It looks like the time is drawing near for our broiler chicks to pack their bags and head off to freezer camp. I’m actually going to miss the little boogers, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. Despite moving the coop daily to fresh ground, they don’t really smell so great.
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| Hello again! Did you bring me more food?? |
They are funny birds, though, and they get so excited when I come to feed them, despite the fact that they still had food in their feeder. Silly birds.
Take a look at how big they have gotten!
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| Feeding Frenzy!!!!! |
Seriously, no wonder they grow so fast, these birds put away massive amounts of feed each day!
When it is all over for them, I’ll be sure to smile and know that they only had ONE bad day here on the farm, rather than a entire terrible existence like they could have expected in a factory farm. I will also be able to rest easy, knowing that I’m feeding my family the best possible meat I can!
If you haven’t been keeping up with our broiler chicken project, you can read more about it here.
I’ll keep you posted on their progress, but what about you? Would you/could you/have you ever raised your own meat animals? Your comments make my day!
Shared on the Backyard Farming Connection Hop and Wildcrafting Wednesday!
My family use to raise 120,000 broilers at one time! LOL!
Now THAT is quite the undertaking!
We were given 25 from a friend that made a good start with them but couldn’t finish. We had a few that had leg problems because they couldn’t support the weight. I think the food to poop ratio was high because they smelled horrific! We processed ours a bit late so they got bigger than recommended. Ever fixed a 10 lb chicken?!!? Low and slow is the key to juicy tender meat! Next time we are going to go with a more slow growing heritage breed to compare quality.
That’s why I’m thinking we should process them this weekend. Better small than huge? Or maybe process the roos and leave the hens another week… Any advice?
this is my next step in homesteading and self-sufficiency. I appreciate your articles because there is not nearly enough information on raising meat birds. I’m sure I have about a zillion silly questions, but as i type this my mind is blank – thanks again!
Thanks for reading! If you think of any questions, just pop on and ask! Or feel free to ask on the Facebook page. If I don’t have an answer, someone else will! 🙂
My son and I are going to try to raise 25 meat chickens this spring. I am concerned about the smell of the birds, but look forward to the fresh meat. We are going to free range the chickens. I appreciate your place for me to read some of the problems you’ll encounter.
Congratulations on your decision to raise your own poultry! Feel free to ask questions here if some arise. I’ll do my best to answer! 🙂