meaties are **3 weeks** today!

[LindsayB]

wow, thats a big step! being a vegetarian and then wanting to process your own birds!

I'm enjoying raising these little guys. I know that even though their lives may be short, I'm going to give them a much better one than they would of had on a broiler farm. Plus I think they'll be healthier to eat

 

[averytds]

What are you all using/ how are you weighing yours? DS can't do his today, so I need to and I've never weighed little ones. Can I just weigh all at once and divide the total by the number of birds?



I'm not sure whether or not I'll do any more this Spring. Maybe one more group at the halfway mark for these. I'm tempted, but I haven't decided. I definitely like the idea of smaller batches though. For my situation and abilities anyways. 2 1/2 - 3 hrs once a month for processing vs a 2 week stretch of marathon processing.

Over a 2 week stretch Nov-Dec I put something like 28 away in the freezer and as of today I've got 10 left. We gave 3 away at Christmas, so we've basically used 1/week. If I do another batch this Spring and 2-3 this fall along with regular culls, I should be good for 1-2 birds/week. Which would be ideal. One roaster and one fryer/week would net me 2-3 dinners and 1-2 lunches each week.

 

[LindsayB]

I'm sure you could weigh them all at once and then an average weight of each. I have a couple roosters in my small batch and they're an ounce bigger than the others. I have a scale from gander mountain that we use to weigh are deer meat/sausage. I just stand them up on top, easy.

 

[backyardmenagerie]

Quote:
Hey, nobody said anything about processing!

I have a friend that has offered to process them for me, and there's also a butcher just down the road.
But I absolutely agree, their home-raised lives will be significantly superior to anything you get from the store.

Averytds, I use a kitchen scale to weigh my guys. I only have 10, so it's not too big of a chore, but on the days I'm feeling lazy, I just weigh a few and use that to calculate an average.

PS, my meaties are 6oz today!

 

[LindsayB]

heres some pics from today, their feathers are coming in pretty fast...

heres one of the smaller ones, the only one I could reach in the pen...

 

[averytds]

Hmmm, I'll have to see what I can rig up. I use a fish scale that you hang things from the hook. Generally speaking everything I weigh with it isn't hopping around and is easily hang able. I'll be out for more parts later, so I guess worst case I'll buy a kitchen scale.


Have to be away for a couple of days and don't think DH can handle everything going on with the bird care around here so I'm spending the day rigging up bulk waterers/feeders and such.

 

[LindsayB]

I thought this was a cute pic...just wanted to share!

 

[backyardmenagerie]

Quote:
Can you hang a basket or bucket from the fish scale and subtract the weight of the bucket? That way you don't have to go out and buy something (though I think my kitchen scale was like $3).

 

[averytds]

That's what I'm going to try. Right now I'm busy consolidating breeding pens, roos here, pullets/hens here........


Still probably going to have to go buy some more rabbit waterers. I'll be gone just under 48 hrs, but.......

Trying the chick feed as brooder bedding with this batch. I think it wastes a little bit more, but so far I can't really complain. So far it doesn't smell either. We'll see how I feel end of week 2.

 

[Islandlife]

For these meat chickens how much space would you have to allocate per bird? If you're really only keeping them 2 months how much space per chicken is needed?

I have my 3 dgg laying ladies in about 100 sq feet and that seems ample for them to stroll around and stretch their legs. They've also got roosts and other levels to walk up to and explore too just to keep 'em happy and content. For meat birds are you needing that much space? Or mostly are they just laying around growing and have little space needs?