Backyard Broilers -- Round 2: The Results

The remaining 8 broilers graduated yesterday.  I started with the first one at 8:00.  One of my buddies and his son arrived at 10:00 to help.  We finished right around 2:00. 

I let the birds sit in coolers with ice over night and put them in heat shrink bags this afternoon.

This was the biggest bird of the entire group.  6 lbs. 7.2 oz.

I've listed my expenses in the table below.  I have to note that while I was away last week I ran out of feed.  One neighbor brought some more over and the different neighbor picked up another 50 lb. bag.  I have no idea how much the birds ate during that time.  Therefore, I can't say exactly how much feed it took to get them to their finish weight or what the exact cost was.  (I have great neighbors by the way.) 

Description	Cost
15 Cornish Cross Chicks	$24.00
100 lbs. Purina Start and Grow feed	$29.98
Vitamin packets	$2.99
200 lbs. Soy Free Organic feed	$144.00
50 lbs. Purina Layer feed	$17.00*

Total Cost: $217.97

* I ran out of soy-free feed and had to use a partial bag of feed that I had for my layers. Since it was partially used I probably shouldn't add the entire $17 to my costs.  But it's also the case that my layers were eating the soy-free feed.  So that $144.00 didn't go entirely to feeding the broilers. 

I've listed the weights of my processed birds below. 

Bird	Date	Weight
Bird 1	May 31	4 lbs. 7.2 oz
Bird 2	May 31	4 lbs. 15.8 oz
Bird 3	May 31	4 lbs. 7.6 oz
Bird 4	May 31	4 lbs. 6 oz
Bird 5	May 31	4 lbs. 8 oz
Bird 6	May 31	4 lbs. 14.8 oz
Bird 7	June 3	4 lbs. 5 oz
Bird 8	June 14	6 lbs. 7.3 oz
Bird 9	June 14	6 lbs. 0.3 oz
Bird 10	June 14	6 lbs. 6.1 oz
Bird 11	June 14	6 lbs. 1.9 oz
Bird 12	June 14	5 lbs. 10.9 oz
Bird 13	June 14	6 lbs. 2.2 oz
Bird 14	June 14	5 lbs. 15.8 oz
Bird 15	June 14	5 lbs. 10.1 oz

Total: 80.4375 lbs. (80 lbs. 7 oz.)

Cost per pound: $217.97 / 80.4375 = $2.71

I'm real pleased with the cost / pound.  I raised 11 Freedom Rangers last year and ended up with 44 lbs. of meat at a cost of $3.45/lb.  The 15 Cornish Cross birds I did this year yielded almost twice as much meat at a lower cost / pound. 

It's pretty clear from the results that letting the birds go an extra two weeks allowed them to gain a lot more weight.  I have to wonder though what the cost/pound would have been had I done all of them at 8 weeks and if the additional meat is worth the additional cost of feed.  I can't really answer that with the information I have.

I'm very pleased with the results.  From the information above I'd say that the Cornish Cross is the definite winner over the Freedom Ranger.  What I haven't mentioned so far is the mortality rate.  At the beginning I ordered 50 chicks. Those birds were split up among 5 families.  I kept 15 for myself and didn't lose a single one.  I've heard from some of the other families, and know of at least 7 birds that didn't make it to the freezer.  I think one may have been taken by a predator.  The others just died.  Anyway, 7 out of 50 birds equals a 15% loss.  I've heard that the Cornish Cross can have health issues so I don't think this is unexpected.  What is hard to explain is how one family lost 4 of 6 birds and another lost 3 out of 10.  When you look at those percentages the losses are much bigger.  They were all raised in different conditions so it's hard to say what happened, but I feel like I need to throw it out there.

(Updated June 16)
After I initially posted this last night it occurred to me that the cost per pound comparison between the Cornish Cross and the Freedom Rangers is even more drastic than I first thought.  Last year I raised the Freedom Ranger birds entirely on cheap Purina feed.  About 50% of the feed I used for the Cornish Cross birds was expensive non-GMO soy-free organic feed and they still ended up having a lower cost per pound! 

Backyard Broilers -- Round 2: Week 10

I didn't plan on having these birds around this long.  They were supposed to go in the freezer between 8 and 9 weeks.  That didn't work out.  I was out of town for the past week so I didn't get to process the rest of the birds.  Luckily my neighbors were kind enough to feed and water them (and the rabbits).

Since I wasn't here I don't have much more to add.

