Feed cost per pound to raise Cornish X broilers?

[PD-Riverman]

Thanks. Not a bad Idea there. I have exausted all of my used lumber, so I'll have to buy some, if I want to do that. I built it all with used wood savaged from other projects. I just had to by three sheets of OSB sheathing.

If only on the front----might save a nasty gash----that tin makes a nasty cut on the fore-head----use treated so it will last---want cost but a few dollars for the front side.

 

[jungleexplorer2]

All done! Birds in the coop and temporary watering and feeding systems installed. Time for a long shower and a much deserved supper, (and an Aleve. LOL!)

 

[PD-Riverman]

@aart

 

[aart]

@aart

Yo!

 

[jungleexplorer2]

So I got finally got my feed and watering systems installed.

 

[atevan1]

Very cool. How long will that OSB hold up unpainted? The roof should keep most rain off, especially if you take it in during the winter, but I'd think ambient moisture every morning would cause it to swell/disintegrate after a season or two. I was going to build a Salatin style tractor. Thoughts?

 

[jungleexplorer2]

Very cool. How long will that OSB hold up unpainted? The roof should keep most rain off, especially if you take it in during the winter, but I'd think ambient moisture every morning would cause it to swell/disintegrate after a season or two. I was going to build a Salatin style tractor. Thoughts?

OSB holds up quite well where I am at because it is so dry here. I have unpainted coops that are 12 years old the are still good. I plan to seal this coop though with elastometric roof coating. I am not familiar with the Salatin style. I kind of just built my own stuff by my own designs.

 

[jungleexplorer2]

Today marks exactly four weeks since I bought the CornishX chicks. The store said they were two weeks old when I bought them. I weighed some today. WOW! I was blown away. Most of them are over 7 pounds! One runt weighed in at 6.3 pounds. I would have never believe it was possible. Tomorrow they are going in the freezer. I am going to weigh them after they are dressed to see how much they weigh and use that figure to calculate what my cost per pound ended up being.

 

[atevan1]

I couldn't get unpainted OSB to last half the winter. Course we had a crazy wet winter this year. Good luck with your birds and the cool tractor.

 

[jungleexplorer2]

Okay. So I butchered up 10 birds today. Here are the stats. I weighed all the birds after I had cleaned and cut them up. Here is what I got. These weights are on the bone with skin. I used a calibrated postal scale to do this.


1. Breast = 11.72 pounds
2. Leg Quarters = 10.45 pounds
3. Wings = 3.72 pounds
4. Neck and backs = 7.59 pounds
5. Giblets = 1.52 pounds
6. Feet = 1.78 pounds.

TOTAL = 36.78 pounds.

Without the feet it is exactly 35 pounds. I eat the feet but not everyone does. So if you divide 35 by 10, you get 3.5lbs per bird on average.

Okay here are my cost so far.

50 Two week old Cornish X chicks = $20
3 bags of Naturewise Chick Starter Grower 18% @ $16.99 = $50.97
7 bags of Naturewise MeatBird 22% @ $14.99 = $104.93

TOTAL = $175.90

I paid $20 for 50 birds, but have lost four birds along the way so I am down to 46. So if the average weight is 3.5 lbs per bird, then using that average I get 46 X 3.5 = 161 pounds. If I then divide 175.90 by 161, I get = 1.09 cents per pound. The average price for organic whole chicken is around $2.99 per pound, so at $1.09 per pound, I came out way ahead.


I made a video of the butchering process for those that have never done this and want to see how it is done.


Here is the birds all vacuum sealed up.






A well deserved meal of Chicken Curry. Oh Yeah!