when are they usually ready to butcher??

[12kids&manychicks]

Got these
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/frying_pan_special.html

They hatched April 25

We have had no luck unloading them on craigslist

How much longer until we can actually eat them? I will never go for these again - we have been feeding them forever and they are still so little...

Steph

 

[stanglover2001]

I bet they are ready, if they were born Apr 25 then they are 10 and a half weeks old. It says on the McMurray website that these take longer and are smaller and lighter... So if you think they're too small then don't ever get those again, I hate that they're smaller than you expected.

Next time the CornishX is the way to go.

 

[Bossroo]

They tell you up front that they will take f o r e v e r to reach any resemblence of a fryer. The Leghorn male chicks are the culls and are almost always destroyed after sexing. Some are sold as the " frying pan special" just to off set their hatching costs. The females are kept to sell as they are the egg laying hens of choice. Take your lack of a response on Craig's list as a clue and order any of the dual purpose chicks ( 16-24 weeks) or for even better results , order the Cornish X ( 6-8 weeks, the Industry Gold Standard ) as no other chicken can match their rate of growth.

 

[scubaforlife]

I would say they are probably ready now, you can wait a week or two more but I doubt you will get much more size.

 

[12kids&manychicks]

We did get 18 corneys - they were processed Monday - lovely looking birds

But these other critters are so little I just cant imagine much meat on them..... I wanted them all gone before we go on vacation this year (aug 4th) agghhh

they are driving me NUTS!!!!!! I guess I will give them a few more weeks and see what they are doing....

Thanks
Steph

 

[Bossroo]

If it was me... I wouldn't waste any more of my time or feed into them as the carcasses will never come even close to the cornish x. Just process them ASAP and slow cook them in a crockpot untill the meat falls off the bones. Then use in any dish that I may want to use the meat in.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

20 weeks for max meat and tender as possible, or let them free range over winter and cull at 1 year for maximum size then use for stews and soups.
the problem is not the hatcheries selling these, it's that they are simply filling the request for really cheap birds and this is what you get.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Check out this post https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=284655

This member seems to like those White Leghorn roos and has found a way to get the best results with them. You may have to trade quantity of meat for quality of taste in a fried chicken.