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| 1 day old - a few ounces |
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| 10 weeks old - 6 pounds |
To this:
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| Change indeed |
In what I promise to be the last post on Cornish Cross Meat Birds for a long time, this is the post where we look at the numbers and examine the hard facts about the birds. I think it is helpful to do this as it serves as a basis of comparison from year to year - sort of like a measuring stick. It may not provide all the answers you need, but at least starts you asking the right questions.
Date of Receipt: 01/03/2014
Date of Slaughter: 03/15/2014
Days old at Slaughter: 73
Weeks old at Slaughter: 10.43
Number of Birds Slaughtered: 92
Number of Birds Slaughtered: 92
Expenses:
- Purchased birds: $40.00 (101 birds at $0.40 per bird)
- Propane $10.00
- Waterer/Feeders $14.50
- Bulbs for Heat Lamp $19.55
- Fixed costs $37.50
- Ice $ 8.75
- Ziploc Bags $ 6.13
- Feed (40 bags @ $17.48) $699.20 {50 lb bags}
Total Cost: $835.63
Losses: 9 birds or 8.91% mortality rate - unfortunately, most of the losses occurred at the latter part of the ten week growing period, AFTER they had consumed a lot of feed. If they are going to die, you want them to die early on.
The math:
Cost per bird: $9.08
Cost per pound: $2.22
Feed consumed per bird: 21.74 pounds
Feed cost per bird: $7.60
Feed cost per pound: $0.35
At $9.08 per bird, those are some expensive birds. Notice the expenses DON'T include labor and it is a lot of work for 10 weeks to care for, then butcher, then cut them up. If you were to sell them, you would need to find clintele that placed a premium on a natural, quality bird versus the 'factory birds' you get at the grocery store.
Total pounds Cornish Cross carcasses whole: 376.07 pounds
Average pounds per bird: 92 birds: 4.09 pounds
This is very interesting information. Our records from 3 prior batches show that the size or average pounds per bird was not materially different from prior harvests. All other expenses compared to prior years were not materially different. I have to tip my hat to Parsley's Feed Store in Jennings as the feed cost per bag of Chick Grower remains the same price since 2012!
But the Huge difference was the Feed Consumed per bird: This year each bird consumed on average 21.75 pounds of feed. Last year each bird consumed on average only 12 pounds of feed!!! We experienced almost a doubling in the amount of feed the birds ate while harvesting a bird yielding the same carcass weight. Our feed cost per bird went from $4.20 per bird last year to $7.60 per bird this year - with NO CHANGE in the cost of feed! How can this be?
I certainly don't have an answer. I can tell you that the winter of 2014 was colder and wetter for longer than the 2013 crop year, which may have encouraged them to eat more this year to stay warm? Or perhaps the colder weather hindered grass growth which supplements their diets, causing them to eat more feed? Fact is, those are guesses and I just don't know. It remains a mystery.
Sometimes life throws you curve balls and you just have to choke up, stay in the batter's box and keep swinging for the fences. And that's what we'll do.
In the end, we have a better, more high quality bird than what you can buy in the store and we'll have some nice chickens to eat on all year long that were harvested right off of the pasture of Our Maker's Acres Family Farm. Sure, you can purchase a cheaper bird, but you can't purchase a better bird. These chickens will provide some mighty fine eating - and there's no mystery there!
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