That is the commercial "broiler" Any bird who is "designed" to reach market weight in 6 weeks has a high mortality rate. They go down on their legs and you lose a fair %age because they "flip" (have heart attacks because thier heart can't cope with their body weight).
I've had 3 types of meat hybrids this year (though they were bought unintentionally - I though I was buying laying chicke lol).
I have JA857 which I think is a fairly new hybrid from Sasso/Hubbard They boys have been 4lb 4oz (each!) dressed at 12 and 13 weeks. Though I found them "hairy" after plucking and due to this I wouldnt get them again.
I also have Sasso Cendré, which dressed out to 4lb 10oz and 3lb 15oz at 12 and 13 weeks. Nice birds, easy to pluck, didn't have as much internal fat as the JA's Early crowers though - started at 9 weeks.
Today I'm doing the first of my naked necks (also a Sasso hybrid), and I'm expecting it will dress to about 5lbs - but can confirm tomorrow!
The birds were fed on ordinary chick crumb for 5 weeks then onto a grower for meat birds (none of the feed is medicated here). 13 growers will have gone through 75kg of growers at 9€ a 25kg sack, so not too bad in conversion (bearing in mind that my layers have been pinching the growers too.)
