She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[WalnutHill]

The local grocery usually has birds that are 2-2.5lbs in size...mine were 4-5lbs...so not what they were used to. They said things like; "This is just for me, not a family"....Luckily I had a few halfs on hand, so sold them those.

Up here, I do believe most chicken in the stores are from Chick-zillas breeds. Its the feed to meat conversion that drives profits...and since we never have anything other than "chicken" (e.g. grocery stores don't sell breeds, just chicken) the breed becomes irrelevant. We do have "Organic" chicken, and "Free-range" and "non-GMO", but that's all semantics about feed and such...its still the breed that converts feed to meat fastest.

Last week at the Lagoon City Organic Farmers Market (which I have a booth every Saturday morning), I was approached by an extended family. When I started talking about my whole chickens, and my booth partner's certified organic pigs, turkeys, ducks, and lambs...they flipped out. They're from "the big city" and, apparently, have a tough time finding foods they were more used to in their native India. Foods such as different breeds of chickens, and meats that have more flavor than the "crap" (they're word) sold in our grocery stores. So we're now talking about them coming up and picking up a larger load to supply their families (like lots of birds at one time). I know I cannot deliver my processed birds to anyone off my farm...not sure if they are allowed to take poultry they have purchased and deliver it elsewhere...but that would be their issue...;-]

For this year I am just hoping to break even on meat, get the word out, and avoid having to buy another freezer and/or fridge.

Funny you should say that about the freezer, I just bought another huge upright, bigger than my kitchen fridge. That's in addition to a monster chest freezer in the garage.

Jumbo Cornish crosses have pink skin and yellow feet, exceptionally broad breasts, and horrible conformation and livability. But they present a lovely, large dressed carcass, and quarter pound wings.

Our groceries also sell "fryers" which are yellow skinned and much less well fleshed. I don't know what breed they are, but they aren't the same as I raise.

The grossness of slimy grocery store chicken will keep me raising birds no matter how messy they are. I do hope my crosses yield decent meat cockerels.

 

[scflock]

I do it cause TSC has it...lol I actually think the straight starter is a little more expensive than the grower/finisher. 

Yes!!! I love the sets that point out human behavior! Things that are relatable.

Maybe you relate to Bill Cosby and I relate to Jim Norton. All comedians are relatable, or else they wouldn't be popular

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Maybe you relate to Bill Cosby and I relate to Jim Norton. All comedians are relatable, or else they wouldn't be popular

That could be....

Seriously makes me question the masses though....lol

 

[scflock]

That could be....    Seriously makes me question the masses though....lol

Aren't you the one that gets so offended when someone questions you?

 

[scflock]

 

[scflock]

I wish I knew someone locally that sold chicken meat. How do you find local meat? I've never seen anything on Craigslist but I only look in the farm & garden section.

People are afraid of the regulations, and don't know what applies to them. Try clicking on a few rooster ads. Every once in a while you will see roosters offered for sale, with "free processing if you desire"

 

[sideWing]

you ani't tough enough there have been times when the thermometer has hit 110 here and I'm still out in it only turn the ac on in my truck after a hot day to cool off the steering wheel before I get in then it goes off and the windows stay open all the way home in and out of ac is not good for you. don't go inside for lunch on hot days it only makes it worse when I go back out. my house was built some time in the 1800s no insolation at all ac is out of the question it would cost 2000.00 a month to cool this house .ani't going to pay it we have an above ground pool the wife and kids cool off in that . I get the pleasure of keeping it clean. it's just as hard as hatching eggs.I love your new birds hope they do well for you. I hatched some from N.C. off ebay the lady said they were from the same line.we'll see how they turn out.

Dang! That's just too hot for me.

Once upon a time, SC asked for some Wheaten Ameraucana pics....

My pair that hatched from my "gift eggs" that came with my Orloff eggs:
You can see the male feathering in with the darker feathers already

Do you have chick pics? I have a white EE that is wheaton and wondering how it will turn out.

I will be borrowing a incubator in a few days. I will be setting a few of my own EE/Cochin bantam, OEGB/ Cochin Bantam , Mille Fleur D Uccle / Cochin Bantam eggs. I havent set eggs in a couple years, since my homemade cooler bator that was a total failure.

What kind of eggs in the DIY? Shipped? Were they fertile?

I looked Obama up, though, he's like the Chris Rock of this generation or something?

