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I just took my first lot of 25 to the processors today. They feel much smaller than last time so I believe that is from mixing too much barley in with their grower ration. It's okay as I had lots of requests for smaller birds but it is something I will keep in mind for next time and will do a...

Have any of you made transport crates for your chickens at home? Right now we borrow ours from the processor but would like to try going to a different processor who is further away and who does not let clients borrow their crates. We want to avoid wood because it's hard to get really clean...

Thanks for your responses everyone. :) What I forgot to mention is that where I live you have to have them processed at a licensed plant in order to sell them and they book up fast so I have to book my processing dates in the next few days. I think you're right about going with my instincts...

I am enjoying having my second batch of happy broilers running around the coop. :) They are 2.5 weeks old and are eating a mixture of non-medicated chick starter and crushed barley (at a ratio of 4:1 ) all fermented with ACV. Last time I processed at 8 weeks and got some really nice weights...

It was my first time doing it so not sure how it would compare to free feeding the dry food. My lowest weight was 4.36 and my highest was 6.7 dressed. I think the average was 5.7 dressed. There were only a couple in the 4 range and the rest were larger. I know that others get birds in the 7...

Hi there, yes, I did it with my last batch and had really good success with it. They were super healthy and active right up until processing day. They did not lie around the feeder all day, my guys loved to play and forage and would run to the fence whenever they saw me. They were very gentle...

I'm fermenting chick starter and then grower/finisher mixed with barley for them, they have a large coop with an outdoor run attached, and we'll do them at 8 weeks again.

Hey there, my lowest weight was 4.36 and my highest was 6.7 dressed. I think the average was 5.7 dressed. There were WAY more big guys than small. These guys were fed FF twice daily, had fans on 24/7 the whole time and were outdoors all day long and then in a cushy indoor coop at night. The...

I'm getting some in Mid September to be processed at 8 weeks. We have pretty mild weather here on the coast so it should work well.

Just to follow up on my own question ha ha. I fed the fermented starter and grower feed, fed them twice a day and processed them at 8 weeks and they were huge! My next batch comes in mid-September and Im going to be adding in some whole barley to slow that down a little. Still going to...

Yes and yes. :) I was surprised too. I thought that they would be smaller than that and i'd already promised the girls at work that I would get them small birds ha ha. I will let you know about flavour once the reports come rolling in! :)

I think so! I have to crunch all the numbers still but from what I've read we went through less food than what would be expected without fermenting. Other good points were that they did not stink and they were able to run and play right up until the last day. I did lose one though when the...

Wow! I got my processed birds back and I'm super impressed. My lowest weight was 4.36 and my highest was 6.7 dressed. I think the average was 5.7 dressed. There were WAY more big guys than small. These guys were fed FF twice daily, had fans on 24/7 the whole time and were outdoors all day...

Thanks! It's 5:40 am here and we loaded them into their travelling crates and they are just chillin in my truck until it's time to leave. Went pretty smoothly. They know me well so I was only buffetted once. Not sure if the crates are small or the birds are large but putting seven of them in a...

Thanks for the advice everyone! They are eight weeks old. For transporting them from the processing plant to home do you use a cooler with ice or just a cooler with no ice? Sorry for all the questions. I just want to do everything right. :)

It's my gangs last night tonight and though I'm sad, I'm also eagerly waiting to see how they will turnout weight wise and if they see any health concerns at the processing plant. This is the first time that I've ever raised meat birds so I don't have anything to compare it with but they seem...

I'm a vegetarian too and have never eaten meat but everyone else in my life are heavy carnivores. I am not against eating animals but I do believe that they have to be treated kindly at all times, and dispatched humanely. I love raising my meat birds and enjoy making them happy and healthy and...

Just wanted to add a quick pic of my gang at four weeks old. We just finished their outdoor run so this is their first time outside (except for the time when they escaped). It's my first time doing this but I think they look mighty fine! :) Edited to add: Sorry about their dirty heads.. they...

That's what I used for my FF when the chicks were about a week and a half old. Before that I used a little round plastic chick feeder that is meant for feeding dry crumbles. I filled the base with FF and then put the plastic insert back on just so that nobody accidentilly crawled into the...