Meat birds

[TomK]

Well...i did it...received 37 ( ordered 35 ) white cross meat chicks from Freys on July 22...I wasnt ready which is typical for me so kept them in my brooder pen for a few days under a lamp while I built a chicken tractor...lost two chicks in the first week...just dead in the morning...no real surprise (it happens)...decided to free range them when they got big enough, which didnt take long, lol...fed them three times a day, not feed available 24/7...i was trying to avoid 'flip over syndrome'...i think i succeeded...lost 2 more in the process...smaller pullets who just lost the use of their legs...waited a day or two to see if the condition improved and when it didn't i dispatched them ....down to 33 birds..so on Oct 21 they went to processing...licenced abattoir...stamped weighed and bagged...smallest was 3.3 lbs...largest 8.1... Can't say I don't miss them on the grounds here...will be repeating the process in spring...awesome tasty roast chicken... ...not sure of the economics, will havto work that out but sooooooo good knowing where my food comes from

[Killerbunny]

Well I got some of these after processing from @TomK because I couldn't get my BR roosters for grow out. The method he used produced a delicious bird, just had some tonight for dinner. BR is somewhat darker meat but this was great. He'd better do them next year LOL!

[TomK]

Well I got some of these after processing from @TomK because I couldn't get my BR roosters for grow out. The method he used produced a delicious bird, just had some tonight for dinner. BR is somewhat darker meat but this was great. He'd better do them next year LOL!

Thanks @Killerbunny ...I may be biased but I totally agree

[KimChick]

We did our own 20 birds this year as well as 9 turkeys and 4 cockerels. It's not a fun job, but like Tom we know where they came from and what they were fed. I don't miss them either. Meat chickens are a nasty lot. And I don't miss having to get 3 different buckets of feed ready - between the meat chickens, turkeys and laying hens. Now I just have to feed the hens.
Not sure about everyone else, but what works for us is disjointing all the birds so we can pull what we want out of the freezer since there are only the two of us. And we freeze all of the backs and rib sections to use for soup. There is always enough meat left on those sections.
Tom, I do think you will enjoy the taste of those chickens!

[kenya]

How much did the abattoir charge? Do they shrink package them? Just curious

[WLLady]

I did a group of 25 meat chickens once. And only once. Yes the meat was wonderful. We had planned on processing on the one weekend but when i went in to check on them, and turned the light on in the barn, even after announcing my presence (stressed out bunch they were) they all flipped over and died that night, so we were processing 25 birds until well after midnight. With the added bonus that we didn't have to kill them...they were already dead! argh! they did taste good, but the meat is a little greasy/fatty for me.....i do actually prefer my heritage grow outs, even if they are a bit smaller. I found the grow feed was high enough in protein and these birds just stank all the time. So, not for me. I'm glad they turned out for you Tom! Always amazing to raise your own! and i swear it tastes better too.

[Killerbunny]

This processor doesn't shrink bag, I have some bags and I do them here. Even demo'd for @TomK. Interestingly I found the BR boys a touch greasier than these. Turkeys are 6.25 ea and it's worth every penny, no clean up, no stress, no disposal.

[TomK]

How much did the abattoir charge? Do they shrink package them? Just curious

@kenya ..Henderson's in Chesterville charged 5.25 per bird...and like KB said, worth the money

@WLLady ..Kathy...what!!??..all at once?..i followed Al's comments(advice)...fed them three squares a day and let them free range...none died from flip over...wow! 25 all at once...and putting that aside, I didn't feel they were a horror show to raise...kinda sweet actually..and all different in behavior other than a lust for mealtime ...I think had they been penned 24/7 it would have been another story...

[ross]

Quess I got lucky . I did 75 a year for 20 yrs . Odd death but watched carefully & if getting leg problems I butchered immediately. Loaded um all in grates & drove 3/4 hr to abbotoir. Fed recommended feed in gravity feeders from start to finish in barn no free range . Can’t remember finish weights but sold most & kept a doz for selves . Just my experience. Luck all . Be safe

[WLLady]

yeah ours were penned, otherwise the other birds were just bullying them like crazy. And, they were not the slower growing meaties, these were insane....the story behind how i got those was someone was doing an embryology class and ordered these eggs at d10 for the kids to see embryos, and the company sent them 4 weeks early! So instead of throwing them out, they gave them to me, because i could (and had to lol) incubate them. They were the HUGEST lemon yellow chicks I had (and have since) ever seen, and they grow like crazy. I think we planned to process at 8 weeks....and they were huge and massive and couldn't walk well from about 3 weeks. So. I think the slower growing breeds they have now are a whole lot better. LOL