From the suburbs and struggling internally with making the plunge into keeping (and slaughtering) meat birds. Need advice!

[U_Stormcrow]

Meat birds are USUALLY raised w/o free ranging them. Its part of what gives factory meat bird production such a bad name.

Its not as bad as it once was - but it still tugs at the heartstrings of many.

/edit when you get right down to it, pasturing or free ranging increases the risk of disease/injury/predation, slows the rate of weight gain, toughens the meat - exactly what shoppers don't want in a supermarket bird - and driving up costs for producers.

We BYCers pasture/free range for lots of reasons - better flavor, potentially healthier less fatty birds, because it seems more humane to us, etc. Generally, it doesn't affect the cost curve much - what is gained in "free food" is offset by the additional energy needs of an active bird. This is a case where tractoring is probably better than free ranging in most metrics.

 

[3KillerBs]

Yes, you can raise meaties, either Cornish X or "rangers" in what amounts to an oversize, outdoor brooder. You'll need to do more manure management with that setup, but it's perfectly viable.

 

[Yanisay]

Hello all. I am new to chickens in general but have fallen in love with them since getting my 4 layers. I live in the city but am very connected with nature and love doing things that make me feel more self-sufficient, so between these birds and my garden, I've started to feel that way and I'm really happy.

I recently have started browsing the Meat Birds ETC threads and it seems like raising a few meat birds (just 4-5 is all I have room for) would be a great way to be more self-sufficient, more educated about the food source, and would help me feed my family.

However, I come from the suburbs - a place where 99% of the people have never had a farm animal, and where the people are very adamate about animal rights and such. Just to put things in perspective, my sister is a vegan, and every person I've brought up raising meat birds to has said something like, "I can't believe you would actually kill and eat a chicken you raised!"

My reasoning for wanting to do this is the same as most of yours. It's fresh food and you know the source. You can know the animal was treated with respect throughout its life. But with that said, I'm still internally struggling with the idea of killing the birds. It's just really different from the way I was raised to treat animals, but at the same time, if I keep buying my meat from grocery stores I'm likely supporting much worse treatment of chickens.

So, how have any of you who didn't grow up slaughtering animals deal with making the leap? Or, if any of you have struggled with having to slaughter chickens, how did you get over it? How do you rationalize it with yourself internally?

Animals are made to help us humans,but you are definitely right even if we eat them it doesn’t mean we are torturing them if they were treated nicely by their owners,it’s a food chain and that’s how it works.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Meat birds are USUALLY raised w/o free ranging them. Its part of what gives factory meat bird production such a bad name.

Its not as bad as it once was - but it still tugs at the heartstrings of many.
View attachment 3125627

/edit when you get right down to it, pasturing or free ranging increases the risk of disease/injury/predation, slows the rate of weight gain, toughens the meat - exactly what shoppers don't want in a supermarket bird - and driving up costs for producers.

We BYCers pasture/free range for lots of reasons - better flavor, potentially healthier less fatty birds, because it seems more humane to us, etc. Generally, it doesn't affect the cost curve much - what is gained in "free food" is offset by the additional energy needs of an active bird. This is a case where tractoring is probably better than free ranging in most metrics.

Yes, you can raise meaties, either Cornish X or "rangers" in what amounts to an oversize, outdoor brooder. You'll need to do more manure management with that setup, but it's perfectly viable.

Thank you both!

Yes I agree that free ranging is preferred by most on here, including myself (my layers free range). But just thinking about how much the birds in a tractor (I want to keep them separate from my layers) might destroy my lawn, it may not be best for me to free-range. In the future I hope to have more property where I could free-range, but I do not at the moment.

Waste management isn't much of an issue for me. I use pine shavings in my girls' coop right now and it's so easy to scoop it like cat litter. Doing that 2-3x a day wouldn't be difficult for me.

 

[Folly's place]

When we do meat birds, either (occasionally) Cornishx or Freedom Rangers, it's in groups of 25, and a 8'x 16' hoop house tractor, which we move around the yard, on lawn, as needed. We do limited free range around that tractor, and can haul it either by hand or with the lawn tractor, every three to five days, as the birds are growing/ pooping. It's fertilizer, and the grass does just fine. We never let one location get ugly, so no problem.
The chicks are in our stock tank brooder in the garage for maybe two weeks, then out there with their heat source on a heavy duty extension cord for another two weeks or so.
It's all not predator proof, but so far never had a problem at night. It's near our bedroom windows, so close to the house and dogs.
Cornishx chicks really can't handle hot weather, very true!
Mary
Also, for Cornishx, restrict food overnight after three weeks of age. Helps reduce their awful heart failure and joint problems.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

When we do meat birds, either (occasionally) Cornishx or Freedom Rangers, it's in groups of 25, and a 8'x 16' hoop house tractor, which we move around the yard, on lawn, as needed. We do limited free range around that tractor, and can haul it either by hand or with the lawn tractor, every three to five days, as the birds are growing/ pooping. It's fertilizer, and the grass does just fine. We never let one location get ugly, so no problem.
The chicks are in our stock tank brooder in the garage for maybe two weeks, then out there with their heat source on a heavy duty extension cord for another two weeks or so.
It's all not predator proof, but so far never had a problem at night. It's near our bedroom windows, so close to the house and dogs.
Cornishx chicks really can't handle hot weather, very true!
Mary
Also, for Cornishx, restrict food overnight after three weeks of age. Helps reduce their awful heart failure and joint problems.

