How often do you get new birds?

[SueT]

We have a monthly poultry swap here. (Joplin, MO) I enjoy going there, and plan to sell some of my 2 year old hens this spring. I did not lose any chickens in 2018, and my coop space is maxed out.
I am not raising new chicks this spring, but hope I'll have a broody that wants to do the work for me.

 

[aart]

I have these older birds I'm supposed to process, but I'm pretty sure they are in their 4th year, so I'm wondering if they are too old to even eat if it's better to do it by 18 months.

You can eat a bird at any age.
Just make sure you rest the cleaned carcass in the fridge for 2-3-4 days before cooking.
It will make huge difference in the 'tenderness' of the meat,
but it will never be as tender as a 8wo meat bird.
It's an acquired taste.
I only pressure cook older birds, but there are other methods of cooking older birds.

 

[SomeChickinTN]

You can eat a bird at any age.
Just make sure you rest the cleaned carcass in the fridge for 2-3-4 days before cooking.
It will make huge difference in the 'tenderness' of the meat,
but it will never be as tender as a 8wo meat bird.
It's an acquired taste.
I only pressure cook older birds, but there are other methods of cooking older birds.

What about cooking on low in the Crock-Pot all day? Yeah, I'm a bit worried about the fact that my husband is the only one who has actually had fresh chicken, and I have no idea if I or my kids will like it.

 

[LulaBell]

We started with 6, that quickly changed and we now have 57. We have also upgraded coops and now my husband and I have finally built our dream coop which our mile-down-the-road neighbor believed to be a new garage we were building

I love this!

 

[coach723]

I generally get chicks every other year, but that's not set in concrete. I sometimes buy, sometimes hatch with a broody hen (have not incubated yet, still thinking about it). If numbers take a dive for some reason I will add more often. I currently have 28 birds, about half are still laying, 8 just started that were purchased last fall. Chicks are addicting, but adult birds a problem if overcrowded, so will power is necessary. Or never ending expansion. My hens get to live til they are lost to natural causes/illness, the extra cockerels go in the freezer, the good ones get to stay and be breeders and flock guardians. There is really no set answer for how often to add or how long to keep them, it just depends on what your goals are and how you view your birds (pet, livestock, somewhere in between). I started with 2 hens, and chicken math has taken over.

 

[aart]

What about cooking on low in the Crock-Pot all day? Yeah, I'm a bit worried about the fact that my husband is the only one who has actually had fresh chicken, and I have no idea if I or my kids will like it.

I don't like crock pots, takes too long, so I don't know....but probably will work.
I pressure cook for about an hour at 15psi, take all the meat out, then cook the rest for another 2 hours for bone broth. Meat will be 'toothsome', I cut into smaller pieces for soups/stews or chicken salad or fajitas or.....you get used to the texture because the taste is so incredibly good.

 

[pepe1]

I buy new chicks every year and hatch some more, Grow out the ones i like keep 30 egg layers for two years and sell the pullets and cockerels at 12 weeks that i have extra, i have 75 female chicks on order and 25 red sex link 17 week old pullets coming, i have many egg customers and need excellent egg layers to keep them happy, the money i get doesn,t pay for the grain and shavings, wife says i need to slow down but chickens are addictive and my hobby and i am always finding new breeds that i want.

 

[igorsMistress]

You can eat a bird at any age.
Just make sure you rest the cleaned carcass in the fridge for 2-3-4 days before cooking.
It will make huge difference in the 'tenderness' of the meat,
but it will never be as tender as a 8wo meat bird.
It's an acquired taste.
I only pressure cook older birds, but there are other methods of cooking older birds.

I'm curious, do you only pressure cook because it makes the meat more tender than it would be otherwise? I'm in the process of getting eggs to hatch and we'll rotating out the older girls this year. They'll be 2 to 3 years old.

 

[Sungrove Farmstead]

I think we are planning to get some new chicks every 2 years, so we continue to always have layers

 

[aart]

I'm curious, do you only pressure cook because it makes the meat more tender than it would be otherwise?

No, because it's way faster to get good gelatinous bone broth...3 hours vs like 12-15.
Plus, I can't stand the smell for that long.