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

[Sally Sunshine]

Just ate my first home-grown cornish x. Roasted it whole just like a store bought bird and smelled heaven for about an hour and a half.

Raised these birds on fermented feed fed twice daily and they had a large run to move around in. The birds were active and acted like chickens. Scratched, dusted, roosted, used their wings. None were lost to "flip", and there were no leg problems.

Butchered at 8 weeks; weighed 4-4.5 pounds dressed. None had evidence of acites, and I raised them at 7,500 feet elevation.

I am a convert now for these birds and no longer believe the franken-chicken myths. Treat these birds right and like the chickens they are and it will work out. Cram them in a tractor and pour the feed to them and have a different result.

I never would have done this without you great folks on BYC.

eta- would love to share my experiences with those of you cautiously considering cornish x.

Kat! that's awesome! where did you get your birds?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: bruce I was going to try the freedom but I am seriously thinking a doz Cornish! I need the short grow out time, the sooner to process the better!

I have a question.... may sound dumb but....

do all chickens pluck the same or do certain breeds seem different? If we do get so many Cornish and have to process 12 in a day I don't want to need wrist braces the following day!
Thanks!

 

[wingstone]

Quote: bruce I was going to try the freedom but I am seriously thinking a doz Cornish! I need the short grow out time, the sooner to process the better!

I have a question.... may sound dumb but....

do all chickens pluck the same or do certain breeds seem different? If we do get so many Cornish and have to process 12 in a day I don't want to need wrist braces the following day!
Thanks!
I find the younger the bird the easier they pluck, but also the skin tears easier......

If you can give me a date for process a couple weeks in advance, I could always bring the equipment to you for a day..

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: bruce I was going to try the freedom but I am seriously thinking a doz Cornish! I need the short grow out time, the sooner to process the better!

I have a question.... may sound dumb but....

do all chickens pluck the same or do certain breeds seem different? If we do get so many Cornish and have to process 12 in a day I don't want to need wrist braces the following day!
Thanks!
I find the younger the bird the easier they pluck, but also the skin tears easier......

If you can give me a date for process a couple weeks in advance, I could always bring the equipment to you for a day..

 

[katbriar]

Bruce- it was even successful without pasture. (No grass and too many coyotes and golden eagles in my part of the world.) they just had lots of room in their run.

 

[katbriar]

SallyS- I got those birds from Meyer. Customer service was great too. Due to less than stellar treatment by the USPS I will be ordering from Privett for my next batch. Privett sells both fast and slow Cornish X.

I'm not sure which I'll order.

Try them once and see what you think. A dozen birds would be a manageable experiment.

eta- I also have five red broilers which I think (?) are the same as freedom rangers except in name. They're scheduled for freezer camp in about 6 weeks so I'm interested in comparisons. They came from Privett.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

SallyS- I got those birds from Meyer. Customer service was great too. Due to less than stellar treatment by the USPS I will be ordering from Privett for my next batch. Privett sells both fast and slow Cornish X.

I'm not sure which I'll order.

Try them once and see what you think. A dozen birds would be a manageable experiment.

eta- I also have five red broilers which I think (?) are the same as freedom rangers except in name. They're scheduled for freezer camp in about 6 weeks so I'm interested in comparisons. They came from Privett.

Thank you

one more thing.... is it best to pay extra for males?


MALES VS FEMALES..... ????????????????????

 

[wingstone]

Quote: depends on your plans,,,I prefer to have some smaller females, these are the one's I split in half for grilling, or just to piece out, and let the bigger one's as roasters.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

This is conversation w/ Meyer:

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[Barb] Hello, my name is Barb, how may I help you?
[Sally] I wish to order White Broilers but have a few questions as we never raised any before. We would like to know if its better to get males than females, what is weight difference and time to process difference. Thank you for your help Barb!, Sally
[Sally] oh and I forgot, do the hens lay eggs that early before processing or no?
[Barb] There is not too much of a difference between the males and the females when it comes to the White Broilers. They are both ready to butcher in 7 - 9 weeks. The males do get slightly larger, and grow slightly faster but it's not enough to matter. Since they are processed in such a short period of time, the hens never get to laying age.
[Sally] awesome! so I will assume no health or taste differences either? Thanks!
[Barb] There is absolutely no difference in taste.
[Sally] and health between them? one have more leg issues than other or anything like that?
[Barb] Although the broilers are know to develop leg problems, the sex of the birds does not make one more prone to the leg problems than the other.
[Sally] Thank you so much for answering my questions, anything else I should be aware of besides the 12 hrs on and off feeding?
[Barb] Not really, it sounds like you have a real good grasp on raising the broilers to butchering age.
[Sally] Thank you Barb! Have a great day!
[Barb] You're welcome. Thanks for contacting us. Please do not hesitate to contact us again if we can be of further assistance.​

 

[wingstone]

i always have about 2 pounds difference between male and female, leg problems are few for me,,it has always been males close to processing when i do get the leg problems though..I have more of a problem with heat, I try to not have any thing older then a few weeks when the temps hit 90's,,I have lost more to heat than anything else...

Good luck Sally, and let me know about the equipment, it would make a huge difference when doing that many.