Could yall share some pics of the coups/pens that yall keep the cornishx birds in?
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We do 3,000 to 5,000 a year all on pasture. We don't do cornish x as they don't survive the altitude here (7200 ft) well. We raise Freedom Rangers and have great success with them. They take about 10-14 days longer than the cornish, but we don't lose near as many and average a 4 pound carcass.
I would suggest either rationing their feed for the first 3 weeks and only feeding 12 hours on and 12 hours off or moving their feeders around so that you don't get birds that park it in front of the feeder and then can't get up and have a heart attack.
As for processing, if you don't have the equipment, a turkey fryer makes a great scalder. Add 2 - 3 drops off dawn dish soap to your water. It helps get the feathers off of them.
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Originally posted by Grizz83 View PostCould yall share some pics of the coups/pens that yall keep the cornishx birds in?
We feed fermented non-GMO, organic feed. This batch will likely have cockerels between 5-6lbs and pullets between 4-5lbs at 7.5 weeks. I couldn’t imagine what they would weigh at 12 weeks.
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Originally posted by elgato View PostAwesome set up. Tell me more about your feed. Where do you get it from. We tried pallet loads from Coyote Creek I think. Was pricey and frankly meat chickens didn't do as well
This is the first batch of broilers on Coyote Creek. We switched earlier this year from Lonestar Non-GMO (outside of Waco) simply because we wanted to go organic (we were very happy with Lonestar for both layers and broilers). I raised a batch off of TSC organic last fall and these seem to be performing better. I’ll know for sure at slaughter.
I’ve tried soy-free non-GMO with lackluster results and was sure I wouldn’t go back, but I’m about to start a test run from Coyote Creek with their soy-free starter. It has multiple protein sources, including crab and cold-water wild fish meal, but what convinced me to give it a shot is the Fertrell involvement in the rationing. A 2013 experiment (not mine) showed an Omega 6:3 ratio of 3:1 from soy-free broilers-that’s comparable to grass-fed beef and huge (to me) from a health perspective.
My layers are on soy-free Coyote Creek and have done very well.
Non-GMO from Lonestar is about .35/lb by ton (I think). I buy the Coyote Creek for .49/lb by the ton, so it’s not cheap-but reasonable for what I consider quality fresh-milled feed. I pull my trailer up and they fill it straight into barrels. We ferment it for 2-4 days depending on temps. I’ll know on April 16th whether fermenting improves FCR or simply eliminates waste.
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I don't now but grew up eatin' barnyard chickens from grandma's house, that's how I'd do it if I were gonna go into raisin' them for food again, just let the layin' hens hatch off a few nest every year then kill n pluck as needed. We also ate a fair amount of guineas and the occasional duck or turkey.
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Originally posted by tex4k View PostI don't now but grew up eatin' barnyard chickens from grandma's house, that's how I'd do it if I were gonna go into raisin' them for food again, just let the layin' hens hatch off a few nest every year then kill n pluck as needed. We also ate a fair amount of guineas and the occasional duck or turkey.
My personal preference is the dark, firm meat of a heritage bird. The stock is beyond comparison to hybrid meat birds.
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Originally posted by JonW View PostThis is the first batch of broilers on Coyote Creek. We switched earlier this year from Lonestar Non-GMO (outside of Waco) simply because we wanted to go organic (we were very happy with Lonestar for both layers and broilers). I raised a batch off of TSC organic last fall and these seem to be performing better. I’ll know for sure at slaughter.
I’ve tried soy-free non-GMO with lackluster results and was sure I wouldn’t go back, but I’m about to start a test run from Coyote Creek with their soy-free starter. It has multiple protein sources, including crab and cold-water wild fish meal, but what convinced me to give it a shot is the Fertrell involvement in the rationing. A 2013 experiment (not mine) showed an Omega 6:3 ratio of 3:1 from soy-free broilers-that’s comparable to grass-fed beef and huge (to me) from a health perspective.
My layers are on soy-free Coyote Creek and have done very well.
Non-GMO from Lonestar is about .35/lb by ton (I think). I buy the Coyote Creek for .49/lb by the ton, so it’s not cheap-but reasonable for what I consider quality fresh-milled feed. I pull my trailer up and they fill it straight into barrels. We ferment it for 2-4 days depending on temps. I’ll know on April 16th whether fermenting improves FCR or simply eliminates waste.
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