If you have ever wondered if you would want to raise chickens for meat, here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions I receive! If you have additional questions you want me to cover, leave them in the comments!
What breed do you raise?
The Cornish Cross is the most popular meat chicken to raise. They are known for their large breasts and putting on weight fast (quicker to butcher). Many people don’t like to raise them because they aren’t sustainable. They can also grow too fast and have health problems (organ failure, legs can’t support weight, etc). A huge conversation could be had about all the pros and cons for raising this breed.
My primary preference would be to raise something that is sustainable. For example, a Freedom Ranger. However, living in Alaska makes it a lot harder to choose another breed. We have an extremely short summer and quality feed can get really expensive so moving towards another breed that may take 4+ weeks longer to butcher isn’t really something I’m open to at this point. If we lived in the lower 48, I would definitely consider moving toward one of the Ranger breeds, which is a more sustainable option.
How long does it take to raise meat chickens?
Cornish Cross chickens take about 8-10 weeks to get to 4-6 pounds. In 2022 we butchered at 8 weeks and 1 day and they averaged about 4.5 pounds. In 2023 we butchered at 9 weeks and 1 day and the average bird was 5.5 pounds.
You can certainly let them live longer, but their health is of utmost importance to me. I feed conservatively and monitor their movement. These birds will eat to their death so I make sure I’m not overfeeding and I want to butcher before they become immobile.
I use this website to get an idea of how many bags of feed I will need and how much I should be feeding each week. The birds will ALWAYS act hungry so just keep that in mind. I feed in the morning and then I will move the tractor late afternoon so they can forage on new grass if they want.
How much space do you need?
It is recommended that a chicken tractor provide 1.5 square feet per bird. Our tractor is roughly 8’x12’ (96 sq feet) so it can support up to 64 birds. Keep in mind that at this size suggestion, after they are 4-5 weeks old, the tractor will likely need to be moved every day. It is not healthy for them to remain in an area with wet poop everywhere. If you can offer more than 1.5 square feet per bird, you won’t regret it!
I originally wanted a tractor that I could move by hand. Jimmy had a design in his head and went with it and it ended up being far heavier than we thought. Which actually is okay because we have had some bear activity around so I’m very glad ours is much heavier. When planning your chicken tractor, keep predators in mind, even small ones!
Is raising meat chickens hard?
Short answer, no. It adds roughly 30 minutes of work to my day, but I personally enjoy the routine of it. It got me outside first thing in the morning in order to feed them, which is great for your health (morning sunlight). And having to move them in the evening wasn’t a big issue. It’s fun to watch them grow! And raising high quality meat for my family and friends is rewarding.
Where do you get your chicks?
If you are in Alaska, I highly recommend getting chicks from Polaris Hatchery. They are flown in so you get chicks that are 24 hours old instead of getting them through the mail in 3-4 days and losing half of them.
In 2022 I lost 3 (of 30) and in 2023 I lost 2 (of 52) as chicks. Considering the horror stories I’ve heard from people about losing half or more of their Cornish Cross, I think this is really good! I’ve also ordered layering hens from Polaris Hatchery multiple times and haven’t lost any as chicks.
If you are in the lower 48, I highly recommend getting your chicks from somewhere close so you avoid the mail issue.
What do you need to butcher meat chickens?
I have a full post here of all the tools we use for butchering.
What is the cost per pound of meat?
I went into detail on this in this post. Here is a quick breakdown from our last 2 years. Please note the first year, we paid to have someone butcher (which is included in the cost). The second year we butchered ourselves, but I did not include the cost of the tools. Feed costs have constantly been rising! These are Alaska prices so if you live in the lower 48 chances are you could do this for 30-40% less (my personal guess).
How many meat chickens should I raise?
This is a tough question! It’s hard to answer for someone else but here are things to take into consideration: how many chickens do you want to eat per week over the course of the year? How much freezer space do you have? How big is your area to raise them (can you keep them on dry ground)? How big is your chicken tractor?
Our first year we did 30 and our second year we did 52. We rarely eat out and we give away a lot of meat over the course of the year.
What is the best time to have meat chickens arrive in Alaska?
Unless you have an indoor space where you can keep them for a few weeks, I wouldn’t recommend getting chicks before June 1. We hardly have grass before then and temperatures can get down into the 30’s all throughout May.
We have a large area in an unheated garage where I can keep ours off the ground and out of the elements so we usually get ours around the beginning of May, but it’s really pushing it. Last year we had a really late spring so when they needed to be moved to a bigger space (outside) I had to make some modifications. I had to wrap our tractor in a tarp and we had to add another piece of metal to create a corner that was out of the wind. So unless you want to spend extra time worrying and making modifications, I’d recommend the beginning of June.
The chickens need to be fully feathered to be in the cold/wet/wind without any supplemental heat. They are usually fully feathered around 4-5 weeks of age.
What type of feed do you use?
As you can imagine, feed in Alaska is pretty expensive due to shipping and we have more limited options. I would prefer to feed something organic, but if I did, the total cost per bird would probably be $35-40. I just can’t justify that.
I start my chicks on an organic chick starter and then I buy a feed that is ‘no corn/no soy’. It’s an improvement from a conventional feed but it isn’t as good as organic. I encourage you to look at your options and actually look at the ingredients! It should be at least 20% protein and try to avoid feeds with canola or vegetable oils!
Due to our constant rise in feed cost, I will be looking into fermenting feed and supplementing with fodder in the future.
Did you get attached?
No, not really. No matter what, butcher day isn’t fun, but unlike my layer chickens, these ones are all the same color and you don’t really identify them individually and during the middle weeks of their life, they are quite ugly!
I make my husband do the dispatching. Even though I know from the start that these birds are food, it still isn’t exciting to end a life. Maybe someday I’ll be able to do it, but I don’t mind my tender heart towards it. Once they are dispatched and de-feathered, I don’t mind gutting them.
If you are interested in more information on raising meat birds, I have additional information on our experience in the following blog posts:
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