 It'll be really interesting to see how much more they weigh after an extra two weeks.  They look huge!

Backyard Broilers -- Round 2: Week 9

The first batch of birds went in the freezer last Saturday. 

The broilers are enjoying some time in the yard.

I used the same setup that I used last year.  I used a cone over a bucket for dispatching the birds. 

Then I scalded them in hot water that I kept between 140-150*.  I bought a two burner hot plate to keep the water at the right temperature. 

Plucking the feathers is still the most time consuming part of the process.  I didn't time how long it took each bird, but I time one at 42 minutes.  

After the birds were plucked and gutted they went into a cooler of ice water. 

I processed 6 of my birds and a buddy brought 7 of his birds.  It took us about 8.5 hours to process all 13 birds.  It was a long day.

The remaining birds have a lot more room around the feeder now.

On Monday night I went out to check on the birds.  I found one sitting 10 ft. away from their tractor.  So I picked it up and put it inside.  When I let them out Tuesday morning that bird didn't move.  Then I noticed feathers everywhere.  The other birds must have been picking on her.

She appeared to be lame.  I don't know what was wrong, but she wouldn't walk or even stand.  I took her out of the tractor, sat the waterer in front of her and left for work.

When I got home that night I found her about 4 ft from where I had left her.  She still wouldn't stand or walk.  Otherwise she seemed fine.  I picked her and examined her.  He legs looked fine.  They didn't appear to be broken.  I really don't know what was wrong.

Rather than see her suffer I decided to put her in the freezer.  During the process I found something that I don't remember seeing before.  It was a clear-ish jelly like sack.  It looked like the beginning of an egg.  I thought it took 20 weeks or so before a chicken will lay.  Although I don't know for certain that it actually was an egg...

I've been impressed with the size of these birds.  The smallest one was 4 lbs. 5 oz and the biggest was 4 lbs. 15 oz.  The rest were right around 4.5 lbs.

Backyard Broilers -- Round 2: Week 8

They made it.  I haven't counted lately, but I'm pretty sure I still have all 15 of my birds.  They made it to 8 weeks.  According to the hatchery I got them from they should be 5.5-6 lbs.  

I'm probably going to feel a little bad about putting these guys in the freezer.  They don't even run from me.  When I go out to check on them they swarm around my feet.  They know that I provide the food. 

They still spend a lot of time eating.  They finished off another 50 lb. bag of soy free feed this past week.  I have one more 50 lb. bag.  Hopefully it'll be enough. 

I have to fill this gallon waterer at least once a day.  The quart waterer gets filled more frequently than that.  And... They've also figured out how to use the poultry nipple waterer.  They drink a lot of water.

I don't know how long it's going to take me to process these birds.  I averaged an hour per bird last year.  I'm hoping that it doesn't take that long this time. 

Backyard Broilers -- Round 2: Week 7

I don't have a whole lot new to say about these birds.  They finished off the second 50 lb. bag of soy-free feed.  I'm waiting for my source to get another shipment.  In the mean time, I've been feeding them the Purina feed I bought for the layers.  That 50 lb. bag was 2/3 full and as of tonight it's empty.  I'm hoping that I can get more of the soy-free stuff tomorrow.  If not, I'll have to stop and pick up another bag of Purina. 

They're always anxious to be let out in the morning.

These birds actually seem to be more active as they've gotten older.  For a while there they were quite lazy.  They were spending their days just laying under the coop.  Now I find them out foraging several times a day.  (Maybe they don't like the Purina feed?)

 

 

7 weeks old.

Foraging in the yard.

Backyard Broilers -- Round 2: Week 6

I say it every week.  These guys grow fast!  It's hard to believe that they're going to start going in the freezer in another two weeks. 

This batch of birds has been a lot less work to raise than last year's batch.  Keeping the chicken tractor stationary is a lot easier than moving it each day.

Cornish Cross at 6 weeks.

They still spend most of their time hanging out around the coop.  I have seen them venture into the yard a few times, but they don't stay there long.

They still eat like crazy.  I bought 100 lbs. of soy-free organic feed two weeks ago.  I'm going to need more real soon.  It took them one week to finish the first 50 lb. bag and they're getting close to the bottom of the second bag.

They go through a lot of water as well.  I have a 5-gallon bucket feeding poultry nipples in the tractor along with another poultry nipple waterer on the coop.  In addition to those I keep a 1-quart waterer in the tractor and a 1-gallon waterer next to it.  Believe it or not, I have to fill the 5-gallon bucket and the two stand alone waterers every day (the waterer on the coop is attached to a 60-gallon rain barrel so I don't bother with it).  I don't know if they're drinking that much water or spilling it, or if it's evaporating, but it's going somewhere. 

