Winter Broiler Projects-share your progress :)

[Celie]

My 18 meaties are 6 weeks old today I will be butchering the weekend after thanksgiving I grabbed two at random and weighted them today one was at 5.6lbs and one was at 4.9lbs and they werent the big ones so for doing this my first time I think Im doing not to bad . I had them in the brooder for 3.5 weeks till feathered there they eat through one bag of chick feed and some of a bag of flock feed they finished when they moved outside to an 8 by 4 tractor. We found a local brewery and we get barley mash one 35 gallon trash can full for $10 also got grain 80llbs for $12. I take the grain and soak in apple vinager and water and serve them that and the barley mash and move the tractor once a day the meaties still seem more active than everyone told me they would be but they are getting big. They get veggie scraps from the garden. I am about a 1/3 of the way into the one can of barley mash and thats feeding it to all 45 of my birds birds.

1 bag chick start $13.99
1 bag flock raiser $13.99
1 35 gallon barley mash $10
1 80lb grain $12
= 49.98 to raise 18 meat birds

I tried the FF, too, but these from Meyers seem to be growing very sloooowly! Mine are 4 weeks old today and very necked looking. I feed half ff and half wet food. I do not see any difference in size. I was told with ff to reduce the protein to 19% rather than 22%. I am going to the feed store tomorrow and up the protein. I have gone through 150# of feed so far for 50 meaties, but lost 8 over the last 2 nights, due to not enough feathering and cold nights in the high 30's!

BTW, did you forget the price of the chicks and the ACV in your costs? In 2 weeks mine won't be ready for processing as I was sent all females and they take longer, but I will total up everything and get back to ya'll. 3+ bags of feed @ $14.= $42.plus ACV@$4.plus 1/3 sack of grain=$4. plus 1/5 sack of oats= $3., chicks and shipping $63. comes to approx. $116./42 chicks left so far or about $2.76 per bird so far.at 4 weeks old.

 

[milleryardchx]

My mom bought the birds as a present to me and the acv is from my own apples I made so that part is free. Welp hatchery doesn't charge shipping is already in for the cost of the birds

 

[vwright0401]

I bought 90 meat birds from Ideal, I decided that I wanted to try the red and black broilers (45 each) instead of the cornish cross. I knew it would take longer to process them but wanted to see how birds that aren't the Birdzilla type do. I have to say I won't be buying anything other than the cornish for meat anymore. The reds and blacks just have not been as healthy, we have lost probably 30 of the 90 and most of the ones that are dying are the blacks, the ratio is way off, like they just aren't healthy. We have a large enclosed brooder and they stayed plenty warm and clean, I just don't know why they died off as much as they did. they're outside now in an enclosed barn with a large fenced run, I keep them separate from my layers and the meat birds don't free range during the day like the layers do. I was figuring 10 weeks for these, but they're up to 7 weeks now and there's no way they'll be more than 2 or 3 lbs at 10 weeks. I'm not happy with them at all. The cornish that we raised last time were processed at just 7 weeks and dressed out beautiful! I also didn't lose a single bird out of that batch. I was so proud I gave free chickens to all my family! I won't start anymore until probably late March, I also won't be ordering from Ideal, I live in SW Ohio near Dayton and it took 3 days to get the chicks here, I don't blame Ideal for that, I blame the postal service but I just don't think these have been as heardy and healthy as I had expected.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Sorry for your losses. Thanks for sharing. I had looked at those just because I like color even though it is just going into the freezer but I think I will stick with the Cornish having heard that.

How neat that you make your own ACV Miller. I don't use it in my chicken feed but I have used it with my goats from time to time.
Boy you had my jaw about dropping when I first read the cost estimate though

because I have been looking for ways to get the cost down but couldn't believe how low yours was. But without having to cover the cost of the birds, that makes sense that your personal output would be that low. True cost of the birds, feed, heating, bedding and such would probably be closer to what I am trying to get to. Last time for us was our first time and we spent a lot up front for some supplies like grit, heat lamps and bulbs, and overspent on feed. Even with the losses we have had, I think we will come in better this time.

 

[milleryardchx]

I already had heat lamps from other chicks I went through one thing of shavings so that was $7 but after 3 1/2 weeks no bedding because they were out in my tractor... I will be making a new tractor after church tommarrow for my next group that cost me $52 for a 4 by 8 tractor. Plus Im trying to get rid of the cost of purchasing meat birds. I have 4 week old white rock pullets and 4 week old delaware roos I plan on crossing to try and make my own meat birds. So my laying hens will lay eggs for the family and put some eggs in the incubator for butcher chickens. Trying to find ways to cut back costs and still get a good amount of meat. This spring I will make a hoop tractor for turkeys. I think Im going with white holland turkeys.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

That is cool-you will have to let us know if they turn out well. I am planning on using excess birds for the freezer too and some of the birds we have are dual purpose. We did a few mean roosters but they were probably too old. The meat was okay but not as nice as the broilers.

 

[delisha]

I usually let them free range during the day when I am home, but because I am combining flocks I can no longer do that. I'm afraid they won't come back home! I'm thinking I should cancel this order and plan for something next spring that is more practical. I would be interested in any comments about layers with meaties.

Thanks so much!!!

you simply do not have the room for all of them birds

 

[delisha]

I think it is the extra cold this year. I have my own meat birds and I ordered additional meaties to grow out with them. Mine hatched during the week the order arrived. This is the first year I have lost chicks after the first day or two. All of my chicks are fine, however I have lost 12 out of the 50 that were sent. Really bad odds. I am not even sure I am in the clear. They are just not very healthy. Mine have out grown the cornish x's. On my avitar is a picture of the meaties and mine all mixed together.


all of mine

one of mine

One of the meaties on the top left


one meatie on left



both mine


meaties on lower right, mine on left, combination in the outdoor box (Taken today)




Right in front on the right side, you can see that I have a few chicks that hatched out after the meaties arrived. (October 20)

 

[EggGardener]

I have 21 11-week old red broilers from Ideal. I was really disappointed in their growth up until about 8 weeks. they've started to fill out really nicely and are on track to be good-sized birds.
They roost, wander, forage & are very healthy & active. A couple of the hens are very small, but I had planned to hold back a few to keep with my layers, so that's fine with me.
I'll post some finished weights next week. If they are a reasonable size, I'd buy from Ideal again. I can't raise Cornish x again. It's quick & efficient, but it's sad. I'd rather have a slower growing bird that can forage & enjoy its life.

 

[delisha]

This is a great tape of BeeKissed's Cornish X's. Well worth a look.