Raising Chickens for Meat: Do-it-yourself Pastured Poultry

(Page 6 of 6)

June/July 2009
By Gwen Roland 
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“Common commercial poultry rations are typically not high enough in protein,” Beranger says. “They need at least 28 percent, particularly in the first eight weeks, or they will never reach their potential for growth.” Adding high-protein supplements such as meat scraps or whey to their diet would help, but may be more of a challenge than a beginner would want to tackle.

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Poultry Processing Made Easier

Buying or renting special processing equipment will speed up the time it takes to ready your birds for the freezer. Elaine Fawcett of Aurora, Ore., owns Featherman processing equipment and rents it to others. “After you’ve plucked a few by hand, you really appreciate how the equipment makes the process more efficient,” she says.

Tiffany Johnson of Vancouver, Wash., advocates renting the equipment. “Four of us processed our batch of 50 ‘colored range’ chickens in just under five hours,” she says. “After you fumble your way through a couple of birds and learn what works best for you, processing a bird really doesn’t take that long. Especially with the scalder and plucker!”

If you don’t have enough chickens (or other poultry) to justify purchasing processing equipment, renting may be a good option for you. The Featherman website lists people with equipment for rent. For those who raise their own meat, processing it with friends and neighbors can be a great community-building event.

Resources for Raising Chickens

Mother Earth News Hatchery Finder 
National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA)
Herman Beck-Chenoweth's website
Robert Plamondon's website

Also, check out the Chicken and Egg Page, plus Poultry Resources.

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Comments

  • JEANINE GURLEY 8/3/2009 8:08:49 PM

    Gwen,
    Thank you so much for putting into words what I have always felt but could never explain. I can’t count the times when I have been told I was ‘cold-hearted’ to ever consider killing an animal I raised.
    Now I have your article and I have already given it out to two people as an answer to that comment. It is precisely BECAUSE I care that I can raise my own animals for slaughter. I was taught by my grandmother that raising an animal for meat is a responsibility not to be taken lightly. She was very particular about every aspect of the animal’s life – and death.
    I live very near a chicken plant and it just hurts my heart to see the tractor trailers loaded with live birds all smashed together in cages going down the road. My girls will eat watermelon rind and take dust baths in the sunshine until their very last day.

  • Gwen Roland 7/23/2009 8:38:59 AM

    Hi Greg, After my first season of raising the commercial cornish cross birds, I agree with you about not wanting to promote those genetics, even though mine did not suffer any leg problems and seemed just as happy and healthy as the Rhode Island Reds they mingled with in my yard.

    However now that I know more about meat breeds, I plan to use only slower growing birds from now on. While researching for the article I found out about family-owned hatcheries that specialize in slower growing breeds suitable for pasturing. This year I'm going with Dixie Rainbows from S&G Poultry in Alabama. The breeder tells me they trace the line back 200 years in Northern Italy, and if I keep a breeding pair I can raise my own. I'll let you know how they work out. Gwen

  • Greg T. 6/11/2009 12:28:27 PM

    What an excellent glimpse into the start of raising a meat flock! This is our first year raising a "dedicated" meat flock instead of the cockerel culls from a straight run hatch of our laying flock, and boy are the differences apparent. At 4 weeks out, our cornish crosses are bigger than the turkey poults.

    The taste results will be interesting to compare, but I admit to feeling a bit dirty keeping these poor protein producing machines. :-/ They've been inside these past few weeks since central NY gets darn chilly at times, but this weekend is their big move out of doors into my erstwhile sheep fence paddock with a moving tractor to sleep in.

    If anyone wants a detailed tutorial on one method of processing chickens, start to finish, there are some here in M-E-N, and you can pick one up on my journal at http://a-triath.livejournal.com/129276.html#cutid1 Again, not the ONLY way, maybe not the best way. . . but if you've never done it before, it's a good place to start.

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