Keeping Chickens in Your Own Backyard
_backyard-chicken-coop-plans.png

Raising Chickens For Meat

Are you thinking about growing your own chickens for their meat? There are many things to consider, this article will cover some of them.

The decision to raise your own chickens for their meat is one that many more people are making. By raising your own chicken meat you will control the quality of the meat by controlling what your chickens eat. If you are choosing to feed your family only free range chickens, then you can insure your chickens are indeed free range.

Raising Chickens for Meat COST OF RAISING CHICKENS FOR MEAT: You will be surprised to learn you probably won’t save much money growing your own chickens for meat unless you plan on raising a large number of chickens and filling up your freezer.

ARE ALL CHICKEN MEATS THE SAME?: Meat you raise yourself may not taste exactly like the chicken you buy at your local grocery store. Most people think the fresh meat you raise yourself actually tastes better, while other people think the taste takes some getting used to. Some people can not tell the difference between the store bought chicken and home grown chicken meat.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?: How long it’ll take to raise chicks to butcher depends on what type of chicks you purchase. You can purchase fast growing chicks from online hatcheries which will be ready to butcher in about 15-16 weeks or so. This is a very fast turn around time. If you choose to raise a standard breed like New Hampshire’s or Rhode Island Reds then it may take a little longer until they are ready to be butchered.

If you are concerned about the treatment chickens may be in commercial farms while they are being raised for meat then you may wish to raise your own chicks for meat. This isn’t a decision for everyone. Butchering can be difficult, especially if you form a close bond to the chickens, which may happen. If you are unsure if you will be able to handle the butchering, then you can probably hire someone to do it for you.

How Others Found This Page: