# Raising meat chickens......



## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

I've never raised meat chickens before.....just butchered any extra roos or old hens. I'm seriously considering meat chickens though. I just opened a new pack of store bought chicken to find it rotten. Nasty and stinky and slimy! EWWW! and I was going to feed that to my kids. 
So how much space do I need for meat chickens? How do I find a processor? I'm not sure I want to do too many by myself and I am the one that would have to do it. I mean the kids would "help" but you know how much help that would be! Would it be feasible to do a batch late summer/early fall?


----------



## Kringees Mom (Apr 24, 2010)

Same questions from me!! I'm ready to take the plunge!


----------



## WstTxLady (Mar 14, 2009)

Me also !!!!

After my husband & mom-in-law reading a few articles about how in the next 2 years ALL store bought chicken will be from China (sorry I cant find the article right now), we are going to build something, anything to raise and butcher our own. There is NO NEED to buy if its from over there, I'm sorry but I wouldn't trust it. I barely trust store meat now. Where we live we can trap, hunt and fish up all our meat.


----------



## gwithrow (Feb 5, 2005)

there's a small animal processor near Siler city...not sure where that is, but I think it is close to you than me...look up how to make a simple hoop house using cattle panels...if I can do it I know you can too, you are more than welcome to come and see ours...in 8 weeks, you can have a freezer full of the best chicken ever....you could order just 25....raise them and perhaps someone near you would want a few....making the hoop house is the most time consuming,but after it is made you are all set for a while...they stay in the brooder room or you can adapt the aforementioned hoop house to double as a brooder......anyway mine are in the brooder for almost 4 weeks, so they are only out on pasture for 4 weeks....the hoops get moved daily...I was surprised at how simple the operation is....if you use the processor in Siler City it is really easy....have fun....


----------



## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

Siler City is several hours from me....at least 2 1/2 I'd say. I don't have a brooder persay but I have a rabbit hutch that could be used for one. I can get power to it and would just need to add sides maybe. If I get a batch when its still hot and they are outside how much heat will they need? Where ever I put them they have to be safe from Tucker......young chickens are just still too tempting for him. I guess I could build them a pen.....I even have an old truck toolbox I could use for them to get under.......hmmm.....what size pen would I need for 25? for 50? We eat a lot of chicken! Looking at mcmurray's site not counting food I could come out for less than $2 a bird. How many bags of feed would take to grow out?


----------



## Merit (Jul 15, 2009)

I've taken the plunge. 20 Cornish X's, day olds almost five weeks ago, for $10. The tractor is a wood frame covered with 1/4" hardware cloth wire. Feeder is a long gutter. Since feeding is a social-thing, you want all broilers to be able to eat at the same time. Tricks to broilers are 1 sq ft/bird. Broilers overheat easier. They splay easier, so watch for chicks on slick surfaces. (no slick surfaces). On day 3 start with the baby grit. On day 5 start limiting their feed. 12 hours of NO FEED, only water, to avoid the too-rapid growth, heart attacks and such. After about the 5th week downgrade to 18 percent protein chick grower (from the 20-22 percent). Can't confirm this yet, but read to expect to need 500 lbs of feed for every 25 broilers to get them through to 8 weeks old. Lighting for chickes: 85 degrees on day one (250 watt bulb 24"away) Reduce 5% each week (raise lamp 2") till down to 70 degrees. They'll be feathered out between 3-5 weeks. (mine at five are almost fully feathered and starting to waddle) I read that slowing down growth by downgrading to 16% protein cut mortality by 30% (but definitely slowed down growth too) Neighbor will butcher them in exchange for meat. (I'm afraid of those little chicken heart attacks & broken legs by driving them to the processor, honestly. Maybe next time.)


----------



## kbshorts (Dec 6, 2005)

Quit worrying and start building a tractor! You have gotten great advice, stick them in a tractor and move them every day, mine roll around the yard and fertilize the grass. I raise 25 -30 at a time and butcher half at 7 weeks and the rest at 8. Butchering is easy and keeps everything under your control. It works best for me to get them mid August and butcher in October. I would have a hard time eating a nasty little supermarket chicken. Good luck.

