Everyone, we did it! Ordered 25 chicks from Freedom Ranger hatchery last August, they sent us 28, all of which survived. Last Friday we harvested 28 birds! Thanks to my organized husband, processing took about 5 hours, plus an hour to clean, an hour to bag, then another hour to clean that up...
Interesting, thanks for the replies! So, how did you choose your breed(s)? And did you start with breeding stock from another breeder? I'm trying to figure out which breed I'd want to work with and how to get started.
Hi all!
I'm fairly new to backyard chickens and just watched the movie Chicken People. :) I'm realizing there are lots of things you can do with chickens.
I'm interested in 2 right now: raising meat birds and learning more about showing. My question is, why do you like showing? What's fun or...
Don't feel bad. We are all learning and we all make mistakes. You did everything you could and you sound like an awesome chicken keeper. Out of curiosity, how old was she when she passed away?
@rjohns39 - Thank you so much for you post above. I spent the morning at Polyface (they're just an hour from my house). You're right, they were extremely helpful and accommodating. They have their summer interns doing the processing right now. The interns were so knowledgeable and patient, even...
This is a great thread for me, as I'm interested in raising heritage meat birds also. Except I just want to do it for fun/interest, rather than profit. And I'm not in Ireland. Good luck to you!!
That's awesome. I emailed and they said I could help them process chickens! Excited. :)
Does anyone here raise heritage chickens for meat? If so, I'm curious what everyone's breed preferences are.
I'd love to see the youtube videos you recommend!
I'm also a person that needs to see it in person, so I've already contacted a couple of local farmers. Hoping to join one of them next time they process a batch!
Another n00b here! I'm just outside Charlottesville. :frow
I'm not sure how far you are from me, but the Bresse are intriguing to me. Do you know how long it would take me to get to you from 22974?
Thanks everyone!
Thank you! I saw the incredibly helpful "how to" post on processing meat birds. It was a little more intense than I expected (lol) but if I want to learn it, I have to be prepared.
Hi all! I've been reading this forum for quite a while as it usually comes up in search when I google a chicken question (lol). Happy to finally be joining now!
I currently have 6 chickens in my pet/layer flock (2 EE hens, 1 EE roo, 1 Cochin hen, a silkie chick, and a 55 Flowery hen). Then my...