silly question

[Tracydr]

You can also buy Cornish X Pullets. Than you don't have to worry about crowing at all.

 

[SkyWarrior]

I've raised two batches of meat birds and neither crowed, even though I had roos. Of course, I butchered them as soon as they looked good enough to process.

If you're wondering about the ethical question of breeding and raising birds that are only fit for meat, well, that is really an issue that we all answer one way or another. You could say that about layers, I suppose, where they are bred only for eggs and in a couple of years processed as meat.

I separate out my meat chickens because they eat so darn much and they allow themselves to be bullied. A pen will work -- you don't need anything fancy like a coop. They don't perch.

Quote:
I would pose an odd question: Is it more humane to butcher a bird that could live 12 years more than one that will die in a year? These birds are food, not pets, and have been specially bred to be food. My thought is that if your meat birds are food, then you treat them humanely and butcher them before the broken legs and heart attacks happen. No more thought goes into them than a garden. They don't have much personality and they aren't particularly friendly or pretty.

You can slow down the potential problems with a limited feed schedule (I do), but it may prolong their growth. You may need to butcher earlier rather than later.

 

[Titus2Woman]

Quote:
This is an interesting way to think of this and one I had not thought of... I am glad I found this board to help me keep some things in perspective and also to find people who do not mind eating their birds. Some people out there are totally against it and look down on those that do which makes it hard to pose these questions when you want to eat healthier...

The comment about killing a bird that could live at most a year vs one that could live 12 also is an eye opener and not something I had thought of.

One more question for everyone, for those of you who have butchered your dual purpose birds after they are done laying... are they tasty? I read somewhere that they will be tough and not as good.

 

[SkyWarrior]

Quote:
This is an interesting way to think of this and one I had not thought of... I am glad I found this board to help me keep some things in perspective and also to find people who do not mind eating their birds. Some people out there are totally against it and look down on those that do which makes it hard to pose these questions when you want to eat healthier...

The comment about killing a bird that could live at most a year vs one that could live 12 also is an eye opener and not something I had thought of.

One more question for everyone, for those of you who have butchered your dual purpose birds after they are done laying... are they tasty? I read somewhere that they will be tough and not as good.

I know some folks would be horrified by my statement, but at some point, one has to decide where one sits on the meat eating issue. I like meat and I love animals. But some animals are food and some are not. For those who eat meat but who are giving people grief about raising and butchering their own, I have to scratch my head. They'd rather eat food where they don't know where it comes from or how it was raised? Hmmm.

As you can see, I have thought about this quite a bit. I hunt too, so that makes me evil to the AR camps.

At the same time, I've rescued various animals and helped different animal rescues. I have rescued cats, dogs, horses and llamas. I've adopted other people's fowl. My animals are my friends.

Next time someone gives you grief, ask them if they eat meat. Then tell them about the factory conditions some animals go through. Then tell them how well cared for your critters are. If that doesn't silence them, nothing will.

I have a vegan neighbor who adores my birds and buys eggs from me because the conditions are great. You may argue that she isn't vegan, but she won't drink milk or eat animal products except eggs that she knows comes from humanely cared for birds.

As for your question about 2-3 year old hens: Most are kind of tough at that age, but are great for soups, chicken with dumplings and other stews. I will put roosters in a pot for that as well. I just love chicken and dumplings and they do awesomely well for that.

 

[turtlebird]

Quote:
Best ever chicken soup. YOu will not go back to the stuff in the can.
Cook a stewing hen in a kettle over low low heat until it falls apart(meat is tender at this point too). It is an all day ordeal sometimes. SOOOO worth it. People are often impressed when they taste the soup and will ask how long it takes to make homemade chicken soup....to which I respond "two and a half years"!

 

[SkyWarrior]

Quote:
Best ever chicken soup. YOu will not go back to the stuff in the can.
Cook a stewing hen in a kettle over low low heat until it falls apart(meat is tender at this point too). It is an all day ordeal sometimes. SOOOO worth it. People are often impressed when they taste the soup and will ask how long it takes to make homemade chicken soup....to which I respond "two and a half years"!

Not my quote.

 

[turtlebird]

Quote:
Best ever chicken soup. YOu will not go back to the stuff in the can.
Cook a stewing hen in a kettle over low low heat until it falls apart(meat is tender at this point too). It is an all day ordeal sometimes. SOOOO worth it. People are often impressed when they taste the soup and will ask how long it takes to make homemade chicken soup....to which I respond "two and a half years"!

Not my quote.

Sorry 'bout that...human error

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
Well said and right on!
I might also add that leg and heart issues are avoidable with proper nutrition and husbandry. I am becoming a firm believer that there are many feeds out there that are nutrionally incomplete. The custom feed I am using has been tweeked by my mill over the past 10 years. It was originally developed by a producer that raises 6-7 thousand birds per year. I was talking to one of the sons that helps run it and he said they run batches of 1000, and at most he will have 10 that go down due to leg issues and even fewer that appear to have flipped. I am fortunate that I am able to use a feed that has been time tested and shown to be adaquate. Most people buying feed off a shelf somewhere don't have that luxury.

 

[Oregon Blues]

I can't understand the reluctance with butchering birds at 8 weeks because they won't live past a year. They aren't going to get anywhere near a year. I'm butchering at 8 weeks, so what they would do at one year doesn't even come into it.

MY birds are extremely well cared for. They get sunshine and fresh air and they get to wander around. I've never had so much as one health issue with my Cornish Cross. Health issues seem to be discussed mostly by people who refuse to raise Cornish Cross and have no experience with them, or else they are people who have animal husbandry issues. Animal husbandry issues do not make the birds bad; that's not the bird's error.

If you don't want to raise Cornish Cross, and you can't have roosters, then buy heavy breed sexed pullets. Butcher them about 5-6 months.

But to me, it's a bit of a shame to butcher point of lay hens. But of course, you can do it. That solves your issue about raising birds that can't live past a year and the fact you can't have roosters.