chicken are a loosing deal

We tried Cornish Cross last year and it was very costly. I think we bought 25 and lost at least 8. And the feed was pricey. Most of them had sprawled legs because their breasts were so heavy.

A friend told me (after the fact) to keep the water and feed raised so their legs would get stronger.

We ended up getting a straight run of 25 Barred Rocks. Going to butcher the Roos in a few weeks. I think we have around 7 of them.

The Cornish Cross are delicious but not sure if they are worth it.

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RubyRed did you process your cornish cross at about 8 weeks?

Yes, I believe so. If not 8 weeks it was very close to that.

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From the other end of the world.....I normally have anywhere from 10-20 mini bantams.
I have them because I like to watch them and listen to the roosters crow. They help with insect control. I get more than enough eggs...too many. Butchering them would be too much work for the amount of meat. I have thought about getting standard size so we could butcher them. But after looking into it, it just seems like too much work and investment. I found a nice woman just a mile away that will sell me her butchered chickens for 8.50 ea. So all I have to do is stop in and buy a few humungeous chickens. While my little bantes continue to free range and offer cheap entertainment. And really cute chicks

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Teach only Love...for that is what You are

yes, those are the types near me, and nope, ain't seen the show but would love to.

I sold 4 layer hens and gave him a roo to go with them, $40. the broilers are what is costing me. I am not considering the store prices, as those are so filled with ??? that isn't a good comparison. the colonies raise theirs like I am, and if it costs the same per bird, I am a fool to do the work.

next year we'll need to get new layers started, and I have great luck with the mcmurry 'red sex links'. very little effort for tons of great eggs. would like to try those marans tho., I have time to research, thanks for that! but I'll have some hens for the pot, and if I get any shipped, just enough broilers to fill the box.

just pretty bummed I worked so hard and lost so many. i see 3 more now that are just sitting there. dang. feed is just under $15/50lb.

and for selling eggs, that was a bust here. I was lucky to get 1.50/doz and its either they want 10 doz or none. that's why i sold the 4 layers, now with my 9, its a good fit for my household. I wasn't having good luck buying fresh eggs, so got my own and this part of chickens is well worth my efforts. and will actually increase, as I am re-doing my garden situation, where I'll be able to fence it off then the birds can free range much more.

Just curious as to those that raise egg layers... Do you palpate your girls from time to time to figure out who's laying and who isn't? Do you cull at all? I've noticed that the pretty birds with full feathers and large breasts haven't laid an egg in their lives and the pittiful looking ones are the really good egg layers. This fall, once we're paying more in feed for our girls, I'll be palpating and separating to see who's laying and who isn't. Those that don't go to the butcher and stew pot. Yummm...

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I used to palpate, but then I got better at looking at the combs to see who had full, red combs.

I no longer do this, as I have decided to pamper myself by keeping the old egg layers. I always hated to kill my birds, and since I decided that it was acceptable to take a loss on them I just feed the 1-2 hens that are too old to lay.

This would be very expensive if I sold eggs, but I do not. I try to have just 3-6 birds at a time or else I get too many eggs. So, I buy a couple of hens whenever I am not getting enough eggs.

This year I got 4 sexed chicks, under the assumption that at least one would find a way to get killed, but all four are now large and strong. I hope for pullet eggs next month!

I have an old rooster and 2 old hens. One old hen is still giving me a good amount of eggs, but the banty is only dropping an egg once and a while. But, she only costs me perhaps $1 a month, little thing that she is. If I had more birds I could not afford this kind of soft-headedness but with one bird it is OK.

Where do you live and how can I get there?!?!?!

Several years ago I raised Cornish X broilers in batches of 500. I usually had 1000 birds at any time, 500 in the barn, 500 in movable pens. I made the pens from cattle panels and 2X4's. Very light, easy to move and cheap to make. I could make a pen in about 45 minutes.

I used electric net to surround my chicken pens and never lost a single bird to predators. That flimsy looking fence was simply amazing.

My death loss was less than 5%, which is about as good as you can get. You cannot over-feed these birds when they are little. If you do, they grow to fast and end up dying at about 5 weeks of age. Feed them for 12 hours, then no feed for 12 hours for the first week or two. Then they can have full feed. There will still be some that succumb to acidosis, but not very many.

Raising these birds is an art....they like to die!

Jena

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...to be a rock and not to roll...

I don't... the ones with the bright yellow feet aren't laying. I've heard it works the same with the combs.

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When I bought my farm in 1977, the owners, both 92 years old, told me they raised 3-400 chickens each year. I remarked at what a job that would be to dress so many chickens. She explained that they didn’t do it, that was a job they’d pay an Indian to do. She didn’t realize how politically incorrect that is.
But they never ate any chicken themselves. Too valuable. They’d get some chicken soup made from “ the feet and Pope’s nose”. I guess there is a way to peel the skin on the feet, boil it and get some flavor. The Pope’s nose is mostly fat, but I can see where that could produce some tasty broth.
Everything they raised went to the market. Farmers from all over would bring their products by boat to the city dock and sell every Saturday.
I fixed up the coup, 12 by 32 with lath and plaster walls and ceiling, concrete floor. The local Organic Food store promised to buy every organic egg I could produce. I bought 100 layers and when they started laying, I brought them my first 5 dozen. Then a few days later, another 5 dozen. But they hadn’t sold the first bunch and couldn’t buy more. So I was stuck with 6 dozen eggs a day and no market. The feed was special ordered and costly, too. I bought a noodle maker and made egg noodles. I learned that you can fill ice cube trays with eggs and freeze them for baking later. There was no Farmers Market then and the low population area where I lived couldn’t absorb the quantities I was getting. Modern Indians don’t dress chickens. So, I butchered them, a dozen at a time until they were gone.
There is an Amish family between Clare and Beaverton that will dress chickens for $1.25 each. Just drop off the chickens and pick up a cut up chicken in a plastic baggy. I think if I were raising chickens for meat, I’d leave that job to the Amish.

Chickens are expensive for me to keep because of the predator problem. If it's not snakes, then it's possums, coons, bobcats, coyotes, stray dogs, Big Foot or who knows what else. It's very discouraging when you put a lot of effort into raising babies and then they get wiped out. But, I still enjoy having them around and apparently I enjoy the challenge. I don't have any now as we recently moved but I plan to get some again when hubby finishes the chicken coop for me (not his top priority and I'm 7 months pregnant so it's not really mine, either).

I live in the middle of Ms.
Last week a friend had 300 and couldn't get $.50 each for them.
There are quite a few broiler houses and when they empty them there is usually 100-300 left there. They can't even give them away, no one will take them. They have to destroy them.