To grow cornish hens what age do I butcher and when can I give them grower?

[The Renaissance Woman]

I have Rhode Island Red chicks that are 4 weeks now. I hatched them myself. My homemade incubator worked! I hatched them for meat birds. I have considered having cornish hens. When can I switch from chick starter to grower food? Could I just give them the rest of the chick starter all the way through? Do I need a finisher or is the grower food just fine all the way to butcher day? What age is best for butchering. What weight should I expect? I'm thinking of butchering younger so I don't have them for 5 months throughout the summer. I'd like the quick process.

 

[Molpet]

Ages for cooking method for heritage.

I usually harvest around 16 weeks.
Hatchery stock cockerels usually dress out around 3 ,4 lbs.
I feed birds for meat starter all the way through.
Or you can switch to grower at 8 weeks

 

[The Renaissance Woman]

Ages for cooking method for heritage.
View attachment 3022412

I usually harvest around 16 weeks.
Hatchery stock cockerels usually dress out around 3 ,4 lbs.
I feed birds for meat starter all the way through.
Or you can switch to grower at 8 weeks

Ages for cooking method for heritage.
View attachment 3022412

I usually harvest around 16 weeks.
Hatchery stock cockerels usually dress out around 3 ,4 lbs.
I feed birds for meat starter all the way through.
Or you can switch to grower at 8 weeks

I was thinking of no longer than 12 weeks. Did you mean you have fed your meat bird's chick starter all the way through? I am wondering if I can do that. I have so much chick starter I was just thinking that way it's not wasted and if it's still ok for the bird then why not? Did you feed them 12 hours on and 12 hours off?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have Rhode Island Red chicks that are 4 weeks now. I hatched them myself. My homemade incubator worked! I hatched them for meat birds. I have considered having cornish hens.

I'm a little confused here. You have Rhode Island Reds, not Cornish X. RIR's are dual purpose birds. You can raise them for meat but you don't raise them the same way you would raise Cornish X.

Or are you wanting to butcher them so they are like the Cornish Game Hens you can buy at the store? RIR's are not going to grow like that. A store Cornish Game Hen is a Cornish X that was butchered around 4 weeks of age instead letting it reach normal Cornish X butcher age of 6 to 8 weeks. You can't realistically use RIR to make Cornish Game Hens.

I'm not sure what your question is.

 

[Molpet]

I was thinking of no longer than 12 weeks. Did you mean you have fed your meat bird's chick starter all the way through? I am wondering if I can do that. I have so much chick starter I was just thinking that way it's not wasted and if it's still ok for the bird then why not? Did you feed them 12 hours on and 12 hours off?

I feed CX in the brooder 2 x a day so they don't have leg problems.

Heritage I free feed.
When I have a broody with chicks I feed everyone chick starter with oyster shell on the side. So I might feed starter for 8 months.
If I have poults everyone gets turkey starter

 

[bigz1983]

Why don't you sell the pullets as egg layers for $10 each or so?
Then butcher the cockerels?

 

[The Renaissance Woman]

Why don't you sell the pullets as egg layers for $10 each or so?
Then butcher the cockerels?

That's a good idea I would consider. Except, I have mostly all hens and wanted them for meat. If I had a bigger hatch with cockerels then I would do that for sure. Maybe next time.

 

[The Renaissance Woman]

I'm a little confused here. You have Rhode Island Reds, not Cornish X. RIR's are dual purpose birds. You can raise them for meat but you don't raise them the same way you would raise Cornish X.

Or are you wanting to butcher them so they are like the Cornish Game Hens you can buy at the store? RIR's are not going to grow like that. A store Cornish Game Hen is a Cornish X that was butchered around 4 weeks of age instead letting it reach normal Cornish X butcher age of 6 to 8 weeks. You can't realistically use RIR to make Cornish Game Hens.

I'm not sure what your question is.

I have RIRs, not Cornish X. I was just thinking I could grow them to the size of a cornish and butcher young. I've not butchered chickens young so I'm not as familiar. I've not had cornish X so I don't know how they grow and I've never butchered RIR's as meat birds before either. I suppose my original question is a bit misleading.

 

[NatJ]

When can I switch from chick starter to grower food? Could I just give them the rest of the chick starter all the way through? Do I need a finisher or is the grower food just fine all the way to butcher day?

It is safe to feed them chick starter at any age.
Yes, you can continue to feed them chick starter until you butcher them, or until the bag is empty.

If you want to switch to grower food, the bag probably has a recommended age. You can switch at that age, or at any age after that.

What age is best for butchering. What weight should I expect? I'm thinking of butchering younger so I don't have them for 5 months throughout the summer. I'd like the quick process.

If you like them tender, you can butcher at 8 weeks or so, no matter what kind of chicken you have. I'm guessing maybe 2 pounds for RIR at that age. Males will be larger than females, and different breeds (or same breed from different sources) may grow at different rates.

When you butcher them, they will look much skinnier than the "Cornish Game Hens" in the store. They have a different body shape, at all ages, so growing them longer will not change the proportions much.

The longer you raise them, the bigger they get, but they also get gradually tougher as they get older. Whether the extra meat from older birds is worth the extra feed they eat to get there, and the extra time you spend raising them, I can't say-- different people have different preferences.

 

[NatJ]

I have RIRs, not Cornish X. I was just thinking I could grow them to the size of a cornish and butcher young. I've not butchered chickens young so I'm not as familiar. I've not had cornish X so I don't know how they grow and I've never butchered RIR's as meat birds before either.

You can butcher them at any age.

If this is your first time, I would suggest you butcher them at several different ages, and see what you prefer. For example, you might start at 8 weeks and do one every week or every other week. People have widely different opinions about the "best" age, and they all have good reasons for those opinions, so it really comes down to what YOU like.