They are about 6 weeks old, and heavy...but still small. I would guess they should be ready based on weight, but I am not sure what weight they need to be at. I dont know how much weight is lost during butchering. If I want 5lb chickens finished...should they be 6 or 7lbs? Any help?
When are my broilers ready to butcher?
Oh...and here is the greatest site ever for how to butcher your own! http://butcherachicken.blogspot.com/2007/09/step-1-getting-ready-to-butcher.html
We raise a Cornish Cross and butcher every 8 weeks...some of them get to 9 weeks but more than that and we have found it is wasting food. They have reached their max wt in that time. The hens were fairly consistent at 5.5# and the roosters were 6.5-7 #. When butchering any other heavy breed it takes longer for them to reach a "fryer" wt of 3-4 #... we usually try one at 4 months and decide after that "sampling". Good luck! And -- Enjoy the results at any size!
Thank you so much! I think they have another week or two then.