Well, like I said above, in another two weeks these guys will be graduating to the freezer!  I'm not looking forward to that, but it's part of the process.

Backyard Broilers -- Round 2: Week 5

The birds are a week older and they're still doing just fine.  Initially I ordered 50 birds and kept 15 for myself.  The rest were split up among 4 other families.  I've heard from two of those families that they've lost birds (3 in total).  I haven't had any problems so far. 

I decided to move the tractor closer to the coop.  That puts it closer to the shed which is where I keep the food. 

The broilers are quite lazy.  They don't journey into the yard anymore.  I prop up the tractor in the morning and they rush out to swarm the feeder.  Then they spend the rest of the day laying under the coop.

They've gotten big fast.  They wobble around when they walk.  It's kind of funny to watch. 

They get picked on by the layers.  I started feeding the broilers soy-free organic feed last week.  Well, the layers won't eat their feed any more.  They just strut right up to the feeder and force the broilers out of the way.  Eventually they leave and the broilers go back to eating.  Silly birds...

Backyard Broilers -- Round 2: Week 4

It's been a busy week with the broilers.  The big news is that they have all moved into the back yard.  They are out of the garage!!! 

Last year I kept 11 birds in two chicken tractors.  I had to move each tractor twice a day.  It was a lot of work.  I don't feel like doing it again.  I decided instead to just prop up the front of the tractor with a block of wood.  I've been keeping the feed in the tractor so it's protected from the rain.  I've been putting the water outside, but not too far away.  This has worked out well so far.  The birds seem to enjoy being able to move around.

The dog makes sure they get some exercise.

The birds make a mess under the tractor, so I still end up moving it once a day.  It's easier though, since they aren't generally in it.  

They eat like crazy.

They drink like crazy too.

It took my 15 birds 4 weeks to finish off the first 100 lbs. of feed that I bought.  Since I'm going through all of this effort to raise my own birds I decided to look into a better feed.  I found a person not far from where I live selling soy-free organic chicken feed from Countryside Organics.  They order it in bulk for their own use and sell it to people like me. 

I have no idea if using soy-free organic feed is going to produce a better bird or not.  I'd like to think so.  I figure it's worth trying.  The only down side is the cost.  A 50 lbs. bag is $36.  That's double what the regular feed costs. 

I got tired of refilling the little feeder multiple times a day.  I put the big feeder in there instead.  It should hold enough feed to last them a few days (I hope).

Backyard Broilers -- Round 2: Week 3

The broilers have gotten big!  There just isn't enough space for them in my garage.  Even with them split into two groups there isn't enough room.  Twice now one of the birds has escaped.  The other day I found one standing standing next to the cage looking confused.  My son said that the same thing happened today.  It must've jumped out of the tub.

The lack of adequate space leads to a huge mess.  They are knocking over their food and water and they're getting pine shavings everywhere. 

They've scattered pine shavings everywhere.  It's actually worse than what's shown here.

They are 3 weeks old and have most of their feathers.  So I decided that today some of them would move into the yard.  The forecast doesn't show it going below 50* for the next week.  I didn't want to put all of them out there just in case they can't manage when it's that cold.  It's better to lose half than all of them.

I put a larger waterer in there with them.  I need to hook up the one I used last year.

  They seem a lot happier in the tractor.  They certainly have a lot more space. 

It didn't take them long to find the food.  They were scratching and pecking at the ground as well. 

As for the remaining 8 birds...  I split them up between the cage and the tub.  Maybe they'll have enough room with just 4 in each.

 They sure do eat a lot.

Backyard Broilers -- Round 2: Week 2

I can't wait to get these things into the yard and out of my garage.  They're a lot of work.  They pretty much just eat, drink, and sleep.  I can see why they are the bird of choice for meat. 

I fill their feeder and waterer every night before I go to bed.  When I get up in the morning they are both empty.  I've actually had to refill their water after just 4 hours! 

Up to this point I've been moving them between the tub and the cage.  That way I can clean one while they're in the other.  Unfortunately they've gotten too big for that.  They don't all fit comfortably in either.  So I split them up.  I put 8 chicks in the tub and 7 in the cage.  This also allows me to double the amount of water and food accessible.

They sure aren't the prettiest breed of chicken.