Why are they growing so slow??

[yotetrapper]

I mean, granted, they're growing a lot quicker than a normal chicken, but today at 6.5 weeks old my cornish X are only small bantam size? I thought you butchered them at 6 weeks?? If I butchered mine now, I would only have chicken nuggets!

What am I doing wrong?

 

[Neil Grassbaugh]

What are you feeding them?
They should be weighing around 6.2 lbs average.

 

[Bossroo]

Your chicks were probably hatched from replacement parent stock young pullet eggs which are smaller than those layed by more mature hens, usually early in the year. In turn those chicks grow slower.

 

[yotetrapper]

6 lbs? Ha! I'd be shocked if they weighed 3! I'm feeding them Nutrena Meatbird Food. They came from Welp Hatchery. The feedstore I bought them from still had some leftover last week from the batch I bought, and they were the same size as mine.

What is the latest I can butcher them without them being tough?

 

[Neil Grassbaugh]

Quote:
But not that slow Bozz.
In commercial birds we would expect first lay, female line, chicks to be only five days behind teminal cross.

The feed is correct.

I have to wonder if maybe they are not meat chickens but some breed or layer males.

With what you are feedng them the muscle will not start to firm up until 10 weeks of age - if they are meat chickens.

 

[Bossroo]

Since yotetrapper says that he would be shocked if they weighed 3 lbs. at 6.5 weeks, I would tend to agree that they are not a Cornish X meat bird but possibly a dual purpose breed, or a egg laying breed. Many feedstore employees just don't seam to know the difference.

 

[yotetrapper]

I'm on my way out the door now to work, but I'll get some pictures in the next couple of days. I raise a lot of egg chickens, and even my dual purpose birds like wyandottes aren't growing quite as fast as these are. I dont know, but I am certain they are no where near 6lbs. They're actually a little smaller than my silkeie roos, about the size of a silkie hen.

 

[Oceanseve]

Ours are about 5 weeks and I just weighed a handful of them 3-4 lbs. I think we have been underfeeding ours though. HTH