Chicken Math

[BunnyBee]

Hello everyone, I'm a recent addition to the BackYardChicken forum community. I'm trying to determine what the ideal flock size would be for my needs. I plan to raise Jersey Giants for meat and hoped to have one bird per week to eat. Knowing that this breed takes approximately 6 months to mature, and that overall 52 chickens are required, how many chickens would I need to start and what would the process be to continue a healthy, happy flock (will I need to introduce new roosters? how often?)

Additional information that may help you: My goal is to raise chickens free range and I plan to have Plymouth Rocks strictly for egg-laying. Several acres of land are available.

I hope my question makes sense, for some reason I was finding it difficult to express! Thank you so much for any help you may have.

 

[teach1rusl]

I haven't tried meat birds yet, but it surprises me that you'd choose JGs for this. Because they take so long to fill out, it seems that would be very economically self-defeating??? Why not a breed that you could process at 10 weeks, or at the most (dual purpose - 20 weeks or so)???

 

[BunnyBee]

Well, I looked at a lot of breeds and I think what worked for me was that (1) they're a heritage breed (2) even though they're slow to mature, they get very big and I hope to use my meat chickens as a Sunday dinner for six (3) it's my understanding they're quite docile and easily handled (4) they're good foragers (5) handle cold very well, which is important because I live near the great lakes and we're known for nasty snow and bitter cold. I'm still open to other breeds, but I would need them to fit the above points =) It may also be important to note I don't intend to generate a profit from my flock, just tasty dinners for my family!

 

[teach1rusl]

I'd press for more (specific) feedback then. Because it takes them so long to grow, at what age will they be the size you're wanting, but still be tender, for roasting rather than stewing... maybe as a repost???

 

[BunnyBee]

I'm still very much in the early stages of learning all about chickens and raising them, so I'm really not sure what the answer to that would be. Perhaps you could offer some ideas or suggestions? In the most basic sense of my plan, I would have a 8 - 10+ pound chicken to roast once a week. I come from a family of big eaters and plan to feed at least six (and of course leftovers never hurt anyone) =) I'm here to learn so if you need to pick my brain for more specific information or guide me in a better direction, I'm happy to go along for the ride!

 

[jrsckn]

From what I've heard, the earliest you'll want to process is about 10 months. JG grow their frame in the first year then put in meat during the second. I've got 5 JG but they're only 3 months old. I can tell you they are very docile and friendly with people but that makes it hard to integrate them into an existing flock because they get picked on. Mine haven't come out of the coop into the run yet and they were introduced to the rest of my flock 2 weeks ago. You may want to post in the JG thread for more info on raising them for meat.

 

[teach1rusl]

This link would be a good thread for you to read through: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/252630/meat-birds-or-dual-purpose/10

My knowledge of meat birds could fit on a pin head...lol. But I've always read/heard that dual purpose birds were typically processed around the 20 week mark...that waiting until the bird was older would result in tough meat, more suitable for stewing rather than roasting. I think that's why you don't really hear about people raising JGs or other really large breeds for meat, because they just take so long to mature and get their size on them. So you might create a post specifically asking about JGs for meat... I would think that by the time the JGs got to the size you're hoping for, not only would the meat be tough, but you would have invested a lot more money in feed/care because instead of caring for them for 20 weeks, you may have cared for them for 2x that time???

The link is a good one though...and you may find it helpful.

 

[BunnyBee]

I wonder if they would fare a little better if they were integrated with another really docile breed? I'd planned to use Plymouths for egg laying and it was my understanding they're a very calm and easily handled breed as well. Thank you for the information, though! Being so new, I didn't realize there was a thread just for Jerseys, so off I go! =)

 

[BunnyBee]

This link would be a good thread for you to read through: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/252630/meat-birds-or-dual-purpose/10

My knowledge of meat birds could fit on a pin head...lol. But I've always read/heard that dual purpose birds were typically processed around the 20 week mark...that waiting until the bird was older would result in tough meat, more suitable for stewing rather than roasting. I think that's why you don't really hear about people raising JGs or other really large breeds for meat, because they just take so long to mature and get their size on them. So you might create a post specifically asking about JGs for meat... I would think that by the time the JGs got to the size you're hoping for, not only would the meat be tough, but you would have invested a lot more money in feed/care because instead of caring for them for 20 weeks, you may have cared for them for 2x that time???

The link is a good one though...and you may find it helpful.

Thanks for the link! I'm checking it out as soon as I hit "submit"! =)

 

[OHSpartan]

Here is an idea.....

10 cornish cross meat birds (harvest at 7-12 weeks)
10 freedom rangers (harvest at 12-20 weeks)
10 dual purpose (harvest at 21-26 weeks)...I love buff orpingtons....
10 jersey giants (harvest at 27+ weeks)

Get a cheap kitchen scale and keep records on harvest weight, feed consumption, taste of meat, etc. After 6-8 months, you should know what works for you. Try a few different recipies with each type of bird. Make a fun experiment out of it.

PS: I added a few to each category because I would hate it if a fox came one night and your family missed Sunday dinner

!