Pay the least when you process broilers young

First of all, I have to admit that I was a bit over-optimistic with my previous assessment of our Black Australorp broilers' feed conversion rate.  It only became apparent a week after writing that post that ten of our thirteen broilers were girls!  Since pullets are slower growing than cockerels, I reanalyzed my data, taking the girls' lower feed consumption into account, and got a feed conversion rate of 5 instead of 4.5 at 11.7 weeks.  This ratio is still excellent compared to anything except Cornish Cross, so I'm not second-guessing our flock's foraging abilities.

On the other hand, I was disappointed to see that feed conversion rate increased markedly as I slaughtered the rest of the broilers over the next two and a half weeks.  For those of you stumbling over the ratio, that means I paid more in feed costs for each ounce the chickens put on as they aged.  Isn't it interesting how the Dark Cornish broilers from last year seemed to become less efficient at the same rate as this year's australorps, just ate more in general?  Both types of chickens were probably on the downward curve of the chicken growth rate graph --- no growth spurts going on here.

I plan to process the rest of our broilers right at 12 weeks for the sake of economics, but there are a few factors that might make you inclined to wait longer.  Some sources report that older chickens impart a more complex flavor to soup if you age the birds for up to five days in the fridge then cook with moist heat (submerged in water or in a lidded roaster with water in the bottom) at no more than 325 degrees Fahrenheit or at a light simmer.  You might also choose to slaughter your birds when they're older if you spent a lot on purchasing and brooding your chicks and want a bigger return on your investment.  Finally, if you're raising just a few chickens at a time on a diversified homestead, you might be feeding the chickens little or nothing in storebought feed, in which case every ounce the birds put on is free.