2020 Meat Birds - Week Six

It is Wednesday Weigh Day.  As we check in on the chickens, we can see that they continue to grow.  They are filling up the tractor, whereas they used to only encompass just a minimal area.  The big white birds eat, poop, waddle around and start all over again.

We move the birds to fresh grass several times every day.  They poop a lot contributing to a nasty area that we don't want them standing around in.  One thing we've started doing differently this week is now we leave the light off at night.  In past weeks, they would eat all night.  Now we feed once in the morning, once around mid-day, and once in the late afternoon.  It's important to keep their water filled.  They drink a lot of water - about 10 gallons a day.  We have rain barrels in the back that we sequester rainwater off the roof and then water the chickens with it.

I picked up the bird for weighing tonight.  My method is to pick the very first bird by the door.  The trouble with weighing is that I can't ever locate the same bird to weigh.  The birds' weights vary.  Anyway, this gives us a pretty good Idea of where the birds are in terms of growth of carcass and weight gain.  I have to snap the photo quickly.  They don't like to be placed on top of the scale.

Here is where we are tonight:

Week Six 2020: 6 pounds 4 ounces.  Last week the bird weighed 3 pounds 12 ounces - a weight gain of 2 and a half pounds in a week!  Something is wrong there.  I think I picked up a monster bird.  That is the most weight they have ever gained in a week.  Tomorrow I'll look for the smallest in the tractor and weigh it.  Remember the goal we are shooting for to slaughter is all of them being 6 pounds.  A 6 pound bird yields a 4 pound carcass.

Here are comparisons from previous years:

• Week Six 2019: 4 pounds 5 ounces.
• Week Six 2018: 5 pounds 4 ounces.  
• Week Six 2017: 4 pounds 8 ounces.
• Week Six 2016: 5 pounds 1 ounce.

See ya for the weigh-in next week!