Do you eat your own chickens?!?

Do you eat your own chickens?

  • Yes

    Votes: 12 75.0%
  • No

    Votes: 4 25.0%

  • Total voters
    16

sarahandbray

Songster
5 Years
Aug 12, 2014
677
63
123
I think I got some meat birds in the mix I got from McMurray...I guess I was naive and thought they were just all egg layers...now flipping through the catalog, I'm thinking I was wrong?
We have probably 4-5 GIANT chicks that are way bigger than the others...I'm worried they're meat chickens. If they are Cornish meat birds, I'm trying to steel myself up to them being slaughtered in 7 or 8 weeks. My brother-in-law is a hunter, and he promised me he would spare me the agony of the whole butchering/de-feathering bit.

Ugh. I know that my well-cared for, well-fed birds would probably taste yummy, but the thought of it has me teetering on vegetarianism!!

I'm just curious...

Sarah
 
I only eat fish and an occasional piece of meat.

I would NEVER eat my chicken. The thought of it is just disgusting for me. I know people say that those chickens are bred for meat, but still. How would you feel if your, let's say dog was overweight, and you just ate him!?

I grow to attached to all of my pets to just eat them.

My chickens are pets, and I use them for eggs.
 
Absolutely. I hatch as many chicks as I can coax my hens to set on, and am trying to get an incubator going. There's no market here for my sex link or mixed breed cockerels, so we grow them out and eat them. Otherwise I'd be overrun with roosters, or have to quit hatching. This is a win-win, I get to hatch and my family gets chicken enchiladas
droolin.gif


What assortment did you order from MMM? They don't send the CX out in the assortments, I don't think. You may have gotten some of the Dixie Rainbows or Pioneers or whatever they call them, but those are different than the CX. They'll get big, and they won't lay as well as a production based hen, but they're not self-terminating like the CX tend to be. They're also not butchered as early, they're more like 12 week birds. They can live long and happy lives. If you want a more production based bird, I'd say to sell them after they're feathered out.
 
I guess I just don't know what I'm going to do in a few weeks if these 4-5 are in fact, meat birds!! Half of me knows that they would probably be very good, healthy eating, and they're not really "meant" to live long, productive farm lives. I'm trying to make myself turn into a more "tough" farm girl in the 'Burbs.
The other half of me just knows I couldn't do it. Period.

So now what do I do? Can you advertise meat birds on Craigslist? Do people buy them (alive, that is?).
Ugh...wish I had realized the mix meant not just birds for eggs!!! My fault. Live and learn.

Sarah
 
Here's what the website said when I ordered. I guess since it didn't say "meat and egg laying," I was too new and naive at this to realize if meat birds were an option as well. I guess I still don't know, but I have a sneaking suspicion!!! I did look just now on Craigslist and I'm sure I could either sell them for a couple of dollars (just to keep the weirdos away) or free.

700
 
Did you order Bantam chicks (webpage says Bantam are an option)? If so and you got some the "normal" size they are going to appear huge compared to the them. If you post pictures maybe someone can help you to ID them.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom