Out Around the Barn

Those little cute yellow chicks, oh how fast they grow.  Why do we want to raise them?  Do we do it just because they are cute or do we do it to put food on our tables in the future months?  Are they worth the time and money?

I think so.  Fresh meat that we raise is so much better than that processed meat in the grocery store.  We know exactly what we fed them and if they needed any medications and for what.  We watch them daily and feel good about having the ability to be able to provide the freshest meat for our family.  Not only do we provide meat for our loved ones we also provide fresh eggs.  Fresh eggs are just the best!

Yes, the chicks cost little if you purchase them but the feed bill can get expensive depending on what you are raising.  If you are raising broilers for meat, they will eat you out of house and home.  They are constantly hungry.  You would think they would eventually get full but they keep on eating.  These little guys soon become big in a matter of weeks.  Not months.  I raised 15 that I purchased in May and here 10 weeks later, we are dressing them at 8 lbs.  That is their dressed weight.  So live weight, they would have to have been approx. 10 lbs.  They were huge and will make a good meal. 

I enjoy my chickens and have fun just watching them especially the little ones.  The hardest part is the day the we have to butcher.  When they get so big that they are beginning to have trouble standing we know it is time to call it quits with them.  I am not the one that will do the worst and kill them but, I do the rest.  The plucking is a chore within itself.  It just drags on and the checking and double checking to make sure they are clean before we can cut them up seems to take forever.  Even though it is tedious, I much prefer to raise my own and feed my family with good fresh food.

One thing I did learn throughout this process is that the water needs to be HOT!  Not just hot to touch.  I mean scalding, otherwise the feathers will be a pain to pluck.  Also, it helps to have your knives sharpened before you start.  Sharp knives are a farm accessory that is needed on the farm, especially if you do your own butchering.  A dull knife just makes the job harder.  Have your sink or tubs ready to put the chicken in to cool while you continue working on the others.  I save plastic milk jugs and fill with water and freeze and keep them on hand for jobs like this.  You can just take them out of the freezer and place in the sink or tub.  They will cool down the bird to prevent ecoli from setting in.  Get them into the freezer as soon as you can.  If you have several, you may want to clean and freeze them whole, you can always cut them up when you get ready to cook them. 

It can become a disaster area around the house fast when butchering.  All the pans and bowls, knives and rags to clean up, not to mention the counters and sinks, tubs, barrels and etc,  Just make sure you clean and sanitze everything when you finish.  This helps prevent saminilla poisioning.

So if you want to raise chickens, whatever kind, go for it and have fun.