Raising "PAcking Peanuts" for Meat

[Shaun Hagan]

Hey All,
I got some cornish crosses this spring for meat chicks, but I have been thinking of ordering a couple of exotic layers from ideal and just raising the extra "for warmth" roos for meat. I figure it'll be cheap, but is it worth the time? Has anybody tried this? If they are kept separate from the hens can I raise several roosters together in a pen or will I need to raise them seperately? Any experiences would be helpful.
Thanks

 

[greyfields]

I'm not entirely clear your plans. Are you saying you want to raise purebred cockrels and eat them? You certainly can. It takes 15+ weeks to get them to a decent size and their FCR isn't good at all. The bodies aren't shaped right for eating, you'll find them very thinly muscled. But, it's one use for extra roosters. I suggest stewing them for soup or coq au vin.

 

[Buster]

It may depend on what breed they are. My packing peanuts from Ideal are cochins so will mature very slowly and probably not be good for raising for meat considering how long they will take to mature. I will wait and see. If they look like they aren't going to grow big enough fast enough I will probably donate them for the chicken scramble at the local kid's rodeo.

 

[Shaun Hagan]

I was thinking of just raising "packing peanuts" instead of ordering a second run of meat chickens for late summer. (small piece of land so i am raising them in shifts). If it is going to take that long to maure for little gain, then I will probably just order another set of roasters. Thanks!

 

[kees]

I love the term "packing peanuts"!

 

[JustChicky]

I am raising my packing peanuts for meat. I think they are Buff Cornish chickens. I have 8 of them but I think one of them is a girl, so I am going to keep her and the best rooster. I am going to try breeding my own Cornish X meat birds.