The meat chickens were 3wks old on Tuesday.
(Gee do they grow!)
We have been doing meat chickens every year now for the past 8yrs. We prefer to grow ours out a bit slower than their commercial relatives. Usually to about 14-16wks, by this time most are 2.5 -3.5kg.
They may grow slower but they live a happy life free ranging & eating natural foods instead of mass produced garbage. This morning they devoured a large bowl of rolled oats & bran mixed with a generous pour of warm milk.
(Yummy straight from the cow milk that is, the stuff you can't buy & with all that lovely cream on top)
I could of eat it myself....in fact I did have porridge for breakfast.
Does anyone else raise their own chicken or other meats??
Caroline xoxo....
4 comments:
Your free range chooks are lovely have eaten one. Good on you for raising your own as you know what goes into them and your not consuming all those horrible chemicals. Are you still selling them and if so for how much.
Hi Caroline,
I am raising 40 meat birds atm, lost 2 so far this time. Have orders for 25 birds which should cover my cost of commercial feed. I do like the idea of raising them more naturally and would like to know what else you feed them. My average weight last time was 2,7kg at 14 weeks. Sure hoping to equal that this time around.
Awwwww! Nope...I get too attached!
hughugs
Simcha, you & I shall enjoy one again when you get back.I usually just barter last year I got some lamb in return for chicken. People around here aren't into bartering as much as I would like. Maybe I just need to seek out more like minded individuals.
Donna, I know a lot of people do feel like that but my only other option is to become a vegetarian as I don't like the way most animals are treated commercially.
Rina, good on you for raising your own as you know it tastes so different-much more flavoursome.
I try to avoid commercial feed at all times but that's not to say I never do specially in the first weeks.
I have only lost three chicks in the last 8yrs which I feel is an o.k percentage + one we butchered at only 6wks with a broken leg-we didn't gut or pluck him just skinned him & took the thigh & breast.
I free range my meat chickens a lot & while they grow slower I have a lower mortality rate & no bone problems because as you know they just like to eat & s*#!.
After a few weeks I always raise the height of my feeders/waterers quite high so they have to stand to eat I feel this helps enormously with the above problem.
I don't usually sell but do try to barter. If I fed commercial feed it would be more viable to but even when I did I didn't make a big sum!
Well I think this comment is long enough maybe I will do a post on feeding etc.(but I'm a slack blogger) or please feel free to email me.
Caroline
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