Meat Bird Batch Economics: Twelve Weeks from Chick to Freezer
By Bertie Holcombe, Poultry Editor — Published 15 January 2026 · Last reviewed 10 March 2026
The freezer-full-of-chicken dream is achievable. Here is what it actually costs.
The 25-bird Cornish Cross batch
The Cornish Cross (also sold as Cornish Rock or Rock Cross) reaches 8-10 pounds live weight in 8 weeks on properly managed feed and reaches 12 weeks in an extended grow-out for heritage-finish flavor. At 8 weeks, you get a 5-7 pound dressed bird; at 12 weeks, 7-9 pounds.
For a household interested in filling a chest freezer, 25 birds is the minimum efficient batch — it amortizes the brooder setup, purchase order minimums from hatcheries, and processing day labor across enough birds to matter.
Mortality assumption for backyard production: 10-15%. Order 30 to finish 25.
Feed cost to harvest
Cornish Cross feed conversion: 2.0-2.5 lbs of feed per pound of live weight gain. A 9-pound live bird ate 18-22 lbs of feed. Broiler finisher at $0.55-0.70 per pound gives $9.90-$15.40 in feed per bird, or $248-385 for 25 birds.
This is the largest variable. Soy-free and non-GMO feeds cost $0.80-1.10 per pound — double the cost for a differentiated product few buyers will pay premium for.
There is no meaningful cost savings from foraging with Cornish Cross birds. They are selected for sedentary behavior and will not forage efficiently. If foraging matters to you, raise Freedom Rangers instead — they convert grass and insects into gain at a rate that actually offsets feed cost when given adequate range.
Processing options and cost
Home processing: free labor, $50-80 in equipment (scalder, plucker rental or ownership, kill cones). Learning curve is real — first-time processors average 30 minutes per bird alone; experienced processors working as a pair can do 15 birds per hour.
USDA-inspected processor: $4-8 per bird in most states. For 25 birds, $100-200. The advantage is inspected birds that can be sold legally.
Farm-pick-up processing: $8-14 per bird at many heritage-breed operations that do custom processing. Drives the batch cost up but eliminates the setup and labor of home processing.
Total realistic cost for 25 birds: $450-700, yielding 100-150 pounds of dressed chicken. At $600 average, that is $4.00-6.00 per pound. Comparable to good grocery-store free-range chicken at $5-7 per pound. Home-raised is not significantly cheaper; the value is in quality, certainty of source, and the experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I raise Cornish Cross in a chicken tractor?
Yes, but the tractor must be moved daily, as Cornish Cross produce manure at three times the rate of laying breeds. In hot climates, provide shade — Cornish Cross have poor heat tolerance and will pile on top of each other in heat stress, causing suffocation losses. Ventilation and shade are non-negotiable.