size of tractor for 25 White Rock (cornish X)

[Northern.Ontario]

Just an update- my meat birds are at 6 weeks,2 days.
I still have the original 25.
4 are still not feathered on the butts or backs.
Most are finally looking "good" but not beauties by any means.
I move them twice a day and still the grass is caked with poop.
64 sq feet for 25 birds.
We have 1 that is no longer walking well.
I just weighed them (not all but I weighed about 3 bigger ones and 3 smallers ones)
All weights were between 6 1/4 lbs and 7 1/2 lbs.

I have a processing date for half the birds in 10 days.
My plan is to take the 12 largest birds including the one who is having trouble walking.
What sort of weight would i get from an 8 lb live weight bird?

Is this sort of weight (8lbs live) average for an 8 week old meat chick?

thanks

You'll get about 70% of the live weight back after processing. So 8*0.70=5.6lbs. Right on track for that age. That's going to be a good size bird in the freezer. Considering typical grocery store birds are only 3-4 lbs

 

[Minky]

ok thanks thats very helpful information

 

[Minky]

$3 to buy
$8-9 to feed
$3.50 to process.
$15 a bird. (not including building tractor, electricity, time and gross out factor.)
not sure what organic chicken goes for per lb up here. will have to check----
better be tasty!!

 

[Minky]

organic free range whole chickens are $5.05 a lb here, so I guess my $15 birds are a good deal is they would be 5.5 lbs right now (dressed).

 

[Northern.Ontario]

$3 to buy
$8-9 to feed
$3.50 to process.
$15 a bird. (not including building tractor, electricity, time and gross out factor.)
not sure what organic chicken goes for per lb up here. will have to check----
better be tasty!!

Organic in southern Ontario is easily $7-9 lb. I've seen higher prices for organic cuts (boneless/skinless breasts) close to major urban centres because you have crazy people willing to pay crazy prices for organic. Your break even is probably $3.50 to $4/lb.

 

[Minky]

that's possible in the store ($7-9 lb) I got the $5.05 /lb from googling a local farm who raises them.

I would never consider raising meat birds for money. What a lot of yucky work !

 

[RUNuts]

Thanks for the update and agree! Waiting on how your first one tastes. Mine was so amazing that I can't describe it. Will do more when it cools off this fall. In the meantime, we are emptying the freezer.

 

[Northern.Ontario]

that's possible in the store ($7-9 lb) I got the $5.05 /lb from googling a local farm who raises them.

I would never consider raising meat birds for money. What a lot of yucky work !

Any new pictures of your chickens?

 

[Minky]

Ok, so tomorrow we process half of them. (we have all original 25 still)
The one that hasnt really been able to walk for the past 2 weeks, is smallish (6-7 lbs) so undecided if he will go or not. May keep him in a separate "play pen" so he can eat without being trampled. (ive been sneaking food to him, but the other birds always find him- so now I put him outside the tractor an hour a day to eat in peace!)
The rest were all between 8.1 lbs and 10.6 lbs when we weighed them today. (using a bathroom scale and my DH holding each one as I caught it).
I need a better way!!! How do you guys weigh them??? LOL I was thinking one of those hook scales like for big fish? And plop the bird in a short bucket? Is there a better way?

The other half we will process in a couple of weeks.
The grass will be happy it will only be 12 from now on and not 25!

Took a few pics will update later!

 

[Maeschak]

Ok, so tomorrow we process half of them. (we have all original 25 still)
The one that hasnt really been able to walk for the past 2 weeks, is smallish (6-7 lbs) so undecided if he will go or not. May keep him in a separate "play pen" so he can eat without being trampled. (ive been sneaking food to him, but the other birds always find him- so now I put him outside the tractor an hour a day to eat in peace!)
The rest were all between 8.1 lbs and 10.6 lbs when we weighed them today. (using a bathroom scale and my DH holding each one as I caught it).
I need a better way!!! How do you guys weigh them??? LOL I was thinking one of those hook scales like for big fish? And plop the bird in a short bucket? Is there a better way?

The other half we will process in a couple of weeks.
The grass will be happy it will only be 12 from now on and not 25!

Took a few pics will update later!

One person recommends putting a 5 gallon bucket on your bathroom scale, put the bird in it and then place the lid on top to weigh them. They said that the bird is usually weirded out at first and therefore doesn't make a ruckus. Sounds like a good idea. I've not had good luck with fish scales- but it might be bc I only have super cheap ones.