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Tim_Ohio
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# Posted: 15 Feb 2023 01:07pm
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So, years ago I raised chickens and processed them myself. I read a book and found enough information to do it, but never really felt like doing it again because it was quite a chore. I'm getting close to retirement and started thinking about raising and processing them for myself, again. Thanks to the internet, I see now how much easier it can be by adopting some of the methods others have so kindly demonstrated in videos.
If you are like me and want to try to process your own chickens, I suggest you watch how these people do it. I was very impressed, especially with the plucking machine. Best of luck on your adventures.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzCMgmyBeZI
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jsahara24
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# Posted: 15 Feb 2023 01:48pm
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I raised 100 cornish cross chickens last summer in 2 chicken tractors, I moved them to a new pasture area every morning. We fed them organic feed and overall it was fairly easy, but someone has to be there every day to feed/water/move them.
When it came for butchering, I was back and forth. But I decided to take them to a local Mennonite farm. They charged 2.25$ for a whole bird, or 2.75$ parted out. To me it was well worth the money as it would have taken me quite a while and I would have had to buy all the butchering equipment.
Overall it is really nice knowing where your food came from, what it was fed, etc. With the chicken and the venison we don't really buy meat. But the interesting thing is you could probably buy chicken cheaper from the grocery store and not have any of the work....
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Brettny
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# Posted: 15 Feb 2023 08:19pm
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I also raised 100 cornish cross in about 2014 or 2015. I had 2 sets of poultry net fence that was 160' long. Feed prices where about $13-16 a 40lb bag at the time. I butchered them all my self in 2 or 3 sessions with a plucker I made. Again the time i kept vert good records of every dollar i spent because this 100 chickens was the make or break, it was my 3rd season and slowly growing. I didnt feed organic food and in the end (I weighted all 98 birds that made it to butcher) and figured they cost about $5lb. After owning egg birds for a few years before that I completely cut out all animals that dont live in my house.
Pigs are also the same and I got 70% of the feed for free for them. When you can buy pork shoulder and butts for 60clb (the same price it costs to buther them) theres no savings.
If you really need to know where your food comes from grow your own or find a local farm. I found the prices of growing vs buying from a local farm to be extremely close to each other...with out all the labor and loss.
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Aklogcabin
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# Posted: 18 Feb 2023 08:37am - Edited by: Aklogcabin
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Yeah Tim. We're raised a lot of dinner. Chickens are great until processing for most. Since we didn't eat the skin of the chicken I would just skin them. Takes very little time.
Other small livestock. We now have meat rabbits. 3 New Zealand does and 1 Californian buck. Each doe averages 8 kits per litter. We have 4-5 breeding sessions per doe so near 40 kits are expected per doe/ year. Butcher out to 2-1/2# each. 100 pounds of meat per rabbit. You should expect 300 pounds of processed protein.
We can it, freeze n vaccuum seal it. Our costs in ak is near 1000 $. 3.33 per pound. You can cut these costs considerably, especially if you're in the lower 48. I'm paying 15$ for a bale of timothy hay and 30$ for pellets.
We sell enough of the kits to cover our financial costs.
We homeschooled our kids n now our grandkids and animal husbandry is a very important part of our coriculum. Lots of web forums for help.
It's all a win as we will mulch the garden/grow pots, berries with the best manure possible. And also sell it to.
We are considering getting a few chickens for egg production as they will eat a lot of grain the rabbits waste.
To our family and personally as a dad/papa these days. I'm not put off by some extra work around the place. Kids do most of it. And I do enjoy going out in the morning to forage food for them. We use willow, birch n poplar trees for natural vitamins n trace minerals for health properties and no hormones or steroids in our rabbitry. Good health for my family
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Processed rabbit
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