wrong birds

[jfishfam]

This is an interesting story, kind of stressful, going to a hatcher doing the right thing. We got our first batch of cornishx chicks in April

. As they grew we noticed some weren't as big.

Normal, right? Well on butchering day they all seemed small. While preparing to freeze the birds we figured out there was next to nothing on the birds,

in fact we threw 3 carcasses away. Soooo, I called the hatchery and they figured out we got the wrong birds.

We think we got game hens and deleware..... But McMurray refunded all our money.

Being a newbie isn't always easy.

Don't be afraid to ask questions!

Does anybody else have any stories? Our second batch arrived the same day we found out about the first and so that soothed the $$$ wounds because those little buggers ate as much as the bigger birds would!

 

[Denninmi]

Well, I didn't have that happen to me. But, its hard when you do something for the first time. I'm really grateful for this forum, because it is so helpful to have other people's input and expertise.

 

[KBlue]

My very first batch of meaties was supposed to be for a 4H project. We called a local hatchery and ordered Cornish X chicks. We got our chicks and raised them as CornishX, but like you, they were awfully scrawny when we butchered them. After talking to several people about our birds, we were told that they were plain ol' White Rocks, not CXs. Frustrating to say the least! We didn't ask for a refund though we probably should have.

 

[jfishfam]

That's interesting. We kind of assumed ours were cornish game hens, but I'll have to look at White Rocks. I guess we learn from our mistakes or even the hatchery's mistakes. I hope our second batch is better. On the up side, we did have a good experience with the people who butchered our first batch and we'll probably head back there in a few weeks for this batch.

 

[PotterWatch]

I've always gotten the correct birds but there is definitely a learning curve to raising meat birds. The first birds I processed, I hadn't planned anything well. I knew the basics; that I needed a pot of hot water, how to kill it (basically), etc. My friend and I ended up spreading a tarp on the ground to catch all the feathers and stuff. The killing itself didn't go well because I didn't realize how sharp of a knife was really needed. The scalding was fine though I know now that we didn't scald them nearly long enough. We squatted on the ground to pluck and eviscerate. Hadn't even occurred to us that a table might be nice

. All in, it was a miserable experience but I'm glad I kept going and learning.

 

[PotterWatch]

Quote:
Cornish game hens are really just cornish x (they can be pullets or cockerels), that are butchered at around 5 weeks instead of 7 or 8. You probably had rocks or even leghorns. Glad you are going to try again!

 

[jfishfam]

The funny thing is that a friend and I butchered chickens last year, but they were at her house and I just showed up to help. I really didn't pay much attention. We did remember a table, but the scalding didn't go so good (we kinda cooked some) and we found feathers for months. And we didn't let the meat rest long enough and it was tough. What can I say I'm a glutton for punishment. Ok, so now I need to figure out what rocks are for. I really felt bad about the ones we decided were deleware