Last creepy meat question, I promise!

[big brown horse]

Mine are 9 weeks old today. I fed them local organic feed and totally free ranged them since they were 3 weeks old.

Question: They don't look as big as they should be. I was expecting really big monsters. Is it the exercise they got?

(We are butchering them tomorrow.)

Oh and two are really lethargic..normal?

 

[miss_thenorth]

Did you get cornish x or red rangers? How did the organic feed compar nutrition wise to th meat builder ( you can look on the purina website to get the facts). Have you weighed them? Mine finished out at 10 lb average, dressed at 10 weeks., but mine were onPurina meatbuilder, but alos freeranged. If that helps to wiegh them if you don;'thave a scale, compare to a 10 lb bag of potatoes or something, just so you can get a ball park guesstimate.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Oh, and the lethargic ones, are their combs red or sort of bluish. Are they the fattest ones? Blue combs means heart problems, but lethargic, as in too fat to move around, is normal. If their combs are bluish, proces them first.

 

[TanksHill]

When I raised my Cornish X they were no where near as big as I hoped. The problem was I did not have free flowing feed at all times. I thought if I controlled it a bit more they would have less chance falling over dead and developing leg problems. It kinda backfired. My dressed weight averaged out at 4lbs. Very disappointing.

I was wondering how things went.

g

 

[big brown horse]

They are cornish crosses. And I fed them 12 hours on and then took away the food for 12 hours. They are on an organic "broiler grower". I need to check the label.

The lethargic ones aren't even the biggest...but yes I think I'll do them first thing in the morning.

I'm guessing they might weigh 4 lbs undressed. lol

Thanks you guys!

 

[big brown horse]

Here is what I feed them: http://www.scratchandpeck.com/sfbroiler

 

[Farmfresh]

Mine always LOOK short, but they are WIDE and meaty. Have you actually weighed them?

 

[big brown horse]

I think you are right FarmFresh, I think they aren't as small as I originally thought. I just went out there and picked up one of the biggest ones. I'm actually surprised and pleased that he looks like the size of a store bought chicken, so I think we are good. I need to weigh them...I do have a digital bathroom scale...


They all are sorta dirty on their backsides though. I think it is because they lay down at night rather than roost. Does this happen to your meat birds?

Only one is lethargic now. No blue comb though. I hand fed and watered her...she ate hapily.

I can't wait to put them up into freezer camp!

 

[FarmerJamie]

My meaties are a pain to keep clean, even with fresh litter every other day and being pastured. With all the rain we've had, the ground is all mud. A hose off before processing, and they are good to go.

Waiting to see how this works out for you!

 

[Beekissed]

I only fed mine once a day on layer mash and whole grains and then added some cracked corn in the end. They free ranged all day and I fed in the evenings. I butchered at 11 weeks and they averaged 10# live and 5-6 #dressed. They were all healthy and clean right up until the B day, moving around easily and active except in the heat of the day. And they had to climb up a ramp when they wanted feed and water for the first several weeks and I finally moved their water outside later on.

I don't think too much exercise would keep them small or mine would have been so. They seemed to get to a plateau around 8-9 weeks and didn't gain much after that, so the extra weeks didn't seem to add more size.

Sally, I don't know what could have caused your bird's symptoms.