He had seen me pouring over chicken breeds, feed options, and dietary requirements. He had seen my picking chicken feed labels apart and actively planning chicken tractor designs.
And then, just like *that*, He gave me great rest.
A few weeks after we'd decided to raise our own meat chickens this year, I still hadn't come any closer to deciding on a breed or a feed.
I longed to feed Scratch And Peck, an organic, soy-free whole grain chicken feed grown entirely in our state. But, as most things like this do, it came with a hefty price tag. Based on my calculations, with this feed, each chicken would have ended up costing us $12. Not horrible for an organic, pastured chicken - but still.
This is my first meat chicken rodeo, man. And that's a lot to invest when you're not exactly sure you know what you're doing.
On top of that, I was still wresting with the idea of raising a heritage breed (slower growing, better foragers, more chicken-ey) or raising a hybrid breed (fast growers, more health problems, typically not great foragers).
I don't know if you knew this about me, ahem, but I tend to over think things.
Yes, it's a disease.
But onward with the story.
The future farm home of our chickens.
So after a few weeks of this mental chicken torment, I received a phone call from a gentlemen up the next canyon from my parents. He has a massive grass field on which he had previously raised chickens (moving them around in tractors) to graze the grass and bugs, all the while fertilizing the field. This was of a great benefit to his field because the chickens provided him with free fertilizer.
Isn't it wonderful how pasturing animals works?!
Anyway, he and his wife had stopped raising chickens for meat themselves because it became too much work to butcher 100+ of them by themselves. Then, he generously offered us a wonderful partnership. He would raise and care for our chickens if we would pay for feed and bring in the Larson-Knouf-Goodrich-Elliott clan to help butcher in the fall.
Ummm....HECK YES! I'm sure my brother-in-laws greatly appreciate me volunteering them. I know my sisters well enough to not volunteer them. But that's beside the point.
Not only does he have the chicken tractors and the room to pasture them, but he also has a wonderful local feed source not an hour from here. All of their grain is grown right here in Washington state. And upon my hesitant request, he was happy to work up a feed ration that didn't include soybeans.
I'm very thankful the Lord has given me a mentor who is happily willing to teach me all I need to know about raising pastured meat chickens in our area. Having a knowledgeable instructor tends to help improve efficiency and animal health.
It looks like we'll be raising about 25 chickens per family, or about 75 chickens total. This gentlemen has successfully grown a Red-Cornish cross for many years, so we'll be raising a hybrid breed after all. The good news is, if it doesn't work, next year we'll try another! One of the most appealing things about raising chickens for meat is that so little time is invested - usually 7-16 weeks (depending on the breed) from start to finish. Not a huge time investment, compared to beef or such.
We're estimating the feed costs to end up somewhere between $7-$9 per chicken. And while this is more than the generic, commercially-raised chickens purchased at the supermarket, it's significantly less than an organic, pastured chicken from the market. A large portion of our chickens diet will be bugs and grass that they eat from the field, which will also increase the nutrient content of the chicken. The extra bonus is we will have access to the chicken feet for broth and livers for pate! I thought you'd be excited.
Even the feathers and blood can be composted and are wonderful additions to the garden beds. Nothing goes to waste.
And yes, he has a chicken plucker, for which I am very thankful.
If you're interested in seeing the fun we'll have come chicken harvest time, check out this INFORMATIVE POST. Warning: It includes images. Of chickens being butchered. Don't say I didn't warn ya.
Ah, sweet life on the farm. It truly does make you appreciate life, even animal life, in a completely different way. No animal killing for food is unappreciated.
I would like to thank my future chickens, in advance, for their noble sacrifice. As I've heard it said, pastured chickens are blessed with a wonderful life and one bad day.
I promise to appreciate their meat & broth all the more.
How's chicken raising going on your farm?
Ours are a week old in our laundry room! We've got a similar breed, and the end of april we have another 50 red bro/freedom rangers coming. So we're trying out both breeds this year. We've been raising CornishX for 6+ years and we've never had the health issues people talk about. We feed them good feed, they're in chicken tractors and get moved often. We really love them.
ReplyDeleteThat is AWESOME!!!!! Praise the Father, He is so good! Oh girl, I'm thrilled for you. I can only imagine your excitement :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome partnership! We have 6 hens for eggs and love it. The kids REALLY love it :)
ReplyDelete