Welp. first time with meat birds

[B-Goock]

Raising, butchering, & processing isn't a new thing for me but all I ever did was excess DP or heritage breed roo processing & old layers. My wife had no experience but wanted to do this. I had my helper and excess roos ready. Everything was good up until gutting. Not wanting to have my helper get squeamish and bail out on me I opted to cut off leg, thighs, wings, and then filet the breast meat off like fileting a fish. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/butchering-without-gutting.1417237/
Kept my helper and she enjoys eating our home grown chicken so much we are chewing through it quick. Hmm 5-6 months is a long time to raise to a decent size which got me to looking at meatbirds.

Reading here I have to thank you all for your experiences with meat birds. BYC is a great resource.

Hatchery search online!
Sold out. Sold out. Then I find cornish x birds at Welp hatchery for $.99 each. Ordered 32. Got 34 this morning. All lively after almost 40hrs of travel time.

I'm following what Welp recommended with sugar water first. Hydrate those fellas. Now they have 22% feed.

I'll try to keep updating as we go.

 

[RoosterML]

That’s a great price, nice score! Your freezer will be full soon enough.

 

[Xouie]

So excited to see your journey from peeper to dinner!

 

[B-Goock]

So excited to see your journey from peeper to dinner!

In less than 6 months!

 

[TheMother]

Raising, butchering, & processing isn't a new thing for me but all I ever did was excess DP or heritage breed roo processing & old layers. My wife had no experience but wanted to do this. I had my helper and excess roos ready. Everything was good up until gutting. Not wanting to have my helper get squeamish and bail out on me I opted to cut off leg, thighs, wings, and then filet the breast meat off like fileting a fish. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/butchering-without-gutting.1417237/
Kept my helper and she enjoys eating our home grown chicken so much we are chewing through it quick. Hmm 5-6 months is a long time to raise to a decent size which got me to looking at meatbirds.

Reading here I have to thank you all for your experiences with meat birds. BYC is a great resource.

Hatchery search online!
Sold out. Sold out. Then I find cornish x birds at Welp hatchery for $.99 each. Ordered 32. Got 34 this morning. All lively after almost 40hrs of travel time.

I'm following what Welp recommended with sugar water first. Hydrate those fellas. Now they have 22% feed.
View attachment 2443886

I'll try to keep updating as we go.

I like your setup! Is that tarp?

 

[wolfwalker]

I had very good success with WElp's line of Cornish cross. I ended up with esome 8-9 pound dressed birds at 8 weeks. Most of them avg around 5 pounds

 

[B-Goock]

Day 2 and they are all doing great. They are chugging the vitamin water.

 

[B-Goock]

I like your setup! Is that tarp?

Yep its a tarp. I was gonna buy something more permanent but couldn't find a tote big enough, stock tanks too expensive, lumber is out the roof on price.... heck with it cardboard boxes for walls. Hmm have a tarp from a wood pile. Yep that'll work. It only has to last long enough to more them out to the shed when they feather out decent.

 

[B-Goock]

I had one expire. Looked it over and found nothing wrong. One other small one acts weak. It really doesn't want to stand or walk around. Most all of them are fairly active though when they aren't sitting down. I expected a couple losses just because the genetics of them.

 

[B-Goock]

At the end of day 5 we started the recommended 12hr feed restrict. Wow the next morning they are like piranhas when the feeder goes back in. They are right on scale to the Welp growth chart for day 7.