Raising Meat birds.

[jnicholes]

Hello,

So, I am going to be moving from Canyon County to Nampa, and I am tossing around the idea of raising chickens for meat. I have never done this before, I have only raised egg producers so far. Nampa city ordinance says up to 10 hens and NO roosters. I have many questions about this.

First, what breed of chicken is good for meat production? I plan on starting from chicks again, by the way.

Second, what are the feeding requirements for meat producing chickens?

Third, when do you butcher them? Does it depend on the breed of chicken?

Fourth, is there anything else I need to know about raising meat birds?

Any advice and help will be appreciated.

Jared

 

[DobieLover]

Hello Jared,

One of the most popular meat birds is the Cornish cross. These birds mature very quickly and can be butchered as early as 8 to 9 weeks.

They are prone to heart attacks and leg problems so they should be fed carefully. Here is a link I found that is pretty good on raising Cornish x:
https://www.purelypoultry.com/blog/raising-cornish-cross-chickens-for-meat/

One of the benefits of this breed in your situation is that the birds should be butchered before the cockerels start crowing.

There are other good meat birds but they generally take longer to mature and you would certainly have crowing long before butcher time.

If you plan to process them yourself, you need to be aware of any ordinances in your area to that effect. I'm sure there are plenty of people who would not want to see you processing your flock in your back yard.

Good luck.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

I don't know anything about butchering so I have no tips. I would like to learn more about it though.