Cornish Cross Spring 2019

[baymule]

I’m raising 20 for a customer. Our DD and family likes the chicken breast, so they are welcome to that tasteless mush. We like the leg quarters and wings, can-the backs for the dogs.

I’ll have old layers to slaughter in the fall. I can the meat and make broth to can. I have 17 EE chicks and more eggs in the incubator. Half will be roosters and DH and I like their breast meat for stir fry. The leg quarters for fried chicken, backs for dog food and more broth.

 

[baymule]

I just looked at the calendar and they are 8 weeks and 3 days old. Very few roosters in this batch. I think I'll take the digital bathroom scale out tomorrow and weigh some of them. Looks like we will be slaughtering soon.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Geeze - I forgot you had them! Hope they are ready for freezer camp!

 

[baymule]

We will probably start on them next week.

 

[Beekissed]

How has your tractor worked out, Bay? Got any pics of your birds now?

 

[baymule]

The tractor has worked about a thousand times better than what I built last year. It is heavy, but I move it by picking up one end. I do a slow sweep motion to move the chickens over, then go back a little to set it down, so I don't squish any. I do both ends several times, then bed with fresh hay. I don't have pictures, my phone is full and I need to download to the computer. We've been looking at the calendar to see what days we don't have appointments or other obligations, so we can get started on putting them in the freezer.

It pains me, but I will not be making broth from them. We'll be slaughtering old layers this fall and they make a rich deep yellow broth. The CCX make a grayish broth. It's good, but nothing like old layers broth. LOL Besides, I still have CCX broth from last year.

 

[Mini Horses]

Besides, I still have CCX broth from last year.

Dogs would love some!

 

[Beekissed]

I agree about CX broth...not nearly as rich as an older bird's broth.

I'm glad it worked so well for you....now you have it and can use it again and again. Will you get more CX in the fall?

 

[Chic Rustler]

Do you have a plucker?

 

[baymule]

Dogs would love some!

They will have chicken dog food. I can the backs, necks, heart, liver, and gizzards for them. I do keep out some gizzards and livers for us, we like them fried.

I agree about CX broth...not nearly as rich as an older bird's broth.

I'm glad it worked so well for you....now you have it and can use it again and again. Will you get more CX in the fall?

It looks that way. I have 40 birds, 20 are sold. We give chicken to our DD and family, 20 chickens are not going to last long. We'll give 1 or 2 to our neighbor, Jimmy, who has an ice machine. Bless him, he just fixed it and sent us pictures of the ice, saying that he knew we were going to be slaughtering chickens soon. And we'll give a couple to our neighbor Robert and his wife. Good neighbors are a Blessing.

Do you have a plucker?

Yup, sure do! My husband! LOL He is real good at chicken pickin'.

We are geared up to start in the morning. Plans are to slaughter 10, so I can get them cut up and vacuum sealed. And we went and filled the ice chest with ice.