Meat chickens

[SN10]

Anyone have experience raising meat chickens? We've had 22 laying hens for a year now and have had a lot of fun with it. I was curious as to tips and resources for raising meat chickens for the family freezer.

[TXHUNT3R]

Interested as well. We have around 24 laying hens and I have wondered if I could toss a couple meat chickens in the mix.

[Chew]

Watching.


So laying hens aren't good to eat? =)

Are they too old/tough?

Or you just don't want to give up the egg production?

[LemmeOut]

Watching.


So laying hens aren't good to eat? =)

Are they too old/tough?

Or you just don't want to give up the egg production?

Bobby, it's all aboit the weight of the hen.

[systemnt]

So ..laying hens are low fence browse eaters.... and meat chickens are high fence protien injected ?

[TXHUNT3R]

So ..laying hens are low fence browse eaters.... and meat chickens are high fence protien injected ?

Here we go!!!!

[TXHUNT3R]

Bobby, it's all aboit the weight of the hen.

Is that the only difference?

In that case I would just buy more laying hens so I could harvest a few of them but still get eggs for a bit.

[Chew]

I would trade one henway for a couple laying hens if anyone's interested.

[tex4k]

Don't try to carry them to long, my nephew was given a bunch of chicks that were leftovers from the local 4H projects, about 4-5 months later these things were huge and could barely walk. Personally I'd just raise chickens like my grandmother did, let one of the laying hens set and hatch, butcher all roosters hatched and any old hens that need replacing with hatched pullets. Want. More for the freezer just set and hatch more. When you raise your own you can stagger hatch dates so you don't have a whole herd of chickens to butcher at one time. CAUTION! This stuff turns into work pretty quick.

[gadeerwoman]

It's all fun and games until the axe comes out !
Had to help clean those suckers when I was little. Still can't stand the smell of raw chicken!! Nasty, nasty, nasty.
I can clean a deer, hog, or a turkey, no problem. But a chicken...no thank you. Can still smell those stinking feathers you had to pluck before you even got to the inside.

[JustinJ]

I would trade one henway for a couple laying hens if anyone's interested.

what's a henway????

















You're welcome

[mmoses]

I raised about 30. huge weight difference between laying hens and meat.

And they are nasty. They smell. They loose feathers, its like raising pigs.

I had someone else butcher them. $3 a chicken. They tasted delicious though!

[ultralite09]

I raised fryers in HS for FFA, had enough chicken to feed a whole family reunion if I wanted to lol

I ended up getting Grand Champion for my best 3, each weighed about 12-15 lbs each. They could barely walk, it really takes no effort in raising them for the freezer, I did this for competition and it was an 8 week program.

Just some cheap hen scratch will suffice, mix a little sand into the feed and youll have them ready for the chopping block in no time.

[dragonsdaddy]

the males of any breed you choose is quite a bit cheaper to start with. they will be ready to process in 2-3 months. finding a processor is the most difficult thing you'll find in turning them into dinner

[Ishi&Elvis]

Go online and buy chickens that are selected for meat. They grow faster because that's what they are bred for. Use a high quality food and keep the lights on at all times. They get bored and go eat, kinda like humans. Weigh them frequently if you want fryers, otherwise they do get big and you'll only be able to use them for roasting or baking. Keep them warm till they feather out with some heat lamps. I never butcher them all at one time, too much work. When they start getting big enough, butcher a couple and then again the next day, and so on. Layers can be eaten, but you won't usually find as much meat on them. It won't take long to finish out birds. Kill them all, they won't lay. Good luck.