We started a chicken farm!

[df909]

Local food, sustainable farming, & no medications in the food are popular in our area, so we've been raising chickens for eggs and meat in the backyard for years. Mostly for us to eat, but we share the extra eggs we have with others & have given some chicken away. Well, we finally made the jump and started growing chickens to process & sell the meat. We've had pretty good demand so far...our first small batch sold in a few hours and 20 of 25 chicks that are still 4 weeks from processing are already accounted for. We just got another 25 chicks this morning that will be ready to eat in about 6 weeks.

I created our farm website and oh my gosh that's a pretty frustrating thing to do. But, at least it's done and people can go to the web to learn about our farm & contact us.

Do many of you process your own chicken? We got a scalder and feather plucker that will take all the feather off the birds in about 15 seconds- the thing is awesome compared to hand plucking.

 

[j_martin]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

We used to raise chickens for eggs, and butcher about 50 at a time. With 9 kids, we didn't have any to sell.

We'd set up a regular production line in the back yard. 1 would kill and scald, 1 would do the flying rubber finger chicken plucker thing, one would trim (feet and heads), 1 would draw, 1 would singe the pinfeathers and throw them in ice water, and 1 would pull the cooled birds out and run them into the house for the wife to wrap, and carry ice back out for the chiller. We'd whip the whole flock in a few hours.

I'd keep yer head down if I were you. The nanny state probably looks unkindly at sidestepping the food police.

 

[KnightWolf]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

Used to raise 250-300 chickens. We did it all by hand built a fire in the pit and boiled a huge pot of water. Hung 5 chickens at a time upside down then slaughtered, scald, hand plucked and iced. Most were consumed by the family but some did go to friends. I know here in wisconsin at the bigger farm markets organic chickens go for big $$$$ 3 to 4 dollars a pound! crazy!

 

[gstanton]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

VERY few people are capable of doing that these days!

Keep it up and teach others if you can! We might all need to know how soon enough.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

Please this should be kept quiet......... Aspeck tried chicken farming and was VERY upset when it failed.........

It seems as if aspeck planted 20 dozen eggs and nothing ever came up!

I told aspeck that they were probably planted too deep!

 

[df909]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

Before you plant the eggs, you have to make sure that they're pollinated by the bees. That's a pretty common mistake. Also, they like sandy soil that drains well.

 

[df909]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

It's crazy dealing with the food police. There have been many, many raids with guns and flash bang grenades over raw milk. I've been trying to deal with the local governments and it's craaaaazy. Shoot Knightwolf- $3-$4 a pound isn't anything for chicken now. I saw at the market just last night skinless, boneless, organic, & free range chicken breasts were $8.99/ pound.

Ours aren't organic, but they're pasture fed & have a pretty good life for a chicken. We're selling it at $4.25/ pound for whole birds and $5/ pound for cut-up birds. We have 2 week old chicks that are already sold & we're still 4 weeks from processing. We are taking orders for the chicks we just received today. I never thought we have such demand and we're just starting out.

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

Kool!!! Im buying that property next door to you and am gonna be raising foxes !!! I will be able to save a bundle on fox food !!! Thanks !

 

[mxfever]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

VERY few people are capable of doing that these days!

Keep it up and teach others if you can! We might all need to know how soon enough.

Please do tell! I am not capable of raising chickens to consume. But strangely enough the wife just asked me the other day "What do you think about getting some chicks to raise, teach the kids responsibility and be able to eat.

We're tired of having to feed our kids processed crap.

How many would you say would feed a family of 4?

 

[mommicked]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

Fried chicken,chicken soup,baked chicken,chicken gumbo,stir fried chicken, chicken and dumplins,barbequed chicken,chicken and rice,stewed chicken,roasted chicken,beer can chicken,chicken chili,chicken salad,chicken broth,chicken sandwich,boiled chicken,broiled chicken,chicken fricasse,chicken fajitas,chicken stew,chicken fingers,buffalo chicken wings,chicken shish kabobs,chicken and dressing,country fried chicken,......Cluck,....Forest Cluck I bet they,re way better than the stuff ive seen lately at the local store!.

 

[DaNinja]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

Our place here is pretty well planted in the 'burbs. I woke the other morning to the sounds of a rooster.
I guess my new neighbor has a family place in the country and takes the animals to the 'burb house sometimes.
His kids were walking the one-day old lambs the other day.

Our lot is about an acre, his is about a third acre.

 

[roscoe]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

We're tired of having to feed our kids processed crap.

How many would you say would feed a family of 4?

Depends on the breed, and how often you eat chicken.

Some breeds will hit 8-10# in 8 weeks or less, figure 5-6# dressed.
Depending on how you serve it, and the number of side dished, one bird can feed 4 people, 1 meal, 2 meals, or 3 meals.
Other breeds only hit 6-7#, maybe 3# dressed. So the yield is about half.
If you are looking for meat, you want a fast growing broiler.

