Creepy vs regular. See how big the meat chickens are? Wow!
A couple days ago they hit their stride where they really start putting away the food and water. We'll have to move to a larger waterer soon. Right now we make sure they have chick starter (20% feed) around the clock but we'll be cutting them off at night soon. You want the creepy meats to grow fast... but not that fast.
Soon we'll have to move the meats to another pen and keep the regular chicks in this brooder box for a while. In fact, we'll probably get around round of meats (probably 10) in the next couple days. This way we'll have a total of 20 meat chickens ready for butchering in May or June. So soon!?! Yep.
Technically you can butcher meats at 7 weeks. We normally wait a little longer but you know that I'm very very hungry for chicken. Also if we have another round coming on we can do some of the first batch early, then as we normally do.... butcher a few at a time.
Passed out meats and a cat food can for scale. Check out how little they were just 10 days ago.
We really need to get on the ball and do a better job of managing our meat. If we aren't careful we are going to be upside down again with either all poultry or all pork and never having an overlap. So our next step is to get another group of meat chicks.
Why don't we just buy meat from the store? Well. We did a couple times but it's not really our bag, baby. We like our own better.
The regular chickens are barred rocks and hopefully they are all layers. But you know that we have a plan for the roosters so we are good.
That's the meat progress update!
Happy Friday everyone - how are your chickens coming along? Are you getting more?
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6 comments:
No meat chickens here, and not many egg layers either because we need to build a proper chicken shed so we can get them out of the courtyard and tidy the place up a bit because we are getting fed up with walking in chicken and goose poo!
scribbling notes....
So much poop, Vera.. it's everywhere.... ha!
Hi Dave!
:-)
Creepy meats at week 2 and a halfhave started that cycle of piggin out, gulping water and crashing for a few hours and repeat.. so that means its about time to stop night feeding, and add sprouted barley, that i grow in the guest bathroom, to their daily ration. I have learned so much from your post!! Thanks to you last year was our first time raising creepy meats, and by following your suggestions at 9 weeks our average weight was 12 to 14 pounds per bird. After calculating the cost, that chicken ended up costing us 46 cents per pound. Thank you!!! Looking forward to see if we can have a repeat sucess this year.
Thanks Moon-Shadows! So glad for your success. Folks are always asking me if it is "worth" it and yes it is - as you found out. yay!
:-)
Nothing and i mean NOTHING taste like home grown. But its much more than that too, hard to explain until you do it, but worth it??? Heck yes!!! We are on year 4 at the homestead, and your blog has kept me laughing, reassured me that things happening were normal--terroristic goats that woof and chase the ups truck, and the advice and support in our own adventure in the good land invaluable!!! Thank you hardest job by far, but totally loving it. Ive gone from missing life in the big city, my clothes, shoes etc... to totally remembering all the reasons we'd never go back.
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