Tips for first time meat bird owner

[FunClucks]

just ordered the meat birds tonight and I've already shed a few tears
I think I just need to remember raising birds myself is more ethical than buying from the store...

This is true - I know that I will make my meat birds' lives better than they would have gotten in any commercial chicken raising operation. They will have excellent lives, a quick low/no-stress end, and produce high quality meat for my family. No long stressful truck rides for them, no worries for me about what bacteria the processing plant wasn't careful about, or their processing method. My birds will eat bugs, see sun, eat grass, have a small flock (commercially speaking) and have plenty of fresh air and as much exercise as they will tolerate. They will enjoy the great outdoors and natural day/night cycles, and have fresh bedding regularly.

Do not get attached. They are sweet through processing age, but once fully mature, CX, especially the roosters, can be mean as snakes. They are "dinner chickens" and "dinner chicks". If you need to ID some of them, use numbered zip ties on their legs that are not put on too tightly and checked regularly as they grow.

You are taking responsibility for the meat you consume by making sure the chickens have the best life possible, and a fast, stress-free end. I think that's worthy of respect. I tell you, I've been a lot more mindful of food usage and food waste since I've been growing our own. Their sacrifices to feed my family will NOT be in vain, and we use every possible portion of the chicken.

I look at the chicken in the store now, and I see older meat that's been in the case a while, and I know exactly how old each chicken was when it was processed, now that I know how old CX are at each size. I'll point to a small rotisserie chicken and tell my kids - that chicken was 4 weeks old. They look at me with big eyes, but they remember, because they were there raising them with me. We marvel at how young they all are when processed commercially. Mine get 6-10 weeks of life (or more by accident sometimes), which is double what most in the store get.

When you process chicken yourself, it has to sit in the fridge and age for at least a week (in most cases) till the joints loosen back up, (then you cook or freeze) but it can be in the fridge longer if needed. If you look, I think the USDA states that the commercial requirements are no longer than 10 days from slaughter to sale/consumption. Even 10-12 days in, my chicken smells as fresh in the fridge as when it was first processed. It's such a nice change from the slimy, almost off meat that I would get from the store. And it's totally devoid of seasoning/flavoring (none of that 10% salt or broth solution), which I'd never had before I processed my own.

The processing part is hard. But I like knowing I can feed my family well.

 

[GracePoultry]

This is true - I know that I will make my meat birds' lives better than they would have gotten in any commercial chicken raising operation. They will have excellent lives, a quick low/no-stress end, and produce high quality meat for my family. No long stressful truck rides for them, no worries for me about what bacteria the processing plant wasn't careful about, or their processing method. My birds will eat bugs, see sun, eat grass, have a small flock (commercially speaking) and have plenty of fresh air and as much exercise as they will tolerate. They will enjoy the great outdoors and natural day/night cycles, and have fresh bedding regularly.

Do not get attached. They are sweet through processing age, but once fully mature, CX, especially the roosters, can be mean as snakes. They are "dinner chickens" and "dinner chicks". If you need to ID some of them, use numbered zip ties on their legs that are not put on too tightly and checked regularly as they grow.

You are taking responsibility for the meat you consume by making sure the chickens have the best life possible, and a fast, stress-free end. I think that's worthy of respect. I tell you, I've been a lot more mindful of food usage and food waste since I've been growing our own. Their sacrifices to feed my family will NOT be in vain, and we use every possible portion of the chicken.

I look at the chicken in the store now, and I see older meat that's been in the case a while, and I know exactly how old each chicken was when it was processed, now that I know how old CX are at each size. I'll point to a small rotisserie chicken and tell my kids - that chicken was 4 weeks old. They look at me with big eyes, but they remember, because they were there raising them with me. We marvel at how young they all are when processed commercially. Mine get 6-10 weeks of life (or more by accident sometimes), which is double what most in the store get.

When you process chicken yourself, it has to sit in the fridge and age for at least a week (in most cases) till the joints loosen back up, (then you cook or freeze) but it can be in the fridge longer if needed. If you look, I think the USDA states that the commercial requirements are no longer than 10 days from slaughter to sale/consumption. Even 10-12 days in, my chicken smells as fresh in the fridge as when it was first processed. It's such a nice change from the slimy, almost off meat that I would get from the store. And it's totally devoid of seasoning/flavoring (none of that 10% salt or broth solution), which I'd never had before I processed my own.

The processing part is hard. But I like knowing I can feed my family well.

wow! this helps a lot! tysm!

 

[Floopy]

This is true - I know that I will make my meat birds' lives better than they would have gotten in any commercial chicken raising operation. They will have excellent lives, a quick low/no-stress end, and produce high quality meat for my family. No long stressful truck rides for them, no worries for me about what bacteria the processing plant wasn't careful about, or their processing method. My birds will eat bugs, see sun, eat grass, have a small flock (commercially speaking) and have plenty of fresh air and as much exercise as they will tolerate. They will enjoy the great outdoors and natural day/night cycles, and have fresh bedding regularly.

Do not get attached. They are sweet through processing age, but once fully mature, CX, especially the roosters, can be mean as snakes. They are "dinner chickens" and "dinner chicks". If you need to ID some of them, use numbered zip ties on their legs that are not put on too tightly and checked regularly as they grow.

You are taking responsibility for the meat you consume by making sure the chickens have the best life possible, and a fast, stress-free end. I think that's worthy of respect. I tell you, I've been a lot more mindful of food usage and food waste since I've been growing our own. Their sacrifices to feed my family will NOT be in vain, and we use every possible portion of the chicken.

I look at the chicken in the store now, and I see older meat that's been in the case a while, and I know exactly how old each chicken was when it was processed, now that I know how old CX are at each size. I'll point to a small rotisserie chicken and tell my kids - that chicken was 4 weeks old. They look at me with big eyes, but they remember, because they were there raising them with me. We marvel at how young they all are when processed commercially. Mine get 6-10 weeks of life (or more by accident sometimes), which is double what most in the store get.

When you process chicken yourself, it has to sit in the fridge and age for at least a week (in most cases) till the joints loosen back up, (then you cook or freeze) but it can be in the fridge longer if needed. If you look, I think the USDA states that the commercial requirements are no longer than 10 days from slaughter to sale/consumption. Even 10-12 days in, my chicken smells as fresh in the fridge as when it was first processed. It's such a nice change from the slimy, almost off meat that I would get from the store. And it's totally devoid of seasoning/flavoring (none of that 10% salt or broth solution), which I'd never had before I processed my own.

The processing part is hard. But I like knowing I can feed my family well.

What a great post. Thank you for this great info!