Anyone raise Chickens for eggs AND meat on 2 acres or less?

[penella22]

Thanks for posting this thread as I'm curious to hear what others will say as well. I'm interested in raising birds for meat but also don't want to get in over my head. I may just get a few layers this year and see how that goes, then do neat birds next year. Not sure yet. It seems the really prohibitive thing about raising meat birds is investing in a chicken coop for them your first year. If each bird needs 4 ft...then you need a chicken coop that is 400 square feet in order to raise 100 meat birds.

Currently my coop is only 3 x 4 so a few layers it is I think!

Are you going to maintain your own flock and hatch out eggs or just buy new chicks whenever you want to expand?

 

[mnmom4]

Thanks for posting this thread as I'm curious to hear what others will say as well. I'm interested in raising birds for meat but also don't want to get in over my head. I may just get a few layers this year and see how that goes, then do neat birds next year. Not sure yet. It seems the really prohibitive thing about raising meat birds is investing in a chicken coop for them your first year. If each bird needs 4 ft...then you need a chicken coop that is 400 square feet in order to raise 100 meat birds.

Currently my coop is only 3 x 4 so a few layers it is I think!

Are you going to maintain your own flock and hatch out eggs or just buy new chicks whenever you want to expand?

Hubby drew up a plan tonight for a large chicken coop with a division so it could hold 15 laying hens and another 15-25 meat birds and a shed for riding lawn mower and garden tools. It's BIG, but looks like it would be really convenient and efficient.

I think to start we'll just be buying chicks, but once we get some experience under our belt we might try to hatch and brood our own chicks.

 

[Elke Beck]

I have chickens for eggs and meat on my city lot of less than 1/4 acre. I have 5 layers and right now I have about 22 cockerels growing out - 7 Red Rangers, 10 Buff Orpingtons and 5 New Hampshires. I started with 10 Red Rangers, but have lost 3.

 

[donrae]

Just something to keep in mind is how you're going to store those birds after they're processed. Even a smaller batch of 25 birds--when you process them all at once, that's a lot of freezer space, or canning jars, or whatever. It's always sad to see folks get to that point and get stuck.

 

[mnmom4]

Just something to keep in mind is how you're going to store those birds after they're processed. Even a smaller batch of 25 birds--when you process them all at once, that's a lot of freezer space, or canning jars, or whatever. It's always sad to see folks get to that point and get stuck. 

We've got 2 refrigerators and a chest freezer but after we store all of the produce from the garden, we are really short on space come fall. We will need to invest in a second chest freezer I think. Unless I dehydrate and can more of the produce... But usually once fall hits I'm just sick of all of the prep involved with those two methods so I throw what's left in the freezer.

 

[Coralietg]

Just something to keep in mind is how you're going to store those birds after they're processed. Even a smaller batch of 25 birds--when you process them all at once, that's a lot of freezer space, or canning jars, or whatever. It's always sad to see folks get to that point and get stuck.

A very good point. We only have a side-by-side, so went out and bought a stand freezer. We're only going to be processing 7-8 each weekend.

 

[AmericanMom]

We have about an acre. I have about 28 chickens "free-ranging" in an area about 1/3 of an acre. We have built a chicken tractor to move around the perimeter of our property with meat chickens in it.

we also have an acre, We sectioned of the back 1/4 acre for the chickens, I currently have 21 adults, about 20 two month olds that I have just allowed free ranging privileges with the adults and 25 one month olds in their own pen and run... We are moving from basic egg layers to a more dual purpose bird and we are in the middle of our grand experiment, won't have anything to report til late summer/fall.., we are also at the beginning of incubating both Turkey and goose eggs. We raise rabbits separate from the Chickens.

I have just started selling eggs, I get between 12-16 eggs a day out of my 17 hens and just with those I make enough every week to pay for all the feed we currently purchase (even the rabbit fed) By the end of summer I would like to be able to sell 10 or more dozen a week, I give a great deal, $2.50 a dozen and as we speak cannot keep a dozen eggs more than a few days.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I do and it works great. I also have sheep and a goat.

 

[donrae]

I do and it works great. I also have sheep and a goat.

Yeah, but last I heard you were insane

I still can't imagine that many meat birds at once

 

[ChocolateMouse]

1/8th acre back yard.

20X40(ish) area for 8 egg hens, plus occasional access to the whole lawn.

35-40sqft tractor space suits about a dozen meat chickens fine. Move 1-2 times a day onto fresh grass.

If I can do it anyone can!