Keith


----------



## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

Keep water and food in front of them 24/7 (although some just give them food in the morning and take it away at night...but I think that leads to mobbing the feeder). They can free range or go in a tractor. They eat constantly and if left in a room will get dirty quickly. 

You can probably find a local hatchery with chicks....ifyou do, that hatchery may know of a processor near you. 

Plenty of farmers will process your birds for you if you can't find a state run facility. 

You can also skin the birds instead of plucking, btw. Pretty easy, and no messyplucking.


----------



## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

I talked to dh last night and he's ok with it. He says take a week or so and process them myself. So I think that in August I will order a batch. That gives me this summer to make a secure pen for them and get myself ready. I've always just skinned chickens before and will probably do that with these. Then if all goes well I'll plan on a bigger batch in the spring.


----------



## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Do NOT leave food in front of them 24/7. Cornish X are bred to eat and will eat themselves straight to death if given the chance. If you leave the food out all the time you will have increased incidence of leg and heart complications that result in fatality. Either feed them 12 on/12 off as is customary and provide ample feeder space to reduce competition in the morning rush to the feeder or feed them 6 on/6 off/6 on/6 off to help them not feel "starved" in between feedings. 

Don't dawdle on getting them butchered and any risk of complications is further reduced. To find a processor in your area try asking around at feed stores, other people who keep chickens, etc. Likely the best small processor is going to be one that doesn't need to advertise whatsoever so unless you get it from word of mouth you'll never even know they exist. 

In NC, at that time of year, you won't have too much worry as far as brooding goes. Cornish X are pretty cold tolerant, it's too much heat that really gets to them most. 

Cornish X are very confinement tolerant so you can get by on less space per bird than you can with dual purpose birds -- but the more space you are able to give them the less they will smell (remember: waste is a function of feed and they're going to be eating A LOT!) 

Good Luck!


----------



## Jay27 (Jan 11, 2010)

We butcher in a couple rounds... We start at 5 weeks old and butcher every weekend until they are gone. This way, it doesn't take a whole day and we get a variety of sizes. 

Scalding and plucking those cornish cross is not very hard. They are not as feathered as other breeds. We use the turkey deep-fryer to scald. Add a little dish soap and heat the water to 185 degrees. Scald for 30 - 60 seconds (check skin on the feet - if it peels easy, it is good), toss into cold water and then the feathers rub right off... easy as pie!

After 2 weeks of age, we keep 25 birds in a 8' x 20' run with coop. We let them range around when we get home from work. They get fed 2x daily, dumped on the ground so they don't trample each other at the feeder. Their pen gets roto-tilled every other weekend to keep the poo from building up and getting sloppy should it rain. 

JUST DO IT! You will learn more doing it than anyone can tell you. Since you are experienced with birds, it won't be anything you can't handle.


----------



## Kris in MI (May 30, 2002)

Ginnie5, we started doing our own meat birds about five years ago. Since you've all ready gotten good answers on how to deal with them while they are alive, I won't talk about that. I'll tell you how to deal with them when it's time to put them in freezer camp!

The first year we did birds, it took us pretty much all day (6 hours or so on a Sunday afternoon) to do a dozen. Now it takes 3 hrs to do 24-30 birds. So, expect your first time to take quite a while, and the more you do it, the better you get!

I usually have 3-4 helpers, and we do them assembly-line style: someone is the executioner who chops their heads off, then hangs them to bleed out. Two people scald (we use our turkey fryer to heat the water to about 150 degrees and dunk each bird for about 30 seconds. Be forewarned you will not want to ever use that pot for cooking again, only scalding!) and then they pluck. We singe after plucking w/a propane torch--you know, the hand-held ones with the little blue cannisters. Then someone cuts out the vent and opens the bird. After which time I do the gutting (I have the smallest hands, and don't mind guts!). After gutting, feet and wingtips are cut off, as well as oil glands (or entire tails, depending on how experienced this person is). Birds are then put in cold water until all birds have been processed. 

That is the part we do outdoors. Indoors, I thoroughly wash each bird inside and out with water only, weigh each one and either put it in a plastic freezer bag whole as a roaster (the 3 to 3.5 pound ones) or cut it up (usually the larger ones). Cut up ones can either be packaged as 'whole chicken, cut up' or parted out. When I part out, I package 6 leg-quarters to a bag, 6 breasts to a bag, a whole bunch of wings to a bag (1-2 dozen), and the backs and ribs (from doing boneless breasts) go into another bag marked 'for soup'. 

When we are doing meat birds in the fall is when I cull my old hens. The hens get processed the same as the meat birds, until it comes to packaging. Those are frozen whole in bags marked "TOB" for Tough Old Biddy. Those are stew/soup birds :hysterical:


----------



## Kringees Mom (Apr 24, 2010)

I'm thinking of doing a dual purpose breed, (ie whatever looks good at the farm auction). Are the "meat breeds" better or will dual purpose suffice? I'm thinking of 25-30 in a moveable tractor.


----------



## TSYORK (Mar 16, 2006)

I live in NC, too. A great time to get them is in September here; it's starting to cool off a little bit here, and they'll do much better. I usually butcher mine Thanksgiving weekend. It's wonderful meat. Don't worry about doing it, just go for it. It's not hard, it's not rocket science. I was anxious the first time too, but it was flawless, and at eight weeks some of my birds dressed nearly six pounds.


----------



## Jay27 (Jan 11, 2010)

Dual purpose birds don't get as big as fast and don't have nearly the meat on them. They are harder to pluck too.

On the water temp for scalding, Kris says she uses 150 degrees... on my deep fryer thermometer it is 185 that does it. Too cold and the birds will be hard to pluck and that first layer of skin won't peel, resulting in a yellowish film of skin. Too hot and the skin will tear when you pluck. Gramma told me a trick - you dip your hand in the water and hold it there for 1 second each time. If you can do this 3 times in a row, in-out-in-out-in-out, the water is the perfect temp. If you can only do it twice without fearing getting burned, the water is too hot, if you think you could stick your hand in a 4th time, it is too cold. I suppose this varies depending on the person, but it has never done me wrong. 

I also stir the pot when I am scalding the bird so that the soapy water works down to the skin.

I use my deep-fryer pot for stuff other than scalding. Heck, it was CLEANER after I used it for scalding than it ever was when used just for deep-frying! I think this is because we put a fair amount of dish soap in our scalding water (regular dawn, no antibacterial nonsense).


----------



## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Kringees Mom said:


> Are the "meat breeds" better or will dual purpose suffice?


Define "better" and then we can answer your question. 

Meat birds (Speaking specifically of Cornish X here) grow faster, have more efficient FCR and better meat to bone ratio. They also produce the carcass that most people are accustomed to -- big, ample white-meated breasts. 

Dual purpose birds grow slower, taste better (processed and prepared properly), are better foragers and can breed naturally (and true) if you're looking for a sustainable flock. They have poorer FCR but because they don't need as much at one time and have better foraging ability they can get a greater amount of their feed as a percent overall from forage when given the opportunity which is a money saver. That said their meat to bone ratio is not as good as the Cornish X. 

It's a personal choice. Define what is "better" to you and go from there.


----------



## Kringees Mom (Apr 24, 2010)

olivehill said:


> Define "better" and then we can answer your question.
> 
> Sorry about the subjective term "better".... And I thought you could read minds and raise phenomenal chickens.
> 
> ...


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I raised Barred Rock cockerals one year and really liked them. Then next year I raised Silver Laced Cockerals. They were doing well until a dog slaughtered a bunch and I took the remaining ones to the processor.

I got them from Reichs hatchery in PA.


----------



## Curtis B (Aug 15, 2008)

I am raising some for the first time right now. I am thinking never again, I am finding the broilers to be just lazy and disgusting. The final factor will be at dinner time in a few weeks. I had heard that they will free range a bit, but I haven't seen it yet. I put a doz out to start with 11 of my regular dual purpose birds(one week apart in age), the regular birds leave the pen, scratch, jump, and run, they ACT like chickens. The broilers just lay in the pen till they get hungry, get up, walk to the feeder, lay down and eat. Even the poop is different.


----------



## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

The cornish x's we raised last year reminded me of dopey from snow white- slow, stupid and very sweet and gentle. 

Mine went into the adult flock once they were big enough and only had the layer pellets and sunflower seeds and corn and everything else that everyone else got once they were about a month old. Mine learned that people meant food and treats really quickly and watching them waddle as fast as they could to us was hilarious to watch. These birds are UGLY- they grow so fast that mines feathers never completely covered their body. They tasted much better than store bought. I had no deaths to legs/heat/etc. I think that growing them a little slower (lower protein) and having the food in the henhouse and the water (kiddie pool) about 30' away kept them active enough that mine never became the super lazy laying in their own poop kinda birds.

I do both- the butching dual-purpose cockerels once they start crowing (did 5 last night) and raising the cornish's. The dual's taste better and don't give as much meat but I think both have a place in my flock. I am thinking of trying to keep some cornish x hens alive and see if my buff orpington roo can breed and then see how their mutt chicks grow.


----------



## Ohiogal (Mar 15, 2007)

This is my second year raising meat birds (cornish X) and I do it in brooders in the garage. I've got a system worked out where I can raise 20 birds at a time, and they never touch the ground.
I got one of those 275 gallon "totes" from work, that they gave to me, and cut it in half and built a double decker "brooder" which houses 10 birds each. Right now I have birds that are about 4 weeks old, and on schedule for a 7 week slaughter date.
I feed my own grain mix, not the store mash. I feed an 18% ration without calcium. The result is a very tender bird, no picking and I can control the temp and feed rates easily. I hang feeder and waterer right in with the birds along with a heat lamp. In the hotter temps, I put a box fan over the brooder on top and turn it on low, for air flow. They do not tolerate heat!
At week #4 - which is now for this batch - I put the brooders on a timer so the lights go off at night. They get an overnight sleep that way, and it saves me on the feed and having any gorging problems.
Other than the loss of a couple day-old chicks, I've never lost a bird to overgrowth and they are happy and healthy.


----------



## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I raised them last year and will do it again this year. Later towardsfall, as they smell and, well, I have plenty to do right now! I fed them the 22-24% crumbles the entire time. They did fine - I just limited how much they got to eat each day (it was easier than remembering what weeks they were in age, etc). I didn't lose any. 

The mistake I made was that I called the butcher the week I wanted the processed. He couldn't get to them for a MONTH. They were 10-12 lbs by then. I think they ended up costing me $12 a BIRD by the time I was finished...but per pound price wasn't so bad. I will never raise them in a stall in my barn again. Make sure your tractor is large enough if you go that route. I think mine would have just destroyed the ground with their manure rather than eat the grass. They also just feel different than an egg layer. Picking them up - they were just gross feeling - greasy and warm.

I will definately do them again- due to the incredible taste of the meat....but I will be smarter this next time around.


----------



## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Kringees Mom said:


> Sorry about the subjective term "better".... And I thought you could read minds and raise phenomenal chickens.


You know, I've honed many of my superpowers but now that you mentioned it those two were over looked. LOL! 



Kringees Mom said:


> I want easy care, best tasting and most bang for my buck.. In other words, I want it all... ha ha. I do need a breed that is pretty heat tolerant, it gets pretty hot and humid here.
> 
> If you ask me how I like my eggs cooked, I will say perfectly!
> 
> ...


If you go with Cornish X you'd definitely want to raise them either early spring or late fall. When it comes to cold they're fairly tolerant, but the same cannot be said about heat.


----------



## Painted Pony (Dec 12, 2008)

CornishX started in late summer would be easy. I do not like to process in the summer because of the flies & it gets hot enough here to risk losing the birds once they are 8-10 weeks old. I also do not pluck more than 2-3 out of a batch of 10-15. I skin them out and part them out before freezing them. Skinning is so easy and much less mess than scalding and plucking. I can do 10-15 by myself in about 1/2 a day from start to finish. personally I couldn't stand to do more than 15 in a day because I just get tired of doing it. While you might find a processor that is reasonable I'd suggest trying it on your own. The savings is huge and I save the heads, feet, etc for the dogs. They love eating the extras which you don't get from the processor. JMO


----------



## bigmudder77 (Jun 9, 2008)

i do mine batch of 50 give or take depending on how many die when young and how many extras i get from the hatchery in 1 day and one day only and there right around 7-8 weeks old no longer no shorter 

if you have amish where your at talk to them and see how much they would charge to do it most butcher places dont mess with chickens cause it costs them more money to do it than they make and if they charge break even point then no one will take chickens there cause it will be way over priced 

my 50 chickens are like $55 from the hatchery i use about 10 bags of feed from week 1 to week 7-8 and i butcher it all my self im looking around a price of $4-5 per chicken about $200 total costs for the 50 (not including the electric for the heat lamp which isnt much any ways) and my chicken is fresh and i know where it came from and i know what it was eating and its great we do about 200 chickens a year 4 times a year batch of 50 every time (the pen can hold about 100-125 but trying to do all them in one day will be very fun) once i start the butchering i just want to get it over with and not spend any more time on it 

i do mine year round like i said 4 times a year winter is the best smell wise and bug wise but i have so much stuff on to do them that its a little harder and takes a little longer to do and my hands get really dryed out going from cold air to hot water back to cold air back to hot water and so on


----------



## calliesue (Sep 5, 2009)

Stupid Question: What do you do with the parts of the chicken you don't eat? like heads and feet?


----------



## charliesbugs (Feb 25, 2007)

No one has mentioned hearts,livers, gizzards??? Does anyone save them- besides me??? I help dd & dsil butcher and I keep hearts,livers, and gizzards..


----------



## AnnieinBC (Mar 23, 2007)

Callisue, our dog loves the heads and feet, yuk! Otherwise we add them to the compost pile or bury them.

We use the hearts livers necks etc for when we make soup or gravy if we roast the chicken.

We outlined our procedure for processing meat birds on our blog if anyone wants to see how it can be done. Over on the right, it is listed under the How To's.


----------



## OJ Rallye (Aug 4, 2005)

I'm looking for a chart or info on best times to butcher heritage breeds.
Slow maturing doesn't tell me when to butcher Brahmas or Jersey Giants.

Also I read somewhere about different age ranges to butcher Muscovy and have less pin feather problems.

What about easier plucking times?


----------



## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

According to my Mexicana amigas the feet are the best part for soup. Knowing how the feet more than likely looked while it was living....I always dabble in the soup pot to make sure there are no feet! They think I'm a little strange even for a Gringa...lol. The chicken vendors always have whole plucked chicken heads. I haven't been brave enough to ask what they use those for.

I am really amazed at how many people here take their birds to be butchered! Shoot, I didn't know that was a possibility. Guess it never occurred to me as an option since I've been plucking game birds and chickens since I was a little girl. Hmmmm, possibly an idea for a home business.


----------



## Riverdale (Jan 20, 2008)

We have raised and proccessed our own meat chickens for 5 years, nothing like them!


----------



## Merit (Jul 15, 2009)

Those heads go in the soup too. I used to live in Mexico. While I gakked the first time I stirred up the feet and head, I'm sure those soups are infinitely healthier and more nutrient-packed than anything else. (Feet-HUGE source of high-quality gelatin. Head--probably similar. Or maybe just to scare the bejeebers outta wussy gringuitas.)


----------



## lisa's garden (Apr 1, 2010)

I went to a Chinese Restaurant in Boston once for dimsun...Sunday morning 'buffet' style breakfast. We just pointed to the dishes that they were wheeling around to order. Well, we didn't know what we were getting, everything was deep fried or in a dumpling. I ordered a tasty looking dish of deep fried something or other, popped one in my mouth and started chewing. I chewed for a long time before I pulled the gristly thing out of my mouth and almost gagged. It was a chicken foot! That was quite an education. Don't go to an authentic ethnic restaurant and order something without asking questions first.


----------



## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

Instead of raising Cornish x with all the health problems many experience with them, may I suggest a much healthier bird, that ranges well in a chicken tractor called a Freedom Ranger? www.jmhatchery.com have them. 

We have raised them and butcher them betwenn 9 and 10 weeks. They get to a good size and are very tasty. 
We let some hens grow on, and they started laying between 18 and 19 weeks.  

Go on the website and read the comments.


----------



## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Rooster combs are supposed to be good for arthritis.


----------

