what is a meatie chick?

[trunkman]

I just looked at Jaime44 post and some of the posts talked about a meatie chick that would have to be culled, what is a meatie chick? and whay does it have to be killed?

 

[TriciaHowe]

A meatie chick is usually a cornishX and they are very prone to leg and heart problems due to their fast growth. I don't know why hers is being culled but could be due to a physical problem....

Wanted to add that they are usually processed at 6-8 weeks...

 

[trunkman]

Thanks TriciaHowe. Do they discard them or are they good enough for dinner? sounds kinda morbid but I suppose you wouldn't want to just destoy the bird..

 

[jjparke]

It would depend on how old they are and why they are culling. I think cornish game hens are about 4 weeks old when they process.

 

[ChickyLaura]

My chickens are my "pets" right now. I am hoping that in the near future I can raise some for the dinner table, though. It might sound morbid, but I would rather know where my meat came from, and know that the animals that I am eating were well cared for and given the chance to free range, etc. Since I have started raising chickens, I have a very difficult time buying chicken from the store in the styrafoam trays. It just looks so gross to me now.

If I had the room to raise meat for beef, I'd probably feel the same way about beef, and pork, milk, etc.! I do like the idea of being self-sufficient. It's just not in the cards for us right now...

 

[TriciaHowe]

I totally get that

When you are ready to raise your own there is a great meat bird section on this forum that will give you a lot of direction. I have never done my own birds but have sold dual purpose breed cockerals to people knowing what they were going to be used for.

 

[pringle]

Cornish xs and get raised to start laying eggs but some usually dont make it along the way people are doing it right now on the meat section and its working out of as ong as you have strong birds and cull the weaker ones.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

you can avoid the leg problems and other problems with Cornish X, by watching feed in take or by using a ground feed with the right protein content, it took me 3 years to get it right, I use a ground feed and range them by having the feed in the building and the water outside. the ground feed also keeps the stink down

 

[jaimie44]

Hello! Im jaimie44 who the op was talking about. Jury is still out on whether or not I actually have a meatie. It was mixed in with SR chicks that I bought yesterday at TSC. Im hoping its not a meatie...I really wasnt intending to raise chicks to kill...