Meat chickens in the winter?

[chris7]

Thank you so much for your response!! I currently own layers and some baby chicks, with hopes to start selling eggs once the chicks are laying.. I was thinking of getting a rooster and then though of hatching some of my own as meat birds. My ladies are dual purpose and a mixed flock. I though perhaps I would keep the best meat breeds with a Salmon Faverolles Rooster and then hatching some of these eggs for meat. My next thought was that if I hatched 8 every 21 days or so I could have a constant rotation of birds in and birds out... but that would mean suppling housing for 48 meat birds...and as they are all different age levels they wouldnt all get along I can only imagine... I would most likely need a seperate coop just for the roosters that would be hatched (I hear they wont fight to the death if not hens are present for them) and if they take 6 months to reach of age... then I would have to do this year round... I hoped to make enough profit to cover the cost of their food as well as meat for myself... It looks good on paper, and I am not afraid of putting the work in, building the coops, feeding, water, cleaning out the coops year round... But I also dont want to get into this and loose money relizing it was a bad idea...

This whole thing probably sounds crazy to people who do this, but it is new to me and I am still figuring it out so please be patient with me! lol

Long term goal is to have a self sustainable farm that I can profit from... but were talking down the road, way down lol! Chickens and garden just seemed like a good place to start.

Cornish Cross are ready to be processed in 8 weeks.