My own Meaties Experiment

[kizanne]

Ok so here's an update. I was sick last week so my meaties made it to 10 weeks. dressed out they are about 6.5 pounds. I still have 3 left but I just put over 60 pounds of chicken in the fridge to rest. I keep trying to figure out how to go faster but it takes up about 30 minutes to kill/drain, gut/skin, bag the chickens. These chickens you could see more fat around the vent and internal organs. You could tell some were heading to congestive heart failure.

I have eaten several of the chickens now. Love the taste.

A quick favorite recipe of mine.


little olive oil in a deep pan
Add a whole onion
add diced garlic
a cup of chicken stock (made earlier with my chickens)
Add any veggies if you want sometimes I add 2 cans of diced tomatoes

Let onion and garlic sweat in the oil
add other ingredients then put chicken cut into quarters in pan.
Simmer for about 40 minutes check for blood near bones.

Make rice. I make mine in the microwave.

pull out all 'stuff' from the pan with a slotted spoon.

Add a tablespoon or so of flour to the liquid stir/blend simmer for another 3 minute or so.

place chicken and veggies in a dish cover with gravy serve with rice.
Takes a while to cook but I don't have to stand over the stove. Set it forget it.

My family likes the version with tomatoes best.

 

[zzGypsy]

so did you figure your final cost on these?

 

[Wolfman]

Very interesting thread and reports on your meat birds. I am thinking about doing meat birds this year also. I have 4 hens for eggs and wanted to try something different.

A few questions if you don't mind.

1) can you just keep raising the birds and harvest them as you need them? Or is it better not to wait to long?

2) Did you keep them separate from your other chickens?

3) Have you ever eaten one of your hens? Like if they stopped laying or something? Mine are about 3 (Correction) 2 years old and I am not sure what to do with one that dose not lay, or at least not very often.

4) And finally, how long should they keep in the freezer? Do you vac-pack them or just zip locks?


Thanks for any and all help,

Wolfman

 

[kizanne]

Very interesting thread and reports on your meat birds. I am thinking about doing meat birds this year also. I have 4 hens for eggs and wanted to try something different.

A few questions if you don't mind.

1) can you just keep raising the birds and harvest them as you need them? Or is it better not to wait to long?

2) Did you keep them separate from your other chickens?

3) Have you ever eaten one of your hens? Like if they stopped laying or something? Mine are about 3 (Correction) 2 years old and I am not sure what to do with one that dose not lay, or at least not very often.

4) And finally, how long should they keep in the freezer? Do you vac-pack them or just zip locks?


Thanks for any and all help,

Wolfman

1. My oldest went to 11 weeks, 2 of them seemed healthy enough one was definately in distress. Many I processed at 10 weeks also seemed to have heart disease. I'd recommend small batch for processing. You can process as early as 4 weeks. We started at 8 weeks picking the biggest and did as many as we felt like. We went longer than anticipated as I was sick one weekend week 9, and processing took longer per bird than anticipated 20-30 minutes per bird from coop to fridge.

2. I did keep them separate from my layers for multiple reasons. My layer pens is sized for about 17 birds. I have 11 layers and bought 25 meaties. I didn't want any diseases to cross from one to the other either way. though they didn't stay 100% separate. When my layers were out free ranging and flew into the meaty range they bullied the meaties if they came running up to chest bump (remember they are males).. Now that I have raised meaties I've learned lots and wouldn't put them together because the amount of poop that they produce. On the timing issue remember I didn't go for super high protein in the beginning. Many people report large losses beyond 8 weeks if their growth is pushed with high protein.

3. My layers are only a year old. So no I haven't done any in yet but I'm planning to thin when they start to molt. I have some that are 6 weeks old that should be laying soon.

4. I'm vac packing. I've read a year in the freezer but I didn't kill enough for that long.

 

[kizanne]

And that updates and probably finishes my experiment. We did in the last three today. Did 10 last week they all averaged about 6-6.5 pounds dressed out without skin.

the only girls which my hubby decided not to keep dressed out at 5.5 pounds.

2 of those 3 the girl and the dominate boy seemed in good health the other boy seemed to have alittle trouble breathing.

 

[Wolfman]

Thanks lots for the Info! I am going to start with 6 next weekend, I went to get some on Saturday but someone had come in before me and taken the last 20 they had. I am just going to go with normal starter and then the standard mix for broilers, I would like to get into the grubs and worms, but I don't have the time. Hardly have the time for the chickens and gardening is coming up soon Too!

Again thanks for the info,

Wolfman