Thinking about raising some chickens...

[lillie]

Does anyone here raise meat chickens?

I've been thinking hard about trying it for quite a few years now. Does anyone have some good advice for a beginner?

I was thinking of starting small, maybe getting a dozen chicks. I live on 5 acres so I would like to let them be free range if at all possible, but how do you keep them from wandering off? Also, I have a bunch of barn cats - so maybe free range isn't going to work?

Then there's my reluctant hubby who things we'll just end up with a bunch of pet chickens because we're all too sappy and sentimental when it comes time to actually turn them into dinner. So yeah he probably has a good point there but I think if I keep it in my head from the get-go that these are not pets, they are food, I won't get all attached. I've thought about trying laying hens as well but really we don't eat a whole lot of eggs so it would be kind of a waste. I think I've purchased 2 cartons of eggs in the last year - just to bake cakes and stuff with. But I love to eat chicken, so if I could raise my own and know that they were treated ethically and not pumped full of growth hormones and junk, why not??

Any advice would be appreciated, even just a little "you can do it!"

 

[momofdrew]

it takes about 8 weeks to raise fryer meat birds add a couple of weeks to that for broiler/bakers and a few more for fowls to make yummy soups... you can always send them out to be slaughtered... go to BYC our sister forum for great info about birds

 

[vfem]

I decided to do this, and went to Tractor Supply to get cornish x last week, and my friend tried to talk me out of it. So I went back after hubby talked me back into it and they were gone. They got in a new supply of 50 yesterday so I went up after work and all 50 were gone. I'm starting to think its a sign I shouldn't do this!?

The plan was, I have 4 broody silkies and I was going to have them raise the chicks for me in the silkie pen. Save me some work... before the dirty deed.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

I think you will never know until you try it! We have had laying hens for years and this year have some meat birds coming. It is my understanding that by the time the 8 weeks or so rolls around, you are ready to get rid of them. They poo more than layers, they eat more then layers, they aren't as pretty as some layers (I am speaking of cornishX not a heritage that would be pretty but take longer to grow out). And a meat bird is only a 8-10 week commitment where as the layers are for the long haul.

You have to keep your chickens in a brooder, with heat for a while, then you can move them to your yard with their house. Even if you let them free range, you should have an area attached to their house that you can lock them in. (fencing) So when you first move them out there, keep them locked within the fenced area for a few days so that they know where there new home is and know where their food and water is. Then you can let them out to free range. They won't go too far from their food source; especially meat birds who are eating all the time unless you restrict them.

Typically a cat will not try and catch anything larger than it is. It won't take too long before meat birds are larger than a cat.

As momofdrew says, backyardchickens.com has so much information on it, you could spend the whole day reading!

Best wishes and let us all know what you decide!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree. The BYC sister forum is a great place for information.

In general, raising chickens is not hard. They need a certain amount of space, food, water, and protection from the elements and predators. They are pretty adaptable.

There are a lot of different ways you could go. If you get the Broilers, Cornish Cross, Cornish X (these are all the same thing) these are chickens especially bred to reach harvest size in 6 to 8 weeks. It's what you buy at the store. They are really tender because they are so young. There are always exceptions and ways around it, but unless you take special precautions such as limiting feed, if you don't harvest them when they are ready, they start dying or breaking down. They grow so fast their skeleton can't support their weight or their heart just gives out. They are basically eating and pooping machines. They are the most efficient way to grow meat though.

Then you have what are called dual purpose chickens. These do not grow as fast and can be kept for years. In my opinion, there is not enough meat on them to butcher until they are about 15 weeks old, and I prefer 18 weeks, but this can vary some by how you feed them. These are much easier to free range and all that, but they are tougher since they are older when you oprocess them. You have to watch how you cook them. This usually involved slow cooking in a moist environment. Each of us is different, but I really like the flavor of one of these chickens.

If processing is hard for you, you might be able to find someone local that will process them for you, maybe for money or maybe to share the meat. You can watch or maybe help and learn how yourself. There are ways to do about anything.

Can you do it? Absolutely. What's the best way for you? I don't have a clue. I suggest you spend some time over on BYC, read some threads, and ask some questions.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/f/

 

[gardentoad]

Chickens chickens chickens, as you can tell I like chickens
We have layers, breeds, pets, and food.. We eat a lot of eggs and sell a few..I also hatch chicks for sale.
They give us stuff for our garden and work very hard on pest control..they also a great form of entertainment, we sit on the porch and just laugh at the way they interact with our barn cats we have 7 and our goats plus turkeys

Get chickens and have some fun

Don

 

[lillie]

THANKS everyone!! It's so nice to get a some encouragement instead of listening to the Hub poo-poo all over my ideas.

I have actually been reading the heck out of BYC, I didn't realize it was a sister site to this forum. How cool is that??

I will probably order some chickens from the McMurray hatchery, they're close enough that I can take a day and drive down to get them. One of my co-workers takes his chickens to a small processor, so he could hook me up that way so I don't have to do it. I know I could never "do the deed" myself. I'm a wimp.

Off to read more at BYC - I really think I can do this.

 

[nittygrittydirtdigger]

It sounds like you are looking for meat birds, and I've never gone that route. However, we eat a lot more eggs than we use to, because the fresh, free range eggs are SOOOOOOO much better than storebought. They also have more omega-3s and less cholestral than battery hen eggs. You can have chickens for eggs without needing a rooster.

Mmmm, now I'm thinking of yummy omelets, chili rellenos, frittatas, custards.....I'm hungry!

 

[peteyfoozer]

We LOVE raising our own chicken. If you get CornishX which are the most popular meaties, cuz they finish at about 8 weeks of age, you will have 3 weeks in a brooder (we put a kiddy pool sized trough in the living room with a light cuz its snowing outside). They can be a little tricky as they will eat themselves practically to death and get leg problems from the rapid weight gain if you don't moderate their commercial feed. THere is lots of good info on the net. We free ranged ours from 3 to 8 weeks on the lawn, they did fantastic, but I have Maremma guardian dogs to protect them from hawks and other predators.
Nothing tastes like home grown chicken!

 

[StupidBird]

And if the cornish x's are all gone, try some nice dual purpose bird breeds; buff orphingtons are good layers, big. Roosters are delicious, slow roast moist heat, or slow stewed. Best broth there is. DH wants some cornish x's to try. We'll see.
I've got my hands full with other projects right now.