Eggs? Nothing beats a Buff Orpington for eggs and temperament, or a Production Red.
They start laying in about 20 weeks and will lay 6-7 eggs per week.



Here is a web newsletter / blog I subscribe to, kind of a novice's guide to chickens.

http://www.self-sufficient-life.com/April11KC/keepingchickensv2_pg01.htm


This is the nursery I get my chicks from, thru the local farm supply store.

http://www.welphatchery.com/cornish_rock.asp



http://www.welphatchery.com/EggLayerTypes/buff_orpington.asp

We have several Mennonite and Amish guys in the area that will slaughter and process for $2.25 a bird. Worth it to me.

 

[df909]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

Welp is a good hatchery & that's where we get our birds. If you want to raise chickens for meat, then I'd get a Cornish Cross from Welp Hatchery. They grow quickly, but you need to make sure you take good care of them when they're chicks & you need to restrict how much food they get. We take their food away for 12 hours a day so they don't grow crazy fast- if the bird grows too fast, their lungs and heart can't keep up, so they have heart attacks more often.

If you're raising chickens for eggs, you can get chickens that have brown, white, greenish, or blueish colored eggs (the shell). So, if the color of the shell doesn't matter, a good layer is a sex-link or a leghorn- these are very efficient layers. Obviously, you want females since the rooster don't lay eggs.

The number you need really depends. We have two kids & have 11 layers. In the summer we get 9-10 eggs a day and end up selling several dozen a week. In the winter, we only get maybe 5-6 a day. So, it really depends on how many eggs you want. As far as meat, our average bird is about 4.5-6 pounds cut-up.

If you want more advice, feel free to PM me and we can help you figure things out.

 

[df909]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

By the way, it's crazy how much you can tell the difference between a store bought mega-commerically farmed chicken and egg versus a home grown bird that's fed healthy food. You can see the difference in the egg & the meat and the taste is great.

 

[rbh]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

We have americaunas (SP?) for the eggs and the bug killing ability in the garden, they go free range in the spring and summer, but we have to watch out as the hawks and coyotees get them.

OH YA, aqua/green egg shells, no need for colouring come easter.

 

[mxfever]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

Depends on the breed, and how often you eat chicken.

Some breeds will hit 8-10# in 8 weeks or less, figure 5-6# dressed.
Depending on how you serve it, and the number of side dished, one bird can feed 4 people, 1 meal, 2 meals, or 3 meals.
Other breeds only hit 6-7#, maybe 3# dressed. So the yield is about half.
If you are looking for meat, you want a fast growing broiler.

Eggs? Nothing beats a Buff Orpington for eggs and temperament, or a Production Red.
They start laying in about 20 weeks and will lay 6-7 eggs per week.



Here is a web newsletter / blog I subscribe to, kind of a novice's guide to chickens.

http://www.self-sufficient-life.com/April11KC/keepingchickensv2_pg01.htm


This is the nursery I get my chicks from, thru the local farm supply store.

http://www.welphatchery.com/cornish_rock.asp



http://www.welphatchery.com/EggLayerTypes/buff_orpington.asp

We have several Mennonite and Amish guys in the area that will slaughter and process for $2.25 a bird. Worth it to me.

Thanks for the links! Great information! No joke we probably eat chicken 5 out of 7 days a week. I have high cholesterol and was told to start eating more chicken.

We also have a large Amish community nearby and if they will process I would gladly pay. My wife is an animal lover and would have a hard time with that!

 

[df909]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

It's pretty neat how chickens will clear the garden of weeds & bugs. When we're ready to re-plant everything, we'll let the chickens loose and they do most of the work. I think most people don't realize that chickens will eat vegetation, bugs, & meat if the can. If any mouse, rat, or small yip yip dog gets in the chicken run...watch out!

Chicken meat and eggs raised in your backyard that are fed a lot of veggies usually have lower cholesterol than regular store bought eggs & meat. Plus, they're kinda fun to have. Make sure you check the feed you buy carefully- a lot of feed companies grind up dead chickens and put them in the food. That's not great for the chickens to eat!

 

[rbh]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

It's pretty neat how chickens will clear the garden of weeds & bugs. When we're ready to re-plant everything, we'll let the chickens loose and they do most of the work. I think most people don't realize that chickens will eat vegetation, bugs, & meat if the can. If any mouse, rat, or small yip yip dog gets in the chicken run...watch out!

Chicken meat and eggs raised in your backyard that are fed a lot of veggies usually have lower cholesterol than regular store bought eggs & meat. Plus, they're kinda fun to have. Make sure you check the feed you buy carefully- a lot of feed companies grind up dead chickens and put them in the food. That's not great for the chickens to eat!

Ever heard of a "PIGATILLER"

 

[j_martin]

Re: We started a chicken farm!

Ever heard of a "PIGATILLER"

Oh yea. They can even handle willow roots.

On the number of chickens it takes to feed the family, that depends mostly on how much speed beef you harvest and fish you catch.