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

[Mingming]

and line them up for a show off pic...


Our finish weight ranged from 6 lb 8oz to 8lb 6 oz. They are resting in the fridge for packaging later.

Those are some of the nicest birds I've seen

How old were they? Have you talked about your feeding in another post, maybe? I'd love more details

 

[Alaska Fowl INC]

Why am I hearing The Doors?

 

[aoxa]

A few MEATIES questions

At what weeks age do you really have to watch for leg issues and such?

Also, Will fermented feed make them grow at a faster rate? I swear it makes my brahama grow faster! but that's like watching snails with brahma no matter!

It's supposed to make them grow out a bit slower. Not sure if someone already answered that or not

 

[fisherlady]

Those are some of the nicest birds I've seen

How old were they? Have you talked about your feeding in another post, maybe? I'd love more details

Here is a page where I covered a lot of my raising/feeding stuff...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...roup-help-us-through-the-emotions-please/1040

I actually was answering questions for another poster, it is at the bottom of the page, I believe. My answers are within the quote in a different color.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...through-the-emotions-please/840#post_11102055

Top of page 85 I also described the brooder set up we used to get our meaties started... we encouraged scratching and activity and I believe it has helped. Although our birds are nuts about food they also spend a lot of time moving around inside and outside and I think it helps them.

A couple of other things I have done which may or may not have had an effect on their great sizes...
.... always provided water with Apple Cider Vinegar in it.... inside and outside of their coop
.... put them into a 'play pen' in the yard for 6 hrs or so a day, from 3 wks till nearly 6 wks old, 4 or 5 days a week. playpen was a simple chicken wire round pen about 20 ft across, partial shade with food on one end and water in the other. Tossed in scratch in the middle to give them something to do.
... I gave them yogurt with crushed sunflower seeds (no hulls) in it or scrambled eggs once a day while they were in the brooder. Maybe 1/2 cup to 3/4 cut total each day. Just enough that each got a little bit of the yogurt to keep their gut happy.

So far our largest bird was 10lb 15 oz live weight, at one day shy of 9 wks when butchered.... so we've been incredibly lucky with some great birds!

Edited to correct a weight... DH has a better memory than I do! LOL

 

[kacklinkelly]

Thanks again Fisher lady. I can't remember... were your cornish cross?
After seeing the sizes of your birds, I am definitely going to do this again
when the weather cools off now that I have some idea what I'm doing.
Hope to be eating one of our processed meaties this weekend

 

[fisherlady]

Thanks again Fisher lady. I can't remember... were your cornish cross?
After seeing the sizes of your birds, I am definitely going to do this again
when the weather cools off now that I have some idea what I'm doing.
Hope to be eating one of our processed meaties this weekend

Yes, our were CornishX from Tractor Supply. I think they came from Mt Healthy or Meyers Hatchery in Ohio, but not positive. Next time I'm at my TSC I'll try to find someone who knows who their supplier was.

I would order direct from the supplier but they usually have a minimum of 25 and I really liked staggering our birds with smaller groups a couple of weeks apart, so will probably go back to the TSC for next spring.

 

[kacklinkelly]

I agree with the staggered approach. My father in law suggested that but I just wanted the
experience first to figure out if I would do it again. I will do the staggered approach next time.

 

[fisherlady]

I agree with the staggered approach. My father in law suggested that but I just wanted the
experience first to figure out if I would do it again. I will do the staggered approach next time.

We had butchered a number of roos before we got meat birds, so the processing part I wasn't worried about... but I didn't want to be over run with meaties in the coop all at the same stages and with only 2 of us doing processing it is nice to be able to do 5 or 6 at a time in an evening instead of trying to do a large bunch on a weekend when there are other things we need to do.

I don't worry much about how old they are for butchering... I go more with weight and health, so that also is easier to keep track of with the staggered bird groups.

 

[kacklinkelly]

Great insight - thanks.

 

[lizanne]

We processed our last Cornish X rooster today, and did an EE roo that started crowing (Both almost 14 weeks old). I wonder if the EE will taste different than the Cornish X.



The size difference is crazy. EE was about 2.5 pounds after -- CC was over 9