This past spring we took on something new here on the farm.
The broiler chicken.
We have raised chickens for several years, and sometimes we have too many roosters, so we have eaten them. Finally, I came to the conclusion that they just were not worth my time at all for the amount of meat that came off them and the pain it was to butcher them.
Then we ended up home to two accidental broilers. A friend purchased them as chicks, but she knew she wouldn't have the heart to butcher them. This was my first experience with broilers, and we didn't really treat them any different than any other chicken. We didn't give them any extra feed, we just let them free range with all the others.
I think when we finally decided to butcher them they where well beyond the 6 week growth peak, but because they were easy to butcher and they gave enough meet, we decided to try again.
We just bought the Cornish X that were in stock at the local Tractor Supply. The plan was to get several smaller batches before we had to butcher the first batch. I knew once the butchering process began I wouldn't want to buy anymore to grow out. We ended up with 2 batches of 15 about 3 weeks apart. We fed them a 20% feed (which we paid entirely too much for per bag) at Tractor Supply, and it was the only non-medicated fed we knew of at the time. I did eventually start buying it for a lot less at my local Co-op.
We free ranged the chickens, and I think they got about 7 lbs. of feed a day and then they were on their own. By the time we made it to butchering day I think we had 12 the first time and 11 the second. Normally we lost one or two in the first two weeks. Then sometimes we would lose them after they got bigger. One ended up in a pot of chicken spaghetti because we had a minor accident while moving their pen, don't let your four year old be the watch guard..."back up! back up!" doesn't fix things.
Then we ended up home to two accidental broilers. A friend purchased them as chicks, but she knew she wouldn't have the heart to butcher them. This was my first experience with broilers, and we didn't really treat them any different than any other chicken. We didn't give them any extra feed, we just let them free range with all the others.
I think when we finally decided to butcher them they where well beyond the 6 week growth peak, but because they were easy to butcher and they gave enough meet, we decided to try again.
We just bought the Cornish X that were in stock at the local Tractor Supply. The plan was to get several smaller batches before we had to butcher the first batch. I knew once the butchering process began I wouldn't want to buy anymore to grow out. We ended up with 2 batches of 15 about 3 weeks apart. We fed them a 20% feed (which we paid entirely too much for per bag) at Tractor Supply, and it was the only non-medicated fed we knew of at the time. I did eventually start buying it for a lot less at my local Co-op.
We free ranged the chickens, and I think they got about 7 lbs. of feed a day and then they were on their own. By the time we made it to butchering day I think we had 12 the first time and 11 the second. Normally we lost one or two in the first two weeks. Then sometimes we would lose them after they got bigger. One ended up in a pot of chicken spaghetti because we had a minor accident while moving their pen, don't let your four year old be the watch guard..."back up! back up!" doesn't fix things.
We had a community butchering day, our friend brought over his broilers that they raised off the ground their whole life. These stark white beauties outweighed our free rangers just a little. They all had clean white feathers too, and our poor free range birds looked like we gave them mud baths!
Going through all this past history, I wish I had pictures, but I don't, it leads me to say... the new broilers are here!
This fall we are going to try something different! I've ordered 25 black broilers, they are supposed to be bred to be a better pasture raised bird, with less chance of heart attacks, leg issues, or Ascite (fluid in the body cavity).
Before I had time to fully finish this post, my broilers are 10 weeks old. (A great place for a shout out to those ladies that Blog... I can't seem to get a grip on it!)
So, here is my thoughts.
I don't like em.
I'm sure that everyone has a different experience and I'm sure that coming from different facilities may have a difference in stock, but I don't like em. I ordered two Brahma rooster with the 25 black broilers and until about the 3rd week I couldn't tell a single difference in size. I moved them to the grow out pin at 4 weeks, which is on the ground, and several days later they started dying like no bodies business. Our friends also got 25 to raise and around this same time they started loosing them for unknown reason, but theirs where off the ground. I put them back up, I switched to medicated food for a time (something I never did with the Cornish X), I just don't know. I didn't do anything any different. So at 10 weeks, they are the same size as the Brahma rooster, look just like Black Australorps, and I think I have 8 surviving.
Tell me about your experience and favorite broilers to raise!
Before I had time to fully finish this post, my broilers are 10 weeks old. (A great place for a shout out to those ladies that Blog... I can't seem to get a grip on it!)
So, here is my thoughts.
I don't like em.
I'm sure that everyone has a different experience and I'm sure that coming from different facilities may have a difference in stock, but I don't like em. I ordered two Brahma rooster with the 25 black broilers and until about the 3rd week I couldn't tell a single difference in size. I moved them to the grow out pin at 4 weeks, which is on the ground, and several days later they started dying like no bodies business. Our friends also got 25 to raise and around this same time they started loosing them for unknown reason, but theirs where off the ground. I put them back up, I switched to medicated food for a time (something I never did with the Cornish X), I just don't know. I didn't do anything any different. So at 10 weeks, they are the same size as the Brahma rooster, look just like Black Australorps, and I think I have 8 surviving.
Tell me about your experience and favorite broilers to raise!
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