Cornish Cross Spring 2018 Cost/Profit/Loss or Freezer Meat

[NH Homesteader]

Wish you were closer, we have a few we're not using!

We just put 40 eggs in the incubator. I still have like 10 CX's in the freezer from last year (forgot about the ones in my mom's freezer!) so I don't think I'm doing meat birds after all!

 

[baymule]

My TSC’s look to be all roosters. They are friendly little piranhas.

 

[baymule]

We gave up on moving the coop. Despite my best efforts, the chickens run to the back and several have been injured. So I am throwing bags of pine needles in there. After we butcher, we’ll drag the coop forward and spread all the litter.

 

[baymule]

My husband bought me a fish scale and new knife sharpener today!

When we got home, I loaded up a chicken in a plastic bag (appropriately a Chicken Express take out bag) and weighed him. 8 pounds and 10 ounces! I got another waddling behemoth and put him in the bag. 8 pounds and 8 ounces! I think I’m there.

I went to BYH and asked about live weight to slaughter weight. The answer I got is 70%, so it looks like I have the slaughter weight I wanted. I sure am glad that I have 2 groups so that they aren’t ALL ready now!

 

[baymule]

We slaughtered 4 today. Live and slaughter weight in pounds and ounces; 8.8/5.10 and 8.8/6 and 6.11/4.13 and 6.11/4.10

We have a total of 21 pounds, 6 ounces of whole chicken.

I should have got a picture before I vacuum sealed it. Kinda wrinkly looking. LOL

I have a question, do y’all freeze the whole chicken or do you cut it up and freeze it? I’m thinking make cuts!

 

[FarmerJamie]

.....

I have a question, do y’all freeze the whole chicken or do you cut it up and freeze it? I’m thinking make cuts!

In my best (or worst, depending on your perspective) Forrest Gump voice....

Whole chickens
Chicken quarters
Chicken wings
Diced chicken
Shredded chicken
Chicken necks for soup

 

[baymule]

The deep litter was getting gross. No, it was past gross. Since the chickens don't "shoo" very well, we wrapped some green plastic 4' mesh around some trees with a run to the coop. I just said CX don't shoo, and they didn't. I had to carry them to the enclosure, then we took the run down and hitched the coop to the tractor. DH pulled the coop forward to a nice clean spot. We went to the sheep round bale and filled the back of the Mule with spent hay off the ground. We deep bedded the coop, then one by one I carried them back.

DH flung pads of hay and poop all around, then watered them in well. Some he spread further with a rake. The smell rivaled a raw sewage plant.

Then we cleaned the sheep lot. DH took FEL buckets to the garden and dumped them in a spot that we pulled some TALL weeds from yesterday. The sheep poop was dry, almost dusty, and scraped up easily. Then we spread it in the garden.

DH is in the shower, waiting my turn. We have had a ****ty morning. How's yours?

 

[baymule]

I've been deep littering it and it just reached that point.

I want to slaughter 15 this week, cut them all up, package and freeze them. Then do the rest next week.

I have the 10 we slaughtered last week, sold for $5 a pound. Total $198.72 Almost covers the cost of the feed.

 

[baymule]

The dust has settled, the results are in.

I ordered 30 CX chicks.
We got 25? one week olds at TSC for free 3 days before the 30 arrived.
One of the chicks I ordered was dead when it got here.
Several died along the way, 2 were full grown and just dropped dead.
We slaughtered 44.

Cost of ordered chicks was $1.60 each, total $46.40 with credit given for dead chick.

Feed: 770 pounds
Feed cost: $264

Total pounds of dressed whole chicken 231.1
Average weight of each chicken is 5 pounds, 11 ounces.

3.33 pounds of feed per pound of dressed whole chicken

Cost per pound (for feed) of whole dressed chicken; $1.14

Cost of ice for the ice chest that held the butchered chickens $40

Cost of vacuum seal bags: $8

We sold 10 chickens for $198.72

We bought the chick feed at TSC, one bag at Atwoods. On the last bag, I found cheaper feed by $5 per 50 pound bag at the feed store in Sulphur Springs where we buy the horse feed.

Total costs: $358.40

In summary, from start to finish was 60 days. I went in the hole $159.68, but I only sold 10 out of 44 chickens.....not too bad.
34 chickens weight totaled 175 pounds, 7 ounces for s cost of about 90 cents per pound.

I canned 25 quarts of "dog food" and so far, 17 pints of broth. (I just turned off the pressure canner with the last 5 quarts of dog food and I have a pot of broth to can)

The freezer is stocked with packages of boneless, skinless breast meat, leg quarters and wings. We will supply our DD and family with chicken.

Edited to add, just put 16 pints of broth in the canner for a total of 33 pints of broth.

 

[baymule]

@Chic Rustler you should raise a few CX for your family. Maybe 10. but I would raise them in the fall. It's too hot now.