Who said Cornish Xs start dropping dead at 10 weeks old?????

[SteveH]

Ruth , I raised 10 with the intention of keeping them for breeding ; restricted feed from 4 weeks on , but always allowed them water and they had all the grazeing they wanted . I lost a ' failure to thrive ' chick early , processed one with ascites , and another dropped dead at the waterer right after she ate her once-daily ration . I started feeding wet mash after that . A cockeral with bumblefoot recovered without treatment , but got sore on the weight bearing leg so was processed at 6 months , dressing out at 11 and 1/2 lbs . I think one cockeral was successfully breeding my EEs , eggs are in the incubator now . I hatched one egg from a CX pullet crossed to an Ameraucana in Nov and more of those are in the bator also . Only one lays the large , double yolker ; and I'm grateful because they are not good for hatching .

 

[guitari609]

Quote:
Thanks Ruth, very helpful information. Regarding killing the chickens, 10 years ago I would have NEVER imagined doing it. For me personally it was a matter of coming to the conclusion that if I wanted to eat chicken, I should have what it takes to kill chicken, and then it was a matter of making myself do it. After you've done a couple, it becomes a bit easier. It's still the one part I truly hate about processing chickens, the rest I actually enjoy, but it's definitely less of an issue for me than it used to be. I hope you are able to one day overcome.

It really does make me feel good to know that I personally take the responsibility, instead of putting it on others. I know my chickens are killed the way I'd like them to be killed.

Also....I would DEFINITELY recommend the cone. Trying to hold them whilst they squirm and sling blood everywhere is a horrific mess, as you've probably seen. Typically I don't even get blood on me when I use the cones, with an occasional exception for a particularly rowdy bird, usually due to a less-than-perfect cut on my part.

 

[ruth]

I'm pretty sure I could do the cone - it's the axe I know I'd have a problem with. First off, I know me, and I'd swing with all my might while turning my head so as not to look and then I'd cut my own hand off.

We have processed a few other roosters in the past but only once or twice. I've sold a few to a man in town who buys them for his own dining but he only wants to pay $3 and they weigh around 12-15 pounds so I've told my husband that for me to raise these birds only to sell them for $3 is ridiculous when we buy commerically processed chicken at the grocery store and eat that "garbage" with all the "junk" it contains instead of these wonderfully raised healthy farm birds. My whole reason for buying this farm is to grow our own healthy food and raise our animals in a healthy, natural enviornment - allowing them a wonderful life until humanely processed. I'm getting there but there's still a journey to travel. I do often say that if anyone had told me a few years ago that I would be raising chickens I would have laughed till I tinkled. Just the other day my husband was talking to my grown daughter on the phone and he said something about me and chicken poop and she said "in a million years, I never would have thought I'd hear 'mom' and 'chicken poop' in the same sentence."

 

[jasonm11]

Quote:
I wonder if they would be tough now that they are several months old? But, I don't think so because when you pick one up it almost feels like a jelly sack around its chest. I'm guessing they are really, really fat. Lots of nice, juicy fat. My husband threatened they would be Thanksgiving "turkey", now he says "Christmas". The other day we were grocery shopping together and he put a box of gallon size freezer bags in the cart. I asked what they were for and he said "chickens". I just laughed......

He used to be Mr. Big Game Hunter, now he's Mr. Softy.

We did process two of them when they were just a couple months old (under that assumption they would start dropping dead soon) and they weighed 5 pounds after cleaning and were tender and delicious - we just couldn't bring ourselves to do any more and we just turned them loose to freerange the farm. They'll probably live to see their 10 year birthdays. I'm wondering if they can mate and reproduce and if so, what they will produce. I know the other roosters are always jumping the hens but I don't ever see the CornishX Roo on any hens - I think he's just too fat. But boy let him see me step outside and they can all run/fly/flap/waddle to be the first to the food.

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x204/chicklady/cornish2-1.jpg

MADE ME HUNGRY WITH THE PICTURS DARN YOU