Winter Broiler Projects-share your progress :)

[City Chicken]

http://travelingalong.com/chicken-city-micro-farm-the-first-meat-harvest/
my chicken processing post.
i have 6 more that i will do in a couple weeks. i might let 1 join the flock... and see what happens.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

http://travelingalong.com/chicken-city-micro-farm-the-first-meat-harvest/
my chicken processing post.
i have 6 more that i will do in a couple weeks. i might let 1 join the flock... and see what happens.

I have 2 left from summer, born around the 20th of July.. Still alive and well. Tank, a hen is huge. I don't have a scale but I bet she is 7lbs +. LilX (hen) is still small. maybe 3 pounds. She is LF but no "meat on her bones". I am waiting to see if either will lay. If they will, should be any time now!

 

[TamTurkey]

Well all I can say is the temp control theory has now been proven. I have half in a temp controlled coop and half in a coop with just a heat lamp. The temp control birds are much bigger and the others are eating way more feed and are very small. And I'm in south Texas its not that cold here. Only had a few barely freezing nights. I have no idea how you guys in the northern areas are free ranging. I could feed my non temp controlled birds 5,times a day and they still would eat it all

 

[debir1966]

FINALLY processed our meaties. It seemed like every weekend something always came up and we were not able to get them butchered. They were eating (15 cornish cross) one 50 pound bag a week (at $20 a bag!).

This weekend things came up too but I just put my foot down and insisted we get them done. As it is, we got down to -20 last night and when we went out this morning, one of them had gotten stuck in the corner under the old nest boxes we have in there (farthest away from the heat lamp) and was frozen! The rest were fine though, thank goodness.

All lungs and internal organs were healthy, which actually surprised me considering the stunted/slow growth. Only one had a little darker lungs than the normal healthy pink, but all his other organs were fine.

We had 3 that are probably not more than 3 pounds, and 3 that might have reached 7ish pounds, with all the rest in between. Instead of plucking them (it was 10 degrees out today) we skinned them - first time I have ever done that... honestly, I prefer plucking LOL, even though it takes longer.

I am just happy they are in the freezer! We got these birds the end of September and they were 16 1/2 weeks old. It was a terrible experience, honestly LOL. I will never raise chicks in the fall or winter again, but save all my chick rearing for spring and summer.

I just have to tell myself, lesson learned! and enjoy every bite of the most expensive chicken I have ever eaten LOL.

 

[City Chicken]

We are processing ours this week. Just tired of looking at them, and we have a snow coming friday, so I don't want to feed the cold in their bones!
i have one runt who isn't growing as well an i'm thinking about just keeping her and seeing how she does. i'm pretty sure she'll be abused by the other chickens, but wondering if they would eventually accept her. i 'd like to see what she lays (eventually) and see if the rooster will mate with her and we can hatch some chicks. or maybe i'll just go ahead and process her...

 

[TamTurkey]

At the processors now getting 50 chickens done. Have 50 chicks in my livingroom. Yes I said in my livingroom. So had to get rid if the old ones we got 7th in chickens and 4th in turkeys. Houston show is next wish us luck

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Wanted to tell you guys, I kept 2 CX last fall, still have them, going on 8 months old. One is named tank, she is sweet and lovable. no eggs, I am quite sure she is too heavy. HUGE is the better word. She became a pet.. my kids didn't want to eat her.

(20 and 30 year old girls, ugh) The 2nd named LilX finally grew, and does lay an off white large egg! She is about 8 pounds, tank.. wow at least 10 or more! They aren't worth it as layers. They eat a LOT. They won't forage unless you take the food away. Would I do that again, nope. If I buy meat birds that's what they will be.I will do CX again, but only in the summer months. Fermented Feed helps, but they are a lot messier than a heritage breed. If you do raise CX, free range them. The body fat is almost nothing and its pretty amazing fried chicken.

 

[debir1966]

Wanted to tell you guys, I kept 2 CX last fall, still have them, going on 8 months old. One is named tank, she is sweet and lovable. no eggs, I am quite sure she is too heavy. HUGE is the better word. She became a pet.. my kids didn't want to eat her.

(20 and 30 year old girls, ugh) The 2nd named LilX finally grew, and does lay an off white large egg! She is about 8 pounds, tank.. wow at least 10 or more! They aren't worth it as layers. They eat a LOT. They won't forage unless you take the food away. Would I do that again, nope. If I buy meat birds that's what they will be.I will do CX again, but only in the summer months. Fermented Feed helps, but they are a lot messier than a heritage breed. If you do raise CX, free range them. The body fat is almost nothing and its pretty amazing fried chicken.

We kept one of our Broad Breasted White Turkey hens and she was definitely a pet! But she was starting to limp and we were worried she was getting too big and we didn't want her to suffer at all, so when we did our extra roos, we went ahead and did her too. It was a couple moments of sadness, but afterwards we just felt grateful that we had enjoyed her for so long and how good she would taste and how much food she was bringing to our family. However, I won't do it again either with meat only poultry.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

OK, i may be wrong.. I have 3 huge eggs that are white, waxy looking.. turned up in the nest boxes! I gather 2x a day right now. Are they duck.. Muscovy or maybe the CX? I moved my ducks tonight so we will see who does what! LOL exciting!

 

[KaPaDeLeo]

...

OK, i may be wrong.. I have 3 huge eggs that are white, waxy looking.. turned up in the nest boxes! I gather 2x a day right now. Are they duck.. Muscovy or maybe the CX? I moved my ducks tonight so we will see who does what! LOL exciting!


Sounds like those are duck eggs.