This is a fascinating thread. I am now raising my second batch of broilers following closely Salatin's methods. My first batch was difficult. I raised them in September-October (start of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere!). I don't think it was warm enough. There was only one frosty morning, but there were quite a few rainy days and only a handful of fine warm days. Lots of overcast weather with brief showers. [We get snow every 20-30 years where I live]
I started with 78 and on day 15 moved them outside. The weather forecast indicated some mild weather. It was OK, it turned out to be a 4 day period of low 60's, overcast and no wind at all.
On day 15 I had 74. Over the next 42 days I would lose one nearly every day, I also killed 2 by accident, when moving the enclosure, but we dressed them and ate them. The ones that died were very similar to what Mike G described. By day 55 we were down to 42. I processed 12 on that day and the rest on day 57. They were massive; they dressed out to 7-8 pounds. I had trouble killing a few as they would not go down the restraining cone far enough and had to slit their throats by holding them between my knees. I emailed the hatchery to confirm that I had purchased day-olds and the lady was adamant that they were indeed day-olds.
I am now raising my second batch. The weather has been warmer and dryer. I took them outside at day 15. It is now day 19, but today was wet and cold (high 50’s) and very windy. Although it was very warm from day 15-18, reaching 90 yesterday! I started out with 75 and one chick was killed accidentally after my daughter discovered that the brooder hatch is not connected to a hinge like the large outdoor enclosure. One more died on day 3. The second batch was sourced from a different hatchery. They were tiny in comparison, but a lot more energetic and nimble, but they have already put on lots of weight.
When I had the 42 just before slaughtering them in my 10ft x 10ft enclosure it looked like they were comfortable, but if I had 75 it would have been absolutely packed. It did not appear overstocked (with 42). I am worried that having 60 something (or close to 70) 6 or 7 week olds in the enclosure would mean that they can hardly move. I am also worried that they excrete so much manure that moving them once a day will not be enough but I am happy to move them twice to give them a cleaner environment (I have 15.5 acres!). In Salatin’s book “Pastured Poultry Profits” (PPP) he says he stocks his 10ft x 12 ft enclosure with 90 birds but on his web-site it says “about 75” see:
http://www.polyfacefarms.com/2011/07/25/pastured-broilers/
See page 82-83 of PPP: (roughly quoting)
- For 120 sq ft enclosure:
- - Under 50 birds weight gain drops because they are running around too much.
- - Over 95 slaughter weight drops. Every individual over 90 takes a toll.
- - Between 65 and 85 we have not been able to detect a difference.
Can the difference in expected dressed weights, 4lb for Salatin versus 7-8 pounds I achieved, be accounted for by the lower stocking density?
Should I only buy 60 day-old chicks in order to get around 50-55 by week 8 instead of 75?
Or should I slaughter them at 6 weeks instead of 8 weeks?
We have eaten the chicken and have enjoyed it I couldn't tell much difference with normal store bought chicken, except for the roast which was slightly stronger flavoured. We have:
- Roasted it whole
- Cooked boneless pieces in a curry
- Minced it and made hamburger patties
- Minced it and made dumplings
(And tomorrow will make chicken soup with the leftover frames and bones.)
