Planning now for 2016

[NTBugtraq]

I run a small farm, and am trying to get my layers up to 100, and ideally have them all hens of my project birds. Feel free to discuss my project birds in their own thread, I hope you will overlook that here. Point is, I have had 2 sets in the last 6 weeks (one set are now 3 week-old chicks, the other set is on day 17). To achieve my target of 100 layers this year I have to do at least 4 more sets of 41 (I am using fertility rates from my first 2 sets). My plan is to do them 3 weeks apart.

This is going to give me meat birds to cull every 3 weeks. Unfortunately for me, to sell them they must be professionally processed, and the only processor involves 360 miles per set. So, I figured I would take 10 week and 13 week old roos in one run, halving my driving. The food the roos will eat between 10 and 13 weeks is not inconsiderable, but less than the cost of the 360 miles of driving.

Last year I culled roos at 16 weeks, and they ended up being ~2.5Kg ea, which made them $25 birds. I found customer's found it hard to pay that much for a chicken. Hopefully culling at 10/13 weeks will give me a variety of sizes, and better able to satisfy the customers. FWIW, a local grocery chain sells organic birds @ $11/Kg and I charge $10.

Any suggestion on storing some 50 or so meat birds? I have no industrial freezers, just a small chest and an upright...combined I'd be lucky if they held 20...

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Russ

 

[TXchickenchick]

The only thing I can think of (besides buying more freezers which would obviously be counter productive) is to try and have customers lined up and pre paid (perhaps a small discount for pre paying and/or buying a large quantity) ready for delivery on the date the birds will be processed.

 

[slingshotandLAR]

A few uprights will do...

I currently have one with about 50 processed birds in it will a bit more room left. I just got 2 more from Craigslist for $75 each. Half of my birds are cut up so they take up much less space.

I started a buying club, that moves the birds well. My goal is to sell most or all of the birds between processing dates. Right now that about every 6 weeks through the summer and fall than I'll fill all my freezers and sell what I have all winter till the grass is green again.

 

[NTBugtraq]

You've both offered fantastic ideas. I was wondering about smoking them, would they last longer in a fridge (as opposed to freezer) smoked?

 

[slingshotandLAR]

Not really....

You would get a few more days maybe because they are cooked.

The only other I see if you don't want to keep them frozen would be make them in to jerky....

That would be such a waste of good chicken though, you could cook them all and pull all the meat off and freeze it that way. That would really shrink the yield

 

[NTBugtraq]

...you could cook them all and pull all the meat off and freeze it that way. That would really shrink the yield

Wow, again, you are full of great ideas, I really like this one.