Howdy from Long Island, NY!!!

[ARTofGROWINchix]

I am a brand new chicken grower!

Never done this before but I am COMMITTED to learning!

I live in a densly populated suburb of NYC. I checked my local ordinances and I'm allowed to keep up to 20 chickens! (no roosters)

I want to grow my chickens for meat this spring/summer... I will be thouroughly reading these boards to figure just what I have to do, but I would love some input from you experienced chicken farmers!

What are some good breeds to be looking into for the best meat?
How much room does each chicken need?
Where is a good place to source my chickens?
Should I buy eggs or hatched chicks?
About how long will it take my chickens to reach maturation for meat harvest?

That's all I can think of for now and ALL of your answers are greatly appreciated!

As I said, I will be reading and reading and reading!

THANKS!

 

[kacklinkelly]

Welcome to BYC - I'm from LI as well but moved 8 years ago. Now am raising my chicks in the Phoenix desert. I am new as well. I started with 4 chickens and one didn't make it. The 3 I have now are almost 3 months old. We got them for eggs. After getting these three they have turned into fun pets, I am also interested in raising meat birds. What I have learned from this site so far is that many people raise cornish cross chicks which are strictly meant for meat. They can be kept in a simple chicken tractor after they feather out. They eat non stop for 8-10 weeks and grow faster than most any other chicken. Then the processing begins. You will learn a great deal from this site and the very educated contributors. Have fun:>

 

[Crafty-Duck]

 

[TallChickMagnet]

 

[sumi]

Hello and welcome to BYC

I'm not into meat birds, so I can't answer your questions, but have a look here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/21/meat-birds-etc

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas and

! Great to have you with us! All great questions! Follow the advice of sumi and check out the meat chickens thread. I think the bird you might be in the market for is called a Cornish X. It is THE meat bird in terms of availability, fast growth, and taste. It is what you buy in the store or restaurant when you purchase chicken. They mature fast - like from a day-old chick to butchering size in 8 weeks. They are not a lot of trouble and are pretty quiet. Warning: they aren't much to look at - don't have a ton of personality either. They were designed for a very specific purpose - eating and growing...and that's just what they do - quickly. I would buy them as chicks rather than trying to hatch out eggs. Not even sure if they are available as hatching eggs. Best of luck to you and happy eating!!

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi and welcome top BYC from northern Michigan

 

[Kevin565]

 

[liz9910]

from California! Wow I wish I could have 20 chickens, I'm only allowed 12.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Welcome to BYC!!!