Welp. first time with meat birds

[Timmy59]

I keep a draft running in the e mail box, this is from this year..
Purchase price $122.36 received 5-7-20.. $1.61 per bird for 76 and received 79
5-3-20 2 bags of feed $33.00
24 hrs all good..
5-22 feed 2 bags $35.60 // $190 to date 74 birds @ $2.57 per bird..
5-30 switching to layer crumbles, 2 bags $26.60..$ 217 @ $ 2.94 per bird..
6-5 2 bags 26.60
6-12 2 bags 26.60 now up to $3.80 per bird..
6-19 4 bags 64.00
Butchered 64 chicks 6-27-28 avg 4.5 for 288lbs



total cost per bird $5.23.. $1.16 per pound roughly. 50 days of growing..

 

[B-Goock]

Hey brother, feels good don't it ? Im'a 2nd gen hobby farmer, following the parents God love'm.. Had several orders with welp and have always done well.. Love those pluckers don't we.. We got the yard bird plucker and love it.. Priced it at Shawnee tsc at near 400 then priced it at Seminole tsc and it was on clearance for less than 200,, sweet.. I enjoy the fruits having hunted since the 70s.. For me it's old hat, even have a video where the carcass comes out of the plucker no head full neck and intact yet, It's on the edge of the plucker and Ima squeezing it and its a honking up a storm.. Fun and games.. Look at the welp slow grow broilers for a sustainable meat bird..

These seem to be doing great. Unbelievable how fast they grow.

I did think about the slow growth meat birds but opted for quick. What else you gonna do middle of winter?

 

[Winter Creek Coop]

I keep a draft running in the e mail box, this is from this year..
Purchase price $122.36 received 5-7-20.. $1.61 per bird for 76 and received 79
5-3-20 2 bags of feed $33.00
24 hrs all good..
5-22 feed 2 bags $35.60 // $190 to date 74 birds @ $2.57 per bird..
5-30 switching to layer crumbles, 2 bags $26.60..$ 217 @ $ 2.94 per bird..
6-5 2 bags 26.60
6-12 2 bags 26.60 now up to $3.80 per bird..
6-19 4 bags 64.00
Butchered 64 chicks 6-27-28 avg 4.5 for 288lbs



total cost per bird $5.23.. $1.16 per pound roughly. 50 days of growing..

Great records. Our feedstore CornishX from either Hoovers or Ideal did great foraging and free ranging in our garden plot. I kept a group of 6-10 in a trailer mounted coop. Daily I hauled them to the garden where grasshoppers were trying to eat rverything in sight. Those portable birds ate so little feed and were constsntky full of grasshoppers and seeds and greens. Next year I may figure a cost on those compared to the ones in a large grassy run. Best tasting chicken I have hd in years.

 

[Timmy59]

We were running three 6x10' x 24"tall tractors that were moved when I deemed needed, they saw a lot of white crimson clover and Bermuda and what bugs got trapped.. If we had got them a month sooner ( control 19 messed that up ) we would not have had the late loss we did.. But nothing wasted as our pooch likes chicken too and they were froze whole until butcher day and became dog food..

 

[Timmy59]

1-1-21 and the roos started crowing yesterday at 4 months..

 

[B-Goock]

I had one loss the other day. The wife put the feeders in and evidently in the insanity of the morning feed stampede one was under the feeder. She felt so bad.
I moved them to the grow out shed. 10x16. Water close to the heat lamps and feed on the far side.

 

[B-Goock]

Welp...... we are at week 4 and they are close to switching to a lesser protein. Attempted to weight these fellers and feet going over the sides. Seem to be ranging 3.2 - 3.5 lbs each. Time for a different scale.

 

[charthorn]

I've used Welp's hatchery for the past 5 years and always have had great production from their birds. I order approx. 35 meaties each year and start butchering them at 6 weeks. They always average around 5 lbs dressed out.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I'm weighing my P1-01 "Lemonade" project birds tomorrow, had expected to do it today, but ran out of daylight. Doubt they are half that weight, and they are on 24% feed. This thread is great advertisement for that hatchery's genetic line. Appreciate the numbers and the photo.

 

[B-Goock]

I've used Welp's hatchery for the past 5 years and always have had great production from their birds. I order approx. 35 meaties each year and start butchering them at 6 weeks. They always average around 5 lbs dressed out.

This is my first time with meat birds so I wanted to document some of it as a reference for myself. I usually write a log on a calendar of hatches, growth, etc but those end up getting tossed. So new records..... byc my threads.