Meat birds

[frustratedearthmother]

That sounds like a great experiment @Dani4Hedgies . Can't wait to hear how it goes!

 

[Chic Rustler]

So far all I have figured out is RIR are not good dual purpose birds. But anything crossed with a barred rock will make a good meat bird. I'm thinking i segregate my rir rooster and let the buff Orpington rooster take over.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Feed them slower and you won't lose them. We have never lost one from being overweight and we often keep them 12 weeks or more. 12 hours on, 12 off for a few weeks then they go in tractors, which we move every day, and we feed 2x/day. We wet their food so they digest better and stay hydrated. When they're healthy there's flexibility in butchering. Which is a nice thing for us busy folks!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

When they're healthy there's flexibility in butchering. Which is a nice thing for us busy folks!

Absolutely! We usually butcher ours in different stages too. I like the flexibility of that and I hate butchering a whole bunch in one day. I'm usually okay doing 5 or 6 at a time. Plus, it's usually hot here when we butcher which is why we start early in the morning. By the time we've done 5 or 6 it's too hot to do more.

I just called Tractor Supply and their price for straight run is 1.99. I may just go pick some up on the way home this afternoon. It's a bit of a higher price than ValleyFarms, but these birds are older and have been fed for a week or so on somebody else's payroll!

 

[baymule]

We walked into TSC today and the manager was having a CCX meltdown. She told us to take as many as we wanted, they were FREE! She said she had another shipment coming and they had to GO. So we took 20......got 30 more shipping tomorrow (Wednesday), should be here Thursday. I am officially an idiot.

I gotta kick this pig pen/Hawg Hut building in the butt.....and get busy on chicken tractors.

 

[CrealCritter]

Dang it! I walked into MY TSC (I'm sure this store is rated the worst in the state - it's AWFUL) this afternoon too. When I first walked in I asked one of the cashiers to send someone back to get chickens. I go back and I waited, and I waited, and I waited and she never called anybody and anybody never bothered to come and ask me if I needed any help. So, I walk to the doors that go to the back and opened one and yelled back to some guy if he could find someone to help me. He never even turned around to acknowledge that I'd spoken to him.

At that time I noticed another guy back in the corner, that I thought was a customer, give me a nasty look. Turns out he's the manager and makes me feel like a heel for wanting some stinkin' chickens! AND, another guy, obviously a chicken virgin wants to buy Cornish chickens for egg layers. I politely told him (cuz the manager wasn't gonna!) that Cornish are meat birds and they likely wouldn't live long enough to ever lay an egg! Manager gives me another dirty look. Geeze louise! The other customer asks what I recommend and I notice they have some Barred Rocks and some Barnevelders so I recommend the Barred Rocks as the better layers of their most awesome selection of layers. At the same time I told him the Barnvelders lay really pretty dark brown eggs. The guys thanked me, and told me if I hadn't spoken up they'da gotten screwed, lol. Then they decide to go to the other (independently owned) feed store in town and buy some layers there. That got me a REALLY dirty look from the manager. I couldn't help myself...I had to tell him that's why people don't like his store. I did it diplomatically...got me the dirtiest look EVER....and I didn't get no FREE CHICKENS.

But, I did buy a dozen of them nasty critters.

CONGRATS BAY!

Never liked Tractor Supply so I never go there. Rural King ain't much better honestly, if it weren't for manager liking me and trying to get me over to her house for dinner and baking me cookies - I probably wouldn't go there either.

 

[CrealCritter]

We walked into TSC today and the manager was having a CCX meltdown. She told us to take as many as we wanted, they were FREE! She said she had another shipment coming and they had to GO. So we took 20......got 30 more shipping tomorrow (Wednesday), should be here Thursday. I am officially an idiot.

I gotta kick this pig pen/Hawg Hut building in the butt.....and get busy on chicken tractors.

:Lol FREE is FREE - hope you got them stinkers outside though.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Not how you get free chickens though!

True dat!

 

[baymule]

They are on the screened porch in a big black water tub with a light and a window screen over the top. I put a reflective automobile windshield thing over the top to hold in the heat. I moved it yesterday so they wouldn't get too hot, but it got down to 36 last night! I also have a 3 stack brooder that is going to get warmed up!

 

[CrealCritter]

They are on the screened porch in a big black water tub with a light and a window screen over the top. I put a reflective automobile windshield thing over the top to hold in the heat. I moved it yesterday so they wouldn't get too hot, but it got down to 36 last night! I also have a 3 stack brooder that is going to get warmed up!

Can we see a pic of the lil mc'nuggets?