Official BYC Poll: What Is Your Perspective On Chickens For Meat

[little blue coop]

Its just my wife and I, we have a considerably larger flock (admittedly, 1/3 aren't laying yet, though half of them probably should be - Brahmas, always late to the party...) but unless you selected one of the more prolific egg laying breeds, or you rarely eat eggs, five birds likely won't satisfy your needs. If I exclude my ducks, I have 12 demonstrated layers in their first year of life. During the summer, I was getting 6-7 eggs a day. Now that there is less daylight? 1 egg yesterday. 3 eggs today. And my eggs run medium to large, so that's basically breakfast. No extras currently for quiche, baking, or batters.

I hope your girls meet your needs, but as you look to the future, there may be a bit of chicken math involved.

Very Best!

Thanks for your input. We have Rhode Island Reds, and they just started laying 8 weeks ago. We are getting 4 eggs a day consistently, and I know at some point they will slow down. But for us, that's enough plus we can give away some. We don't eat eggs everyday.
I just found out from this website that we have "production" Rhode Island Reds, not the heritage breed. From what I have read, RIR average between 200 & 250 eggs a year. I think if/when we need to get chickens to replenish our flock, we will be sticking with RIR, but it would be really great to get the heritage breed.

 

[Ringcraft]

I don't name my birds. I know them and recognize each one, and they're permanently identified with bands. But no, no names. Not for any particular reason other than I have a busy life and names just aren't that important to me and would be one more chore to remember.

I raise and eat my own birds.

 

[Stefrrr]

I have a rooster so I will hopefully be able to raise my own layers. I’m happy the one I kept is also a chunky chicken, so I’m hoping any cockerels are similarly large. When we found out that 7 of our 15 were cockerels, instead of the planned two, Eleanor immediately became stewey. After Scout eventually showed his temperament, he became fricassee.
I feel like it’s important to give them the best possible life, but if they’re not going to behave, they shouldn’t procreate. It was really hard to process scout, because he was my favorite until he became aggressive. I think every one will be easier after that. I’ve also stopped naming them until they’re confirmed pullets.

 

[Pullet Press]

I love my chicken meat, and would willingly process meat birds that I raised myself, but I wouldn't lay a hand on my layers.

 

[LizzzyJo]

I guess it’s a little nuanced for me because I eat my own chickens, but only boys. Girls have a home for life. It’s basically gendercide, but oh well. It’s sustainable.

 

[Dizzydog]

I only eat my own chickens when they no longer lay eggs. I usually kill them in the fall rather than carrying them through a long cold winter. The poor old girls don't need to go through the winter and I don't need to be out skating on ice paths taking care of them. I have a special recipe for Old Stew Hen that makes them pretty decent.

 

[chickengr]

I used to name all my chickens. now I name breeders only.

 

[chickengr]

I only eat my own chickens when they no longer lay eggs. I usually kill them in the fall rather than carrying them through a long cold winter. The poor old girls don't need to go through the winter and I don't need to be out skating on ice paths taking care of them. I have a special recipe for Old Stew Hen that makes them pretty decent.

can you share your old stew hen recipe, please?

 

[3KillerBs]

can you share your old stew hen recipe, please?

Seconded.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

Right now we only eat chicken from the store, which I hate a lot. We never eat our layers at all and we plan on keeping it that way.
In the spring I'll be getting 10 Red Rangers to grow out for food. I'm keeping 2 for ourselves and selling the rest. All money from that will be put into the next 10 meaties to grow out and so on.
Once we move onto a farm, I plan on keeping and butchering excess mixed breed cockerels that hatch out.
Single breed cockerels will be either kept for breeding projects or sold as chicks in straight run groups.