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

[chicken junky]

Well I have to say it is wonderful to see the "real cx" but makes me pretty sad and mad knowing what companies do to get more faster so we can have our meat. I am crossing over right now I am part of the problem and I don't want to be any longer. Chickens and fruits/veggies will be grown here by me and my neighbor sells pigs/cows raised on their farm. I hope my children will follow my lead some day. Thanks for info. I have 2 roosters at 16 weeks who are starting to piss me off so I just laugh and know they will be my dinner soon

 

[ronott1]

Well I have to say it is wonderful to see the "real cx" but makes me pretty sad and mad knowing what companies do to get more faster so we can have our meat. I am crossing over right now I am part of the problem and I don't want to be any longer. Chickens and fruits/veggies will be grown here by me and my neighbor sells pigs/cows raised on their farm. I hope my children will follow my lead some day. Thanks for info. I have 2 roosters at 16 weeks who are starting to piss me off so I just laugh and know they will be my dinner soon

You can finish them by separating them and feeding soaked wheat, corn or oats(Wheat works well) in milk for two weeks. They will gain up to two pounds that way.

It is an old timer process.

 

[chicken junky]

So this is brand new to me so if I have crohns and can't tolerate wheat or gluten do I soak oatmeal in milk and feed it to them? Also if I chop off their heads and hang them upside down does that work ok? Thanks for helping me everyone these two are mean mean mean. They must be mad that my hellboy is top dawg.

 

[ronott1]

So this is brand new to me so if I have crohns and can't tolerate wheat or gluten do I soak oatmeal in milk and feed it to them? Also if I chop off their heads and hang them upside down does that work ok? Thanks for helping me everyone these two are mean mean mean. They must be mad that my hellboy is top dawg.

The wheat will not make gluten in the meat of the chicken so you would be fine.

Groats is what you would use. It is a kind of cracked Oats and they sell it in 50 pound bags. Groats would be fine now but can create heat, so bad in the summer so Wheat would be better then.

 

[chicken junky]

Okay thanks I am headed to feed store and will get some I don't like those guys bullying my young girls.

 

[Elke Beck]

It really is a matter of trying to see what you like. It's amazing to me the differences between breeds. Had an Autralorp roo and he tasted like beef, his meat was SO dark (and chewy) and he was 12 weeks old. Had an Ameraucana roo and he was DELICIOUS and he was 17 weeks old

Got some baby plymouth rocks right now, expect to have some roosters in there too... will see how they are. I expect them to be much like a cornish X minus huge breast. I enjoy the whole thing, so I don't need a huge breast on my birds.

The other day I was tempted to snatch one of my hens and cook her

She's been recovering from a hawk attack... she's been healed for months, molted, but she's not been the same... They knocked her from the top of the pecking order to the bottom and she's stopped fighting to try and get back up. Now she just hangs off alone, by herself. Not laying yet either. I will give her a little more time, but she was close to the frying pan

I totally agree that everyone needs to find what they like. And please do not interpret my dislike of CX's as disapproving of anyone else raising them! I am just not a fan of the end product.

When I first started doing my own chickens a couple of years ago, I was afraid that my mother, who is 86, was going to hate the taste and texture of the barnyard mix cockerels I raised. She loved it. I then realized that this was what she grew up on. During the Depression and WWII Mom's family raised their own chickens for eggs and meat because it was cheap high quality protein during a time when food was short, so my little cockerels were a trip down memory lane for her. She actually asked me to not raise the CX's again, and to stick with the dual purpose birds because she likes them so much better.
I soon will be feeling up chicks to see how their legs and breasts are developing. It seems so wrong, but oh so right.

 

[Tomtommom]

I totally agree that everyone needs to find what they like. And please do not interpret my dislike of CX's as disapproving of anyone else raising them! I am just not a fan of the end product.

When I first started doing my own chickens a couple of years ago, I was afraid that my mother, who is 86, was going to hate the taste and texture of the barnyard mix cockerels I raised. She loved it. I then realized that this was what she grew up on. During the Depression and WWII Mom's family raised their own chickens for eggs and meat because it was cheap high quality protein during a time when food was short, so my little cockerels were a trip down memory lane for her. She actually asked me to not raise the CX's again, and to stick with the dual purpose birds because she likes them so much better.
I soon will be feeling up chicks to see how their legs and breasts are developing. It seems so wrong, but oh so right.

Aw, that's sweet! I love old memories... the stories parents and grandparents can share

And I totally frisk my birds... I've got a few that made me go "Honey, come feel this bird! Feel the legs on this thing!" and the bird is just looking at me like "What?!"

 

[Happy Chooks]

My meaties came today! 26 little fuzzy butts. (picture after I get my kid from school) They are not the brightest bulbs in the package. They don't want to stay under the Eco Glow. I keep putting them back under it, so hopefully they'll get the picture soon. I added a 100 watt heat lamp also, so they don't get too chilled while they are figuring it out.

 

[Beekissed]

My meaties came today! 26 little fuzzy butts. (picture after I get my kid from school) They are not the brightest bulbs in the package. They don't want to stay under the Eco Glow. I keep putting them back under it, so hopefully they'll get the picture soon. I added a 100 watt heat lamp also, so they don't get too chilled while they are figuring it out.

I bet if you place the food near the ecoglow they'll be more likely to return there....

They just seem to need the warmth as much as DP chicks, do they?

 

[BCMaraniac]

My meaties came today! 26 little fuzzy butts. (picture after I get my kid from school) They are not the brightest bulbs in the package. They don't want to stay under the Eco Glow. I keep putting them back under it, so hopefully they'll get the picture soon. I added a 100 watt heat lamp also, so they don't get too chilled while they are figuring it out.

Congrats!

The thing that I did notice is that the CX do not seem to require the amount of supplemental heat as other chicks, though I don't know if that is the meat bird you ordered.