The Chicken Project - Raising 100 Meat Birds!

Under The Scope Outdoors presents The Chicken Project! This video has been shared for both educational and entertainment purposes.

Between the months of June, July and August, 2023, we had the opportunity to raise 100 White Cornish chickens. We purchased the day-old chicks from Peavey Mart.

When you go to a grocery store or market to buy chicken meat, it is most likely a Cornish-cross. This was the “breed” that revolutionized how people eat chicken across North America.

Is there a difference between commercially-raised and free-ranged chicken meat? Tune in to find out!

Our White Cornish chickens are a cross between the White Plymouth Rock and Cornish (Indian Game) chickens. This hybrid species of chicken is also nicknamed the “Race Car” chicken. Understandably due to the incredible speed at which these birds grow at. To raise ten pound birds in three months? That’s insane!  

The Origins of the Cornish Cross from:
https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/t...

"The person credited with the start of the meat bird craze was a woman named Celia Steele from Sussex County, Delaware. While her husband was working for the Coast Guard, she decided to bring in a little extra money raising chickens for meat. This side project quickly blossomed into something bigger, and by 1926 she had to build a 10,000-birdhouse to raise them! As broilers became more popular, the “Chicken of Tomorrow” contest was started with support from the United States Department of Agriculture. People would send their broiler eggs to hatcheries, where they would be hatched, raised, and then rated based on their meat production and feed conversion efficacy. The winner in 1948 was a White Plymouth Rock bred by Henry Saglio from Connecticut.
Another top broiler was a Red Cornish cross from Vantress hatchery, and eventually, they merged them to form the predecessor of the modern Cornish Cross."

We had a lot of fun with these birds. They are quite personable if you treat them with kindness.

Something I forgot to explain in the video:
Why do we move the shelter everyday?

The number one reason why we move the shelter everyday is because of the tremendous amount of poop! As fast as these birds grow, they will nonstop eat. In fact, they would eat themselves to death. These birds would much rather sit by the feeder all day. We more or less force them to move around, staying mobile is healthy. (Heart and leg issues are common among this breed.) A couple hours before we plan to move the shelter, we take the feed away. This helps up drum up the appetite for fresh clovers once we finally move them. We also take the feed pails away at night, helping the feeding schedule.

What’s your opinion? Any questions? Drop a comment and let us know what you think!

Thank you so much for watching the video! It is much appreciated.