Chronicles of Raising Meat Birds - Modern Broilers, Heritage and Hybrids

[aart]

how about this featherless broody mess?

 

[Parront]

I did it. I sure hope it wouldn’t have been better to keep them same ages to co brood if possible and now they don’t just fight but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ the top hen will hatch her eggs in two weeks.

the orpington took the three silverrud babies I picked up in the middle of the day. Lol. I keep checking but she is cooing and all looks good.

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Orpingtons do make great mothers!

 

[aliciaplus3]

Poor thing. She looks like a cartoon chicken who got frightened out of her feathers.

Yup just like that in real life too.... I am considering giving her a broody hut so the other girls will leave her alone.... hummmm

 

[SnapdragonQ]

18 weeks

How did you feed them?
Just normal like typical chicks/youngsters....or did you give them a higher protein with the eye towards becoming a table bird?

 

[FortCluck]

How did you feed them?
Just normal like typical chicks/youngsters....or did you give them a higher protein with the eye towards becoming a table bird?

We feed 24% protein feed to our meat birds and growing chicks. We usually know within the first 10 weeks if we are selling, keeping or using for meat. Once we know we divide them to the different large runs we have.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Argh I’ve been gone for a week missed a lot!

WELCOME @Mixed flock enthusiast I’m SO excited you’re here. We have two veg butchers now. I’m about to become an off-Farm vegetarian I think. As in, only eat meat from my own farm and try and limit dairy. Are you a vegan or vegetarian MFE?



Same here but I have TWO small farm USDA facilities within 2 hours. So, so lucky


in TX you can process at your farm but it has to be inspected at some point.



GOOD ENOUGH FOR AART ITS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.

hehehehe. Ugh, I’m so obsessed with @aart if anyone didn’t know.

and @aliciaplus3 this thread is for all, there’s so much awesome discussion in here!


Yes! Love this! I imagine you’ll really be able to market this difference in fat.

We have some places in TX that are state inspected (like once a year) that are not “processed under inspection” with an inspector on site. You can use those facilities for your own use OR if the meat is sold while alive. It’s harder to do this for poultry than, say, beef, but this is a fairly common workaround in most states. Someone has to pay for the live animal, you can deliver it to the processor and THEY must pay the processor as the processed meat is “not for sale”.

if someone wanted to “fill their freezer” or something and Buy, say 10 birds or more, this could be an option...


Same same same. Humidity is awful for FF. Not impossible but I find you have to stir it multiple times a day and if you forget you’re starting over and it’s annoying.

are you still getting bad butts on the Imperials? I did on Cornish on higher protein cause they are gluttons. But the imperials don’t get bad butts.


People get real particular about this but honestly I think the rules me from facilities needing to process hundreds of birds at once. They can’t deal with stopping or slowing. At home, just clean it up. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


When did you start?!
I guess it’s not as early as I feel right now.

Hi Jolenesdad, I’m an ovolacto vegetarian. This was, again, my daughter’s idea for the meatbirds. The same DD that had a meltdown on butcher day last year, so we will see how this goes! I’m guessing it will be me wielding the hatchet again...

 

[FortCluck]

Hi Jolenesdad, I’m an ovolacto vegetarian. This was, again, my daughter’s idea for the meatbirds. The same DD that had a meltdown on butcher day last year, so we will see how this goes! I’m guessing it will be me wielding the hatchet again...

So you do eggs and dairy. No other animal products... if I got that right I’ll be shocked. There are so many different lifestyles out there.

 

[FortCluck]

I’m butchering 4 cornish rocks tomorrow. They’ll be like a personal size. That’ll be 8 chickens butchered this 3 day weekend.

We definitely don’t need to buy chicken anymore at the store. I’ll have 4 more cornish rocks and whatever else I grow out. Plus the quail.

 

[Morrigan]

Hi Jolenesdad, I’m an ovolacto vegetarian. This was, again, my daughter’s idea for the meatbirds. The same DD that had a meltdown on butcher day last year, so we will see how this goes! I’m guessing it will be me wielding the hatchet again...

As my first butchering day approach I strongly thought about going ova-vegetarian or vegan, just so I wouldn't have to butcher chickens. It would really be crummy to be vegetarian, and still have to butcher chickens. I really commend you for being willing to do that for your family.

It was one of the considerations actually, that made me decide against going vegan. I realized DH and my dogs were going to continue to eat meat. Thus, if I wanted to help avoid supporting factory farming, I was still going to have raise and butcher chickens.

 

[Morrigan]

I’m butchering 4 cornish rocks tomorrow. They’ll be like a personal size. That’ll be 8 chickens butchered this 3 day weekend.

We definitely don’t need to buy chicken anymore at the store. I’ll have 4 more cornish rocks and whatever else I grow out. Plus the quail.

Ditto to what I said to Mixed Flock -- I have so much respect for you for being willing to do this for your family, and giving your birds so much better a life then in a broiler house.