daniel7
Hatching
- Jul 12, 2016
- 5
- 0
- 7
I grew up with layers and meat birds on the ranch. We drifted away from raising chickens until three years ago when my five year old grandson asked if he could have a small flock. The deal is that we will not winter chickens, so we buy chicks in the spring, feed them through the summer and butcher in the fall. We pick up a few novelty chicks and a few ducks for their entertainment value and the grandson sells them at a local auction at the end of summer. His mother worried that he would be traumatized when it came time to put them in the freezer, but it's been no problem at all. It has been a great learning experience for him, from taking care of the chicks to daily feed and water then butchering and preparing for the freezer, to finally consuming the bird. The cycle of life condensed into a 90 day window.
