start of my first meat bird experience

[3acres]

They all look great!! Have you weighed any of them yet?

Thanks! I haven't been able to find the scales I am looking for....might have to order one??? Using my fish scales...lol...they are hitting 7 pounds. I'm not sure how accurate they are. Not sure if they should weigh more than that or not. I haven't pushed them real hard the last few weeks. It's been quite some time since they have had food in front of them for more than 10 minutes.

 

[3acres]

I'm enjoying this thread - thanks for sharing! I did red rangers first (ever) and now I'm doing cornish cross. I really like the temperment of the cornish cross so much better - they don't seem as .... high strung as the red rangers I had. And although they're only 3 weeks old, I don't feel like I'm taking my life in my hands come feeding time. Those red rangers were so demanding!! And these cornish cross seem to like free range time when I can give it to them (under my watchful eye!) and they've actually started eating grass - something my red rangers never did seem to get the hang of lol. Could be the different hatcheries, I guess. I'm also intersted in the taste difference (if there is any).

And as a side note - love the cows! I'm forever trying to talk my hubby into letting me get a cow. You're so fortunate!

Thanks! I'm anxious to see if there is any difference in taste too! I very much like both my Red Rangers and Cornish cross! I will miss taking care of both! Both groups of mine act like piranhas at the feeding times...lol. My birds are probably always a tad hungry for grain though. I skip feeding the Red Rangers sometimes....to encourage foraging....lol. I've been moving their tractor everyday, but could probably go every 2 days. Yeah, my CX are very active, love to eat grass, fight, jump, try to eat me....lol. I don't think I will ever try and feed CX out in warm weather....luckily it has been really cool, if not cold pretty much the whole time I have had them. I might get them a little earlier next year and the RR's later. My CX will have a tractor next year like my Red Rangers do this year. I'm sure I'll be changing all kinds of things all the time...

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I do feel fortunate! I have the room to add about all I want here and feel lucky! I sure enjoy cows and am adding all I can as far as other critters....

. I had a new little calf today.

Good Luck with your chickens!

 

[3acres]

lol...that's funny, richbrad08...

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[SunnysMama]

Thanks! I haven't been able to find the scales I am looking for....might have to order one??? Using my fish scales...lol...they are hitting 7 pounds. I'm not sure how accurate they are. Not sure if they should weigh more than that or not. I haven't pushed them real hard the last few weeks. It's been quite some time since they have had food in front of them for more than 10 minutes.

If they are 7lbs right now they should dress out at about 5lbs. I guess it depends on how big you want them but I think 5 pounders are a perfect size.

 

[3acres]

If they are 7lbs right now they should dress out at about 5lbs. I guess it depends on how big you want them but I think 5 pounders are a perfect size.

Ok, thanks for this! I was wondering if I should wait a little longer or not. I'll start in on the biggest ones then. They seem to feel like they might be a nice size when I pick them up. It's going to be wierd when there isn't any out there to feed any more....lol.

 

[lauranickerson]

How much feed do you think you went through/go through with that many meat chickens? Considering getting some, but don't want to break the bank on feed.

I have some dual purpose chicks and pekin ducks now (various ages, the oldest ones being mid-March this year) and I ferment their feed. I like FF better for sure, and I would do that with meat chickens, too.

By the way, great thread! Love the picture updates!

 

[3acres]

Might be hard to see in this pic, but you can sure see where I moved the chicken tractor with the Red Rangers in it when I had it in my yard after I first put them in it. The grass is a very dark green compared to the rest...looks real nice...getting dark in this pic.



I'm back to moving the Red Rangers' tractor everyday. I thought I could go 2 days and tried it. They tore the heck out of the ground.

 

[3acres]

How much feed do you think you went through/go through with that many meat chickens? Considering getting some, but don't want to break the bank on feed.

I have some dual purpose chicks and pekin ducks now (various ages, the oldest ones being mid-March this year) and I ferment their feed. I like FF better for sure, and I would do that with meat chickens, too.

By the way, great thread! Love the picture updates!

Here's what I am doing....I can really only afford 1 bag of meatbird feed a week to do this, so that's what I am doing. I've only fed them what I can afford to....1 bag a week. I've fed them like a bodybuilding human would eat this whole time.....small meals all the time - around the clock at first....and now just during daylight hours. I chose not to ferment their feed....so I'm not sure how that would change things in your situation. I've started in on butchering the CX. I'm super happy with how they look, how active they were this whole time, the heatlh of them, everything!!! I think they would of ate more if I could of afforded to give it to them....that's the only thing I really question on what I did this year. Next year I'll have a tad more money to play with and may feed them more....I don't know. I'm eating my first one tonight for supper...can't wait! Mine are really yellow skinned with lots of fat...not sure if that is good or not, but they look tastey...lol. I really don't know if I did a thing right this year, but am having fun starting to learn to put my own birds in the freezer!!! I like to read every possible word on how to do something, then do my own thing...lol...so I probably shouldn't of made a thread like this....lol. ...and I change things like the wind as needed if I feel it needs it. Thanks for looking in here!!! A few years from now I will have a lot better handle on things...lol. Good Luck with yours if you get them! I have ate two extra roosters that I raised and they were awesome!!!...RIR/Barred Rock crosses.....and will be eating more extra roosters also in the time to come!

 

[3acres]

Also, I was wondering what I could do with the chicken tractors when not in use for chickens....decided to try running meat rabbits in them. I don't know how I will like doing this or not, but am going to give it a try. Might be hard butchering bunnies...lol...but is another great way to have meat for the freezer and something to sell.

My first 2 does


My first buck

 

[3acres]

Pretty yummy! I am eating this one now...

. I got into it a little before I took this pic...

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