4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[bronze]

As suggested on another thread I thought I would start a thread for those of us growing our own meat. If you find the idea too cruel or cringeworthy look no further

Edited July 16, 2008 by Guest

[bronze]

Ok I'll start off with some pictures of my girls and boys. I have 11 of them and they're hubbards. I've been very lucky as a chap up the road supplies the eggs to me free of charge. They're actually hubbard parent stock and seem to be a really strong type. You'll be able to see in the pictures theres no sagging or inability to bear weight but they're really solid. They're almost at culling age so I thought I would share my experience of my first lot of meat chickens. Oh and apparently I could flog these birds (live) for over £30 a time because of them being parent stock. I wish I could keep a male then I wouldn't have to worry about getting eggs each time.

I currently have another incubator full at playgroup (fingers crossed they hatch) ready to take up the run when this lot are gone. They're not normally on grass I just let them out to take pics.

 

Heres one at about 8 weeks old.

[bronze]

There are 5 boys 6 girls

its obvious what this one is

 

especially compared to this one

 

 

I'm really proud of them they look in such good condition.

[Couperman]

Hi Bron,

 

They look a tad happier than the ones bound for the Beady Eyed Colonel's shop or Maccy D's despite what their lying adverts might suggest!

 

Are you going to dispatch them yourself?

 

That's the part I would be worried about. I am not sqeamish or anything but I'd be worried about getting it wrong and causing them uneccesary pain.

 

 

Kev.

[chickencam]

I agree, if we had the space I would love to rear my own meat birds but the dispatching side would worry me unless someone skillfull could show me how.

[Jules.]

Well done, Bron

[redhotchick]

They look lovely Bron.

I take it you are not raising them for economic reasons.

Have you worked out what they have cost you to raise?

[TAJ]

Cotswold chickens are now selling chicks for table birds http://www.cotswoldchickens.com/table.htm - it is tempting, but it would be the dispatching that we would find hard.

 

Do you get someone to do it for you? Practical Poultry have a two-parter on dispatching this month and next month, but I am not convinced we could do it.

 

Tracy

[Lesley]

Good idea Bron!

 

At the moment we have...........some of these.......

some of these.....

a freezer and a half full of cow......

and we also have Hubbards and Coloryields - they are 22 weeks old now........

We call these remaining ones 'The Dinner Ladies'....apart from the one cockerel......

 

We do despatch the hens ourselves but we still find it difficult and we're not going to be doing many now. We're also going to change to something like a Light Sussex. We chose Ross/Cobbs at first as we knew we would find it difficult to despatch something which looked like our laying hens..... but the Ross/Cobbs and the Hubbards are just as lovely...... and they get so big if we don't have time to despatch them at the right time..... and then we struggle.

 

We get attached to the pigs.... and we name them

[ubereglu]

Wow, they look really healthy Bron and Lesley. They have a wonderful life and are killed without so much stress-this is the key factor in terms of the taste of meat-I am jealous!

[missuscluck]

Lovley pictures. Well done Bron and Lesley.

Lesley, your freezer looks a bit like ours!

We had pork chops for tea tonight with home grown potatos and courgettes. So tasty, and all our own work.

[Yolky]

I don't think I could do the despatching even though I like the idea of knowing exactly where the birds have come from and that they have been happily raised. They all do look like lovely, well kept birds.

[bronze]

They look lovely Bron.

I take it you are not raising them for economic reasons.

Have you worked out what they have cost you to raise?

 

Because I had the run and housing anyway its been worthwhile for us. We've worked out we've used 4 or 5 sacks of feed. With a bit for electricity and a couple of bales of hemcore it still works out at about £4-5 a bird. I don't think thats to bad and definitely not at a loss.

[bronze]

Lesley stop giving me ideas. Not that I have the space. The pigs especially looks fab. DH likes the look of your freezer

[Snowy]

Wonderfully healthy looking birds Bron (and Lesley!). Do you despatch your own Bron? I really want to know if I am able to do this (at present I don't know if i could). If I could, then I would start making plans to have some of my own - I've had the offer of the land, but if I can't despatch them it's a non starter

 

I'm hoping there may be some fellow enthusiasts when I get my allotment as the land is next to the allotment plot. It would be ideal if I could find another couple (or 2) to help with raising some pigs and chickens. I'll be pm'ing Missuscluck for advice!

[chelsea]

they are lovely looking birds Bron and Lesley - really healthy.

 

Its a shame you dont live nearer to me, hubby is a qualified butcher and sometimes dispatches chickens on a daily basis on the poultry farms so he would be quite handy!

[bronze]

Dh does the despatching here and I do the plucking and gutting. We have a despatcher which I think makes it loads easier though we are yet to do a bird that size. I have to admit I'm not looking forward to plucking them I guess at least they won't be too fiddly.

