Is this your first year raising meat chickens or are you multiple years in and still having some bumps in the road? Throughout our 30 years of experience we have compiled the top 5 simple practices to keep your flock healthy and family fed with nutrient dense food you brought to your own table!
We have raised Cornish Cross Chickens with great success from receiving from the hatchery to a pristine looking finished product (thanks in part to the excellent processing skills of Freedom Valley Acres Custom Processing). All recommendations below are specific to this breed. Please be aware that if you choose to raise a different breed of bird, specifically a heritage breed with dark feathers your results may differ.
1. Place Your Order Early
Place your order early with your chosen hatchery. This ensures that you will receive your birds at the correct timing for optimal processing date for you. The best way to calculate when your chicks hatch date is to pick your ideal harvest date and work backwards on the calendar by 6-8 weeks. Keep in mind that processing prior to 6 weeks will produce a smaller bird and over 8 weeks will produce a larger bird. The industry standard or what is most ideal for many families, is a chicken that is processed around 5 pounds each. Our family compound shares cooking responsibilities and we prefer a chicken dressed out around 6-8 pounds. When you raise your own, you get to find your sweet spot on everything! Now is the time to really find what serves your family the best.
2. Prepare Your Brooder
Prepare your brooder for your chicks. Make sure you have the supplies before their arrival so that you can seamlessly continue to care for them once you pick them up from the Post Office.
Appropriate bedding - we have found the best bedding to be large flake pine shavings that are readily available at many farm supply stores. Stay away from sawdust as young chicks can eat too much of the sawdust and end up with intestinal blockages that result in a high mortality rate. Newspaper is also not appropriate as it is not able to absorb wetness appropriately and leave the chicks at risk for heat loss. We use the deep layering method and add new shavings when needed.
Adequate heat source - We create a self contained brooder that makes the space we are heating smaller than our barn ceiling and eliminates large drafts. A red heat lamp light hung to be able to adjust closer or further away from the chicks as needed. The chicks really are the best guide to knowing if the heat is too low, just right or too hot for them.
Appropriate feed - All meat chickens have been bred to put on weight quickly and will do so with adequate levels of protein in their feed. We use chick starter feed that has a 21% protein ratio and keep them on that until processing time.
Water - On arrival we dip each chick's beak in the water source that has added electrolytes and keep the electrolytes in their water anywhere from 3-7 days. They go through a lot of feed and water and will need to be checked at least twice, if not 3 times per day.
3. Move Your Chicks Outside
Once your chicks are completely feathered out it is time to move them out of the brooder. Ensure there is an adequate layer of shavings in their new enclosure and continue the deep layering method. We always get them outside during daylight hours and put them back in the barn at night to protect them from predators. Being outside during the day and maintaining the deep layering method ensures that their feet and heavy breasts stay relatively clean throughout their life cycle.
4. Schedule Your Processing Date
Call your favorite processor, Freedom Valley Acres, when your chicks arrive so that you can get your ideal week of processing scheduled. This helps ensure that you don't have to feed them for any additional time than you really want to. Keep in mind that Freedom Valley Acres processes around 100-125 chickens per day, 4 days per week during peak chicken processing season, May through September. They do not process any poultry from June 29th through July 8th to celebrate the 4th of July with the community.
5. Prepare for Processing Day
When you schedule your processing date with Freedom Valley Acres you will be given more detailed instructions but following some simple guidelines will ensure the best experience for you and your birds. All chickens are to be at the processing facility by 7am on processing day. Remove feed from your chickens overnight. All chickens are to be brought in proper chicken cages. If you do not have proper chicken cages, Freedom Valley Acres has plenty on site that you can come by and borrow for your processing day.