Want to grow meat chickens but need some help.

[randy41]

we used to raise 50 every summer for our own use. we put them in a portable pen i pulled around the field with the tractor. they were cornish rock crosses. at 6 weeks we'd process the males and a week or 2 later the females. unless you have the proper processing equipment it takes a long time to process them.
the farmers around here that raise them free range or semi free range get about $3/lb for them.

 

[DFB]

Local CSA here just put out the new 2013 order form with a price increase this season blaming feed/grain costs.

New prices are $4.25lb for chickens. Min up front cost $5 per bird and a $55 deposit. One 4-5 avg bird every 2 weeks for a total of 11 birds/season. $20 chickens seem to sell but not those $80 turkeys!

 

[Ted Summey]

Check with your Ag extension service, they can help, if by no other means, helping you with university research and guides on growing meat chickens. I consulted with ours on egg production.

 

[rmorey]

All great posts. Good idea to check with AG service. Around here, most farmers are selling their "organic free range" birds for $5+/lb.

I get that I wont cover costs this year, but coop and fencing can be amortized over multiple hatches. Not to mention that "momma"wants to do this. She just let me upgrade my tractor last week so.....

 

[Creamer]

Sat on a plane next to a guy was a consultant for the poultry farms. his job was poultry statistics. Things like lb of feed per lb of meat, days to slaughter, income over cost data spread over different size at butchering, ration, growing conditions, etc. The one that got me was the days to a 3 lb fryer - 23.6. I laughed about the 0.6 and he said don't laugh, they don't wait another whole day - that is how serious they runt heir business - another whole day of food would be over 5% more food for the same bird.

 

[NorTracNY]

Current prices here are
PASTURE RAISED CHICKENS, ORGANIC GRAIN FED

WHOLE CHICKENS 3-4 lbs. $ 5.25/lb.
WHOLE LEGS 2/pak $ 7.25/lb.
CHICKEN NECKS 3-4 lb. bags $ 3.00/lb.

A year ago they were
PASTURE RAISED CHICKENS, ORGANIC GRAIN FED

WHOLE CHICKENS 3-4 lbs. $ 4.95/lb.
CHICKEN BREASTS 2/pak $12.95/lb.
CHICKEN WHOLE LEGS 2/pak $ 6.95/lb.
CHICKEN NECKS 2 lb bag $ 3.50/lb.
CHICKEN LIVERS 1 lb bag $ 6.50/lb.
1/2 CHICKEN 1.5-2 lbs. $ 5.95/lb.

 

[ghenges]

-

Recently retired and we're moving to our 200 acre woodlot/new home. We have issues with the antibiotics fed to chicken and want to raise our own. Does anybody have any experience raising meat chickens? What feed is best? What housing (chicken coop) do we use. I assume a dozen chickens to start. Way over my head.

The previous advice to raise Cornish Rocks is a good one.

However, my additional advice is to raise pullets instead of cockerels.
My spouse nagged at me for years to raise females instead of males as her family had done at her home.
If bragging rights for huge impressive roasting chickens is more important, then by all means raise the males.

I finally gave in. she was right, the Cornish Rock females are just better eating. The other advantage is, Cornish Rock cockerels often experience leg problems, out of a hundred, five or six will get gimpy legs, some so serious that they will die, but mostly they just do poorly. If you buy your feed at TSC or some other big box supply you may not experience leg problems, one guy at TSC told me if sawdust as an ingredient met the nutritional requirements TSC wouldn't care. TSC is probably buying the feed from China anyway,,,, everything else in the store is ChinaCrap.

Search out (I know they're getting hard to find) an old fashioned feed mill, you can choose vegetable protein supplements over animal based (entrails and dead animals like dogs, roadkill, etc) protein supplements.
We used to haul our guts (more modern EPA times) to a rendering facility. One night the headlights lit up a pile of dead deer parts, had to be a hundred tons in that pile. Another time there was a pile of dead dogs and cats probably 20 tons worth.
I unlatched the tailgate of my dump truck before I entered that property so I didn't have to get out of the truck. The point is: know what's in your feed.
----------------------
Just a side note.
Sam's Club sells 3 pound rotisserie chickens for $4.88 (in addition to our evening meal chicken, I buy one for the dog too they are so cheep).
Cornish Rock peeps are going for $2.50ea + shipping, I seriously doubt you can get that peep to 3 pounds dressed weight on feed and other inputs.