Becoming more self-sufficient is becoming more and more popular these days. Raising your own chicken is an amazing skill to have and an incredible feeling to be able to provide your family with meat that you grew yourself. It’s a great learning opportunity for your kids to learn about raising their own food. That is just doesn’t appear in the grocery store magically. A few different breeds of chickens are used for meat production.
Where to start
The most commonly known in the poultry industry in the United States is the Cornish cross. It’s a high-yielding, fast-growing chicken. The Cornish cross time frame for growth is about 6 to 8 weeks. In that time they grow to 4.5lb-6lbs. to be ready for processing. There are other chicken breeds such as the red broilers that are used for meat production, they are slower-growing birds. Their average time frame is 12-16 weeks. These slower growing chickens have their benefits too but today we’re going to focus on the Cornish cross. So so we can get some meat in your freezer fast!
Getting chicks
Most Cornish crosses come from hatcheries, this is the best way to get your young chicks as they are a hybrid bird developed for rapid growth. you can sometimes come across birds for sale from someone local. They are also used by 4H and FFA clubs for rodeo shows in competitions for the best-looking birds. Do your research as prices can vary from place to place, we order from a place here in Texas so they don’t have too far to travel. I get a call from the post office when they arrive and I pick them up.
When you first get your baby chicks it’s important to have food, fresh water, and a heat source ready so they can regulate themselves to the ideal temperature. At first the temperature needs to be 99 degrees. We take each bird out and dip their beak in the water as they have come from a hatchery and traveled for a day. As they grow week by week the temperature should be adjusted 5 degrees each week for proper growth. As they grow some people choose to put their birds out on the grass. They can free range and eat more natural things like bugs, which to a chicken is yummy protein. which is one of their natural behaviors.
Temperature
Throughout their growth, they will lose their soft chick fluff. Feathers will develop so they will need less and less heat. Usually by the third week, we have really reduced to a lower temperature. Depending on the time of year and your location you will need to make sure they don’t get too warm, as they can overheat and die. We use an ac unit to keep the broilers cool as they can show signs of heat stress towards the end. Remember to change your beading often because soiled shaving put off heat as it breaks down.
Feed
The baby chicks need several key things to keep them healthy to help produce the best meat quality for you.
In the first few weeks of age, they can double in size and they continue to gain weight quickly throughout the growing period. Broiler chickens require a balanced diet that is high in protein and energy to support their rapid growth. Commercial broiler feed is available at most feed stores we use a brand called Producers made here in Texas. They have a feed program to promote great growth in your birds. Your local tractor supply should also carry feed for meat production birds. Always provide your birds with fresh clean water to keep them healthy and lessen the chances of diseases or health issues.
Housing
The type of housing is important we have tried a few different methods. Such as a chicken tractor, a chicken coop with a run. The housing we have used over and over in that we set up a brooder in our barn with lights, heat, ac. It’s for days it gets too hot for them. The shavings should be changed frequently. This method worked best for us cause our land gets really wet and they weren’t smart enough to get out of the rain. So be sure to evaluate the area where the birds are going to stay. Though it will only be for 8wks you don’t want to check your birds and find that a predator has gotten to them cause let’s be honest everything loves to eat chicken.
Health Issues
Broiler chickens are prone to various health problems, including respiratory issues and leg problems due to their fast growth. Take care to watch for leg problems. Leg issues accrue because the birds get so heavy so fast that their legs muscles can’t support them. You may have to cull a bird or two if an issue arises. you always want to be mind full of animal welfare. Lesions tend to form on the breasts, feet, and hock (ankle joint). These painful lumps and sores, called integument lesions, are the result of chickens coming into prolonged contact with their own feces, which are very high in ammonia.
Processing time
Now at the end of the 8 weeks, the birds should be the full size it’s time to process your broilers. You can always find a butcher that will process the birds for you. Most places have you drop off the live birds and you come back with a cooler, the birds are packaged whole. They are usually priced per bird at a flat fee.
We process our birds ourselves. We started with the dispatching of the birds then we use a scalder. which is a process of dipping the birds in hot water to loosen their feathers. The next process is the chicken plucker, which removes the feather in the 30s. which is amazing compared to hand plucking. Which is a quit task. Then they have to be cleaned out. We keep the heart and liver for the dogs, and the necks and feet are kept to make chicken stock at a later date.
packaging
We don’t eat whole birds too often so we break our birds down before we package them, which is done with a food saver. We use their game-saver bags as the bones can poke through some of the generic bags. We have found that all our time and effort is worth us paying for the name-brand bags. It usually takes us most of the day when all is said and done and everything is cleaned up
We usually raise 50 birds a year and that gets our family of 5 through a year without having to buy chicken from the store. So, you just have to pick the best method for you. At the end of the day, nothing beats homegrown anything whether it be fresh-picked tomatoes or homegrown chicken. You’re learning a skill that used to be the norm way back when and that’s amazing.
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