Broiler butcher weight?

mammabooh · #1 07/18/12, 08:16 AM

Since this is my first time raising broilers, I'm wondering when to butcher. The appointment is set for the 30th, but I sort of wonder if I should make it for this coming Monday instead. I weighed them yesterday, and the females were 4.5 pounds and the males 5 pounds. One male was 5.5 pounds. The plan was to take the males on the 30th and the females a week or two after that.

Advice for me?

BlackWillowFarm · #2 07/18/12, 08:39 AM

It all depends on how large you want your dressed birds to be. You will probably end up with 3-4lb birds given their current weights. That would be similar to what you'd find in the grocery store. I raised a batch for 9 weeks and got dressed weights between 5-7lbs. They were Cornish X.

wally · #3 07/18/12, 11:14 AM

mammabooh, Black willow Farm is correct, it all depends on how large you wants your birds to weigh after the deed is done. According to storeys guide
you can expect about a 62.2% butcher weight, and if you keep the giblets you can expect another 9.8%. So what this means is that your 4.5 lbs birds will dress at 2.7 lbs, plus giblets would be close to 3lbs total. your 5 lb birds will dress out at 3.1 lbs plus giblets would be close to 3.5 lbs. We prefer our birds to be on the larger size, around 6 lbs. One thing that might help you decide is how large of a bird do you need to make a meal for your family.
wally

Callieslamb · #4 07/18/12, 09:03 PM

I let mine get to 11 lbs one year. They were still delicious. Costly, but delicious. It took 12 weeks to get them there. I didn't realize we had to make an appointment with the butcher a month ahead of time...hence the 11 lb chickens. That's dressed weight.

Awnry Abe · #5 07/18/12, 11:05 PM

That is about the right size for our family of four. Maybe just a wee bit larger, because we have discovered the joy of beer can chicken.

Rowena · #6 07/20/12, 04:08 PM

Wow, you have butchers to do this for you!! We have to do it ourselves. No such thing in California? How much do you pay per bird?

BlackWillowFarm · #7 07/20/12, 04:46 PM

Rowena, we even have a mobile chicken butcher who comes to the house! Mobile = $2.25 per bird plus mileage. Regular guy, take birds to him = $2.00 per bird.

Maybe you should start a mobile poultry processing business in CA.

mammabooh · #8 07/20/12, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rowena

Wow, you have butchers to do this for you!! We have to do it ourselves. No such thing in California? How much do you pay per bird?

I have an Amish lady down the road that does it for me. She skins them and cuts them up for $1.80 each.

I can do it, it's just a lot easier to have her do it. Hubby hates blood and guts, so I'd be on my own.

gunnar wordon · #9 07/21/12, 07:59 PM

6-7 pounds is when I process..... but it all depends. some can get heavier, while some don't reach that weight. I have done Cornish Xs and rocks.

mammabooh · #10 07/24/12, 05:33 PM

I might just have to get all of them done next week instead of just the males. I just weighed a few of them and the males are around 7 pounds, 4 ounces. The females are getting very close to 6 pounds. I hope they all make it another week!

They will be 7 weeks old tomorrow.

fffarmergirl · #11 07/24/12, 06:23 PM

We do our own butchering (so far) at 8 weeks - 100 birds at a time. The only local USDA chicken processor wants $0.95/ lb (dressed weight) to kill and package whole birds; $1.05 / lb for cut-up birds. This year's cost to buy, raise, and package each bird was about $6.50 each. The only thing tossed was the feathers. The innards got taken for bait and everything else was packaged for human consumption or to be used for home canned dog food.

pancho · #12 07/24/12, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mammabooh

I might just have to get all of them done next week instead of just the males. I just weighed a few of them and the males are around 7 pounds, 4 ounces. The females are getting very close to 6 pounds. I hope they all make it another week!

They will be 7 weeks old tomorrow.

I am down one cornishX rooster now.
Sumo injured another rooster bad enough that I had to cull him.
Don't know how much he weighed but I had a 10lb sack of white millet and he out weighed it.

mammabooh · #13 07/25/12, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pancho

I am down one cornishX rooster now.
Sumo injured another rooster bad enough that I had to cull him.
Don't know how much he weighed but I had a 10lb sack of white millet and he out weighed it.

Aww, sorry to hear that, Pancho. I hope Sumo gets to live to a ripe, old age. If I remember correctly, he's your favorite, right?

pancho · #14 07/25/12, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mammabooh

Aww, sorry to hear that, Pancho. I hope Sumo gets to live to a ripe, old age. If I remember correctly, he's your favorite, right?

Yes, he is my favorite. He has slowly been working his way up the pecking order. He started with the other cornishX. When he finsihed them he started on the laying hens. First came the americanas. Then came the wyandottes. He has the white rocks left but should be through with them in a couple of days. I hate it when he decides the silkie rooster is next but don't think there will be any damage done.
The damage will start when he decides to take on my muscovey drake. He doesn't have a chance. I just hope I am there when he tries so I can save him.

mammabooh · #15 07/30/12, 04:47 AM

I'm going out in a few minutes to load up the males and a few of the big females to take them to get butchered. I'm so happy that, as of right now, all are huge and looking great.

idigbeets · #16 07/30/12, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fffarmergirl

We do our own butchering (so far) at 8 weeks - 100 birds at a time. The only local USDA chicken processor wants $0.95/ lb (dressed weight) to kill and package whole birds; $1.05 / lb for cut-up birds. This year's cost to buy, raise, and package each bird was about $6.50 each. The only thing tossed was the feathers. The innards got taken for bait and everything else was packaged for human consumption or to be used for home canned dog food.

Do you have some professional gear or a lot of help to process 100 birds a day? I can only process about 5 birds an hour by myself...

mammabooh · #17 07/30/12, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by idigbeets

Do you have some professional gear or a lot of help to process 100 birds a day? I can only process about 5 birds an hour by myself...

Yeah, I am curious about that too!

mammabooh · #18 07/30/12, 07:13 PM

These things are huge! I took 13 this morning and made an appointment to get the other 17 done next Monday. However, when I picked the first batch up this evening, the Amish lady asked if she could go ahead and do the rest tomorrow. So, I'll load them up in a bit and take them over there.

I'm freezing all of the legs and wings on cookie sheets so they can go into freezer bags. The necks and backs are in a huge pot cooking and I'll make chicken soup to can, and 14 quarts of breasts and thighs are in the canner...I'll have another batch of maybe 8 or 10 quarts to do when these are done.

The ones she butchers tomorrow will have the skin left on and will be left whole.

She did a great job, so I'll have to give her a tip!