So I grew up on a farm. We processed lots of birds, but we never had birds bred specifically for meat. Then I moved away for college, etc, and I bought chicken at the store for 20 years, with no way to raise my own or a local place to buy them. But then we moved to farm country last summer, and I stumbled across a local farm store that sells CX 3 times a year. I bought 2 (at $25 each...ouch) and was amazed. We had been raising chicks and had already processed 7 roosters, but the roosters weren't what I wanted. I wanted birds for frying, like what I bought. The farm store lady suggested I raise my own. So I started looking.
CX did not appeal to me. We free range our laying flock, so I wanted something I could allow to range, or if I did a pastured poultry set up, I wanted birds more likely to go graze and catch bugs. I came across the rangers/rosambros/redbro lines and thought, those are what I need.
But then we had a really cold spring, so I didn't feel up to raising meaties then, plus I had something like 20-30 young Swedish Flower Hens, mixes and other birds go through here. I didn't quite have room. So I talked myself out of it.
Then I thought they must eat too much. But I saw a few threads here that indicated that is not as true as I thought.
So I took the plunge. I was planning to order from Murray McMurray or Freedom Hatchery and get them mid to late July, when they don't need a lot of supplemental heat here but it won't be too miserably hot when it's time to process. But as I was scavenging CraigsList last week, I came across an ad for Redbros at a very good price. Got to talking to the seller, and I realized he is here on BYC
He is bruceh. Very nice guy.
So I ordered 30, and 33 chicks arrived yesterday. Various colors, all but one is very alert and active (the one is OK, but I am concerned that one might die). I settled them into a brooder in my garage, with a feeder, waterer and an EcoGlo.
Because I'm interested in just how much this will cost me, I will itemize as I go.
Chick cost: $54 including shipping. While bruceh is only an hour away, it was easier to just ship, although hair raising as express meant it took 2 days to get here.
I had to buy a new chick feeder when I couldn't find the top after the kids used the metal top to the one I had as a light saber. $5.10
Bag of chick starter $19.50
I already had shavings. I made a ring style brooder on the floor of the garage out of some cardboard boxes I had here. Already had a waterer. I add vitamins and probiotics to my chicks' water so I had that too. Already had the EcoGlo brooder.
I know I'll be spending some money on their coop. I am planning a hoop coop or retrofit a trampoline for them outside, and I can move it daily for fresh grass, but it will need some predator protection (I just lost an entire flock of bantam Cochins to a predator attack along with some SFH and a duck). I'm planning to use hardware cloth and add electric to the exterior of the coop. I will likely buy a big waterer and a big feeder when they go outside so I don't have to steal one from my other birds.
Processing will be done by my family and another family and whoever else we can rope in. The other family has an automatic plucker
I don't care for FF, so I'll be doing it with dry feed. Organic, soy free, non GMO is not readily available here, so I'll be using feed from the local farmer co-op.
Pictures are on my camera, not the iPad. Even meaties are cute at the beginning!
CX did not appeal to me. We free range our laying flock, so I wanted something I could allow to range, or if I did a pastured poultry set up, I wanted birds more likely to go graze and catch bugs. I came across the rangers/rosambros/redbro lines and thought, those are what I need.
But then we had a really cold spring, so I didn't feel up to raising meaties then, plus I had something like 20-30 young Swedish Flower Hens, mixes and other birds go through here. I didn't quite have room. So I talked myself out of it.
Then I thought they must eat too much. But I saw a few threads here that indicated that is not as true as I thought.
So I took the plunge. I was planning to order from Murray McMurray or Freedom Hatchery and get them mid to late July, when they don't need a lot of supplemental heat here but it won't be too miserably hot when it's time to process. But as I was scavenging CraigsList last week, I came across an ad for Redbros at a very good price. Got to talking to the seller, and I realized he is here on BYC
He is bruceh. Very nice guy.So I ordered 30, and 33 chicks arrived yesterday. Various colors, all but one is very alert and active (the one is OK, but I am concerned that one might die). I settled them into a brooder in my garage, with a feeder, waterer and an EcoGlo.
Because I'm interested in just how much this will cost me, I will itemize as I go.
Chick cost: $54 including shipping. While bruceh is only an hour away, it was easier to just ship, although hair raising as express meant it took 2 days to get here.
I had to buy a new chick feeder when I couldn't find the top after the kids used the metal top to the one I had as a light saber. $5.10
Bag of chick starter $19.50
I already had shavings. I made a ring style brooder on the floor of the garage out of some cardboard boxes I had here. Already had a waterer. I add vitamins and probiotics to my chicks' water so I had that too. Already had the EcoGlo brooder.
I know I'll be spending some money on their coop. I am planning a hoop coop or retrofit a trampoline for them outside, and I can move it daily for fresh grass, but it will need some predator protection (I just lost an entire flock of bantam Cochins to a predator attack along with some SFH and a duck). I'm planning to use hardware cloth and add electric to the exterior of the coop. I will likely buy a big waterer and a big feeder when they go outside so I don't have to steal one from my other birds.
Processing will be done by my family and another family and whoever else we can rope in. The other family has an automatic plucker
I don't care for FF, so I'll be doing it with dry feed. Organic, soy free, non GMO is not readily available here, so I'll be using feed from the local farmer co-op.
Pictures are on my camera, not the iPad. Even meaties are cute at the beginning!
