Meat Chickens: Week 8

Well, this is their last week. I’m feeding them well today (5/11) because tomorrow, 5/12 they’ll be in the freezer.

It’s a bit bittersweet, I have really grown to like these big guys. They’re quite friendly and talkative. But I also understand that the Cornish X as a breed isn’t built to live beyond butcher age.

I was considering holding off until 10 weeks, but with temperatures rising and my out-of-town schedule becoming more & more hectic, I decided this weekend would be the weekend. They really won’t get much larger (if any), and I don’t see a point in increasing the feed bill for a very minimal gain.

So, I’ll feed them well today, give them their last bit of pets, and prepare myself for tomorrow.

Luckily for us, our friend is bringing her chicken plucker, so we should have all 11 butchered in no time. Our shrink bags and labels also arrived on time, so we will be able to do everything properly. Excited to weigh them tomorrow and see price per lb.

Our total investment has been $81, and final cost per bird comes out to $7.36 (should be $6.75 but we lost one chicken to the possum).

I’ll post a blog with some photos and our end products from butcher day tomorrow.

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