of the poultry catalog. https://www.meyerhatchery.com/produ...ickens&grd_prodone_filter=PRODUCT_ID = 'WBRS'. They grow very fast--5-6 lbs dressed weight in only 8 weeks. They are more tender than a Barred Rock or a Jersey Giant, so you can cook them any way you want to and they will be tender. I like the very much, and if I'm going to the trouble of raising my own meat, I'm going to put the most meat in my freezer for the work and expense that I can. When raised on grass and high-protein feed, they are delicious and more chicken-y tasting than a supermarket chicken.

RSL (Red Sex Link) or Red Stars or Cinnamon Queen or Golden Buff or Golden Comet https://www.meyerhatchery.com/produ...ickens&grd_prodone_filter=PRODUCT_ID = 'GBUS' are all basically the same bird--a red bird with some white feathers that is sexable at birth. They are production egg laying machines, and while they have more meat on them than a white Leghorn, it's not much more. They wouldn't be a good choice as a meat bird.

 

[fisherlady]

Not sure who, but I believe some raised some once in a while.
No one I'm aware of breeds them.
I didn't like them, other than eating. They were a very good way to get into processing, something I didn't like and wanted to get rid of.

I don't know of any private individuals who breed the Cornish X like are sold through the hatcheries. The ones sold through the hatcheries are bred for generations to be the fastest growing and heaviest possible Cornish and White Rocks... then the best of these are crossed and the eggs are hatched and sold as 'meaties' I don't think they breed any second generation though, most are production based on crossing the pures of the parents. At least this is what I've read while doing research on them.
The CX through hatcheries tend to mature to butchering weight by 7 wks, and can be kept through 10 or 12 wks (if you are lucky) to get bigger, but they are prone to heart and bone problems because of their rapid growth, so may die unexpectedly. Some folks have even managed to keep them to adulthood but I understand it takes some food management to exercise motivation for them to do it.

There are a few other broiler crosses bred out by some hatcheries and breeders commonly called red rangers and I think black rangers. They aren't on the same 'super growth' level as the CX, so a bit less prone to problems and will even free range, but they are butchering age after 10 wks or so, some even as late as 16 wks.
What broiler breed you choose depends on how long you want to have them around, how much room you have for them to range and is really just a personal choice.
We have 2 groups of CXs growing out right now, we got 10 in a group, 3 wks apart so we can stagger the butchering dates. But our goal is to carry parent breeds that are 'meat heavy' and prone to broodiness so we can just go with our own stock in the next few years instead of needing to buy chicks. We are trying for a mix of Barred Rocks, Cornish hens and Dorking hens (prefer heritage), Black Australorps and Black Jersey Giants. We will probably go with a couple of LF cochin hens to aid in the broody end of the deal.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Not sure who, but I believe some raised some once in a while.
No one I'm aware of breeds them.
I didn't like them, other than eating. They were a very good way to get into processing, something I didn't like and wanted to get rid of.

No backyard breeders CAN breed them. The parent stock for the commercial broiler (CX, Cornish X, etc) are all proprietary genetic lines owned by huge companies. Once upon a time a Cornish X was a white Cornish crossed with white Rock, but anymore, the genetics are pretty far removed from anything a backyard breeder could lay their hands on. Even finding a single white Cornish rooster would be next to impossible.

 

[fisherlady]

Don't TSC order from ideal?

I believe the TSC chain orders from whatever hatcheries are close to their particular store. I think the Punxsy one gets either from Mt Healthy or Meyer in Ohio, I can't remember which, while the ones in other areas go to the hatcheries closer to them.... the less distance the better because it is easier on chicks and lowers shipping losses. They can tell you at your local store where they get their birds from, you may have to ask a few folks at the store, but someone can get you the info.