Square footage for 25 Cornish X

[Erin80]

My husband is SO not on board with this, but I think I'm slowly wearing him down. LOL. I'd like to order 25 Cornish X for the fall. We have a good sized shed that I'd like to section off to use at night for them - and they will be in a moveable pen on the grass during the day. How much square footage if just for night use? I don't want to crowd them in there like crazy.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They don't move around, eat or drink at night so if they are only in there at night, they could probably get by on 2 sq. ft. per bird. They have less than that on a broiler farm.
You'll likely be butchering them by 6 or 7 weeks of age.

 

[Erin80]

Yes our plan was for only 7 weeks.....ok, thanks!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They will be quite large by then. I usually butcher a few at 3.5 weeks for Cornish game hens and the rest no later than 7. If they get older, they won't fit in my vacuum seal bags.

 

[Erin80]

Why cornish game hens? Aren't they considerably smaller? Do they taste better? Never thought to butcher early.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Why cornish game hens? Aren't they considerably smaller? Do they taste better? Never thought to butcher early.

Yes they are much smaller. I just don't like to/can't butcher a lot at one time, plus if you remove some of them, it makes more space for the ones you are keeping to full size.

Taste is in the buds of the beholder. I look at this differently than most Americans. IMO, the longer a bird lives, the more flavorful it becomes but also the more firm the meat becomes. The younger it is, the mushier and more bland it is. Most chefs don't really know how to cook an older heritage bird. They like a bird they can make taste any way they want through seasoning. So basically, I feel a Cornish X whether butchered early or late is a blank slate. A heritage bird that lives to 12 weeks or more actually tastes like chicken and not a bland/blank slate. Most Americans are familiar/comfortable with a very tender meat that doesn't really taste like real chicken of previous centuries.
I occasionally will raise a small number of Cornish X or Freedom Rangers but my primary focus is a heritage breed that is famous in Spain for the flavor of the meat. But most Europeans don't mind having to chew their food.

Another idea is to go to your local feed store or tractor supply and buy perhaps 10 to try it out. Most of them usually carry Cornish X.

 

[Erin80]

Our feed stores here in Canada don’t actually carry the chicks...we have to order them. The minimum number of Cornish x I can order is 10. I’m up for 25 though.
We have three girls aged 9, 7 and almost 5. I doubt we will butcher any birds early, because for our family, a big bird is a good bird. It needs to feed us all with leftovers.