I guess the permits and regulations really put me off. I have heard that is what makes it hard to turn a profit with meat birds. We do need another source of income, though. Right now I'm focusing on getting my construction business back off the ground. That takes up almost all of my time. 6-7 days a week, unless it's pouring. Then I'm inside, reading about chickens.

In Utah we can sell up to 500 chickens a year I think to individuals without getting a permit. But there was a local story of folks getting harased for doing 250 because they don't have the proper facilities.

Just a mini update on my 2 hatch sets that are on-going...I candled and weighed the eggs in my Brinsea this morning only to find that 3 eggs were glued to the foam flooring. Turns out one egg cracked and leaked, which spread to 2 nearby eggs. It might have cracked when I put it in, or after, I have no way of knowing...as I had "just left them"...;-]

Also, I had totally forgotten to check the water in the humidifier, so humidity had gotten down to 31% yesterday...I refilled it...

More updates in a little bit on my Hatch-a-long thread.

I'm anxious to see how this one goes with your temps correct.

12 weeks and you haven't had any flip and die or cripple? Good for you! What ration are you feeding them?

Commercially the Cornish crosses are harvested at 6 weeks. I prefer a meatier bird, so I start them on chick starter, move them to the coop after 2 weeks and switch them to grower, go lights-out at night between 2 and 3 weeks, just before they become eating machines, and switch them to finisher after 5 weeks (or if I have too much grower on hand, I just supplement with scratch to lower the protein). After 5 weeks they go out on the lawn on nice days, and I process at 9-10 weeks. Even then, I still lose a few to their genetics.

12 weeks is a long time for a Cornish X. We are going to harvest next week. Ours were born march 13th I think.

Nope. Right now they are eating machines though. LoL!!!! I have them on medicated chick starter. I normally give them 3-4 cups a day (I use an old peanut butter jar). And that's for 6 chicks, 2 are roosters and 4 are pullets. They all seem like they are walking around great. A couple of the pullets don't even look like cornish crosses. So I.....really don't know. LoL!!!!

12 week cornish x on chick starter?

Anyone notice we were #1 yesterday?

Ahhh....ok not the commercial Cornish crosses. That explains a lot. But they are way too old for starter no matter what they are!

Ours are ugly. Lost 2 to heart attack. Free ranging a bit. We will try freedom rangers next.

Yeah not that hefty!!! lOL!!!! So what should I put them now that they are older? I read the packaging and its says until laying age around 18 weeks so I was just going with that. And plus they get scraps all the time.

Laying? Maybe I think you are talking about something that you are not. What kind of birds are they?

There's a lot I find funny. Usually I find you funny. Usually..... I prefer family friendly mostly. I like grown up comedy, I just don't like a lot of "F" this and "f" that in dialogue. That's why I like Blue Collar so much. It's hilarious, but clean. I hate gross things and people acting like idiots.

True....lol

I've seen him before. He was funny.

Out of everyone, I think I hate him the most.

That's just not right!!! lol

WooHoo!

I start with a bag medicated starter crumbles, once that's done I switch to the regular starter/grower then around 12 weeks I switch to the grower finisher until they lay then move to the layer crumbles.

I don't like crass humor. It's a cheap way out and not clever at all.

I think it's a bid odd you got complaints for them being too big. Usually people are demanding more for their money. Now they want less? Do they not have a fridge for the left overs?

Those Cornish Crosses look terribly wrong and unnatural. I just imagine them being Chick-zillas and wandering around the city pecking people. Is that what the grocery stores usually carry when people buy chicken?

Cornish X is what everyone eats all the time. They say they taste like cardboard compared to a heritage breed like barred rock or wyandotte.

 

[sideWing]

That's what I like about the Internet. I would have never met sidewing or gachooks in real life. It's comforting to know I'm not the only one

Have I missed anything cool?

Oh, we got our first eggs yesterday from our sexlinks at 18 weeks.

 

[sideWing]

You don't have to have it. I feed starter for 20 weeks, then switch to layer

Wow that's a long time on starter. I go 4 weeks on starter and then give them a laying mash with 0 calcium added. Then I offer free choice calcium for the ladies.

 

[WVduckchick]

Have I missed anything cool?

Oh, we got our first eggs yesterday from our sexlinks at 18 weeks.

You missed a bunch of humor...

On your first sexlink eggs! I'm stillllllll waaaaaaiting on my girls..........................................................