[Lesley]

We have a Humane Despatcher - but never really got on with it. We now use a 'cone on legs' which is much easier and keeps the bird contained while it flaps (involuntary spasms after it has died) and stops any bruising.

 

We found a local man who came to show us how to do it by hand when we first started. Then he showed us how to pluck them and his wife came along and showed us how to dress them.

 

Bron - do you use Organic feed? - we worked our costs out a bit higher than that but we only feed Organic pellets and Organic Mixed Corn (half and half).

[Egluntyne]

Hmmmmmm, you've got me thinking now.

 

If you can do it without a rooster.....then so could I.

 

Well done. They look super healthy.

 

A million miles away from the poor specimens that are sold 2 for a fiver at Asda.

 

Have you ever calculated how much it costs to raise a bird for the table....just out of interest?

[TAJ]

Practical Poultry this month says that 'humane dispatchers' are a big no no - apparently they are the most inhumane way to kill a bird and do not pass the humane societies guidelines - old fashioned neck dislocation is apparently far more humane than the humane dispatchers sold.

 

What did River Cottage do? I seem to recall them hanging up - was that using the cone method?

 

Tracy

[missuscluck]

I read that article as well about the dispatchers.

We had a friend over to show us how to do it too. Ours were stunned then had their knecks cut. If you are not super efficiant at it, I think kneck wringing can be a bit traumatic too.

I might be wrong, but I think Hugh's free rangers on the Millway project were stunned by an elecrtic device then cut and blead. They are hung up by their legs to bleed and for plucking. Once they are stunned, its over quickly and they dont feel a thing.

 

Advice given freely on the pig front as we are a dab hand at this now.

As for the chooks, we are still on the uphill learning curve. We have only done it once.

 

Im going to roast our first bird tonight. Ill let you all know how I get on.

[little chickadee]

I'm in great admiration of you all. We want to raise birds for the table, as the main problem I have with eating meat is the raising/ dispatch and I think I might eat it again if I could control that. The kids are very very anti though, so we've decided not to do it at the moment.

 

Great thread

[Lesley]

Yes Egluntine - we've calculated what our chicken costs to produce.......

and, taking into account our time........and the anguish........

 

...we've decided that ours are "2 for £50" !!!

 

We use one of these - very expensive for what it is but it works well.

http://www.ascott.biz/acatalog/Tripod-Poultry-Dispatcher-PY127.html

 

The hand hels Humane Despatcher is the worst - we've not used one of these........

http://www.ascott.biz/acatalog/The-Dispatcher-PY17.html

 

We had the wall mounted.......and found it didn't do the job efficiently either We only used it once and both ended up in tears

http://www.ascott.biz/acatalog/Humane-Wall-Mounted-Dispatcher-PY91.html

 

There is a knack to breaking the neck by hand - we were both shown how to do it and we can't do it if the birds grow too big. Matthew (from the neighbouring farm) does it completely differently. He holds the birds head and then sharply swings the body so that the neck snaps. He has done a few for us but I don't like it and that is why we bought the cone. Once the cockerel was still flapping and running - he said it was dead but I couldn't cope with that

 

We have also used the 'broomstick over the neck' way of despatching - it works but it's not for us.

 

The Cone is brilliant - and removes a bit of the contact which helps us........ We work together Carl catches the bird and cradles it....we both say goodbye and then he upends it in the cone whilst i move the arms of the cone into position - head goes into the gap - Carl pulls sharply - Done!

 

Still but it is quick and efficient.

 

We pluck while warm ( )....and eviscerate ( )

 

....then we hang them in an old fridge (turned on) for 3 to 4 days before eating or freezing.

 

Clare's 8 pounder for Christmas is in the fridge at the moment! - we normally do 4 turkeys and some big chickens nearer Christmas but we're not doing them this year.

 

The turkeys Carl shoots through the head as they are much bigger, slits their throats to bleed them out - and we have them plucked by the neighbouring farmer as they have a machine and they then dress them as well. We pay £5 for that service.

 

We still find it hard to do - and are having a little break from growing on in batches but we do feel proud once we have done the deed and we are happy to eat the birds, knowing how they have lived and died.

[missuscluck]

We ate one of our chickens on Sunday for lunch. It was really good. It was so large we are still eating it today on sandwiches.

 

Went to pick 6 new piglets last night. We are collecting them on Saturday. 4 boys and 2 girl Gloucester old spots. One of the girls is the runt. We took the kids with us and they really wanted the runt, so against better judgement we agreed. Im sure she will catch up.

[Egluntyne]

Thanks for that Lesley.

 

Still pondering.