Thank you for all the detailed info! You all have been so helpful.

 

[SheaLoner]

I raise mine in a stationary 8x8 hoop house. Wood chips, leaves, pine shavings whatever I can get for bedding. I don't do a clean out till after the birds go to freezer camp. I toss them weeds and lawn clippings daily since they arent free ranging.

 

[Morrigan]

For me at least, there are few things that are both as rewarding and as emotionally challenging as raising your own food. I highly, highly recommend it. However, it is not easy. It was, and still is, very hard to spend weeks of caring for chickens from hatching egg forward, and then doing the harvest. Being a member on this forum, and getting advice and support really helped a lot. Like you, I didn't have any background in this. Also, like you, friends and acquaintances looked down on what I was doing in various in subtle and no so subtle ways ("good for you, but I could never kill a animal," said with a nose wrinkled in disgust as they tuck into their chicken tacos).

I think the first step is to be confident that raising meat to eat is an ethically sound decision for you. You will need that confidence as butcher day approaches and reality of actually taking a life to sustain your and your family's life becomes a reality. I think it is ethical, but it took me some degree of soul searching to really believe that.

As for the more practical aspects of what you are doing, I think that raising 4 or 5 meat birds in a backyard setting is totally doable. From 1 to 2 weeks, they are going to need the same set up as you would give any chick. From 2 to 5, they would appreciate as much space as you can give them -- maybe let them "range" in your back yard for an hour or two before bedtime. From 5 to the end, providing them with a clean, shady well ventilated area will be the most important thing.

Be prepared for the fact that a CX will generate about twice the amount of droppings as a standard bird. As they approach the end, laying down new straw, grass or wood chips will become a regular thing. If you compost, they will be great contributors to the pile.

Given your space constraints and newness to the butchering process, I would plan on butchering at 7 or 8 weeks. I would do a 12 hour on/12 off feeding cycle, so they gain weight reasonably fast. It is physically easier to butcher a live weight bird of 5 or 6 pounds, then trying to wrangle a 10 or 12 pounder to the chopping block. And CX do get big fast.

If you start this process, you will probably have all kinds of questions down the road. You will find this place great resource.

Best of luck!

 

[CNJ]

So, how have any of you who didn't grow up slaughtering animals deal with making the leap?

I got addicted to chicken gumbo.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

For me at least, there are few things that are both as rewarding and as emotionally challenging as raising your own food. I highly, highly recommend it. However, it is not easy. It was, and still is, very hard to spend weeks of caring for chickens from hatching egg forward, and then doing the harvest. Being a member on this forum, and getting advice and support really helped a lot. Like you, I didn't have any background in this. Also, like you, friends and acquaintances looked down on what I was doing in various in subtle and no so subtle ways ("good for you, but I could never kill a animal," said with a nose wrinkled in disgust as they tuck into their chicken tacos).

I think the first step is to be confident that raising meat to eat is an ethically sound decision for you. You will need that confidence as butcher day approaches and reality of actually taking a life to sustain your and your family's life becomes a reality. I think it is ethical, but it took me some degree of soul searching to really believe that.

As for the more practical aspects of what you are doing, I think that raising 4 or 5 meat birds in a backyard setting is totally doable. From 1 to 2 weeks, they are going to need the same set up as you would give any chick. From 2 to 5, they would appreciate as much space as you can give them -- maybe let them "range" in your back yard for an hour or two before bedtime. From 5 to the end, providing them with a clean, shady well ventilated area will be the most important thing.

Be prepared for the fact that a CX will generate about twice the amount of droppings as a standard bird. As they approach the end, laying down new straw, grass or wood chips will become a regular thing. If you compost, they will be great contributors to the pile.

Given your space constraints and newness to the butchering process, I would plan on butchering at 7 or 8 weeks. I would do a 12 hour on/12 off feeding cycle, so they gain weight reasonably fast. It is physically easier to butcher a live weight bird of 5 or 6 pounds, then trying to wrangle a 10 or 12 pounder to the chopping block. And CX do get big fast.

If you start this process, you will probably have all kinds of questions down the road. You will find this place great resource.

Best of luck!

Thanks so much! This is really helpful.

I just got my spouse on board with the idea because we both agree it's a more ethical choice than buying from a grocery store. I'm sure we will get stuff from the grocery store still, but this would be 4-5 birds we know had a good life before going on our dinner plate. I think that will be worth it.

And yes, I'm sure this won't be the last time I'm getting help from BYC during this process (pun intended). Really glad I found this site!