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[Guest]

we've received the tenancy agreement for the new allotment which says we can keep up to 6 hens on our lottie. Ian is thinking about getting some meat birds but I'm not sure.

 

What breed should we get?

Do we get chicks or older birds and are they expensive?

How old should they be when they're dispatched?

What equipment/training do we need to do it in the most humane manner?

how do you pluck and gut a chicken?

 

any advice would be very welcome

[Lesley]

Your best bet would be to start with the River Cottage forum Poet - there is a lot of info. over there.

 

A lot of it is down to individual choice. One of the members supplies day old table chicks and can arrange for small numbers to be collected from his driver if you are near one of his routes. He will also give advice on the birds he supplies.

 

When to kill is also down to choice. We grow ours for a long time and make them move around.....we place the food away from their shed and the water at another point and then we despatch at anything up to 9 months. I think most people aim for 12 weeks or so - we don't kill any before 16 weeks.

 

The despatching can be done in various ways. Best way is to find someone to come and show you if you know of anyone? Try putting despatching into the RC Search and you shouls find a few threads to read.

 

You should also be able to find others who keep poultry on an allotment.

 

Have fun!!

[bronze]

I found this site http://butcherachicken.blogspot.com/2007/09/step-1-getting-ready-to-butcher.html fantastic for learning how to prep them

[TAJ]

I have a good book on raising chickens that has 100 pages on meat birds - all you need to know - I put all my chicken things away for Christmas - but will get the title for you. Our first 2 are for the kill today - OH is on a course that shows you how to kill, gut and dress the birds and they have let him take 2 of our own with him for the first part of the course - again I will let you know about this course when I get his feedback later today.

 

We got them at 3 weeks old and they need a heat lamp until 5-6 weeks old (may be longer if a winter cold spell). Our 4 then went into a Rablu and move around the garden eating grass as well as growers pellets.

 

I think we paid about £2 each for them due to age and where we got them from. Poulet Anglaise that Lesley mentions sells day old meat chicks for 80p - he usually sells by the 100s, but sometimes he will meet you enroute - but he tells me that though he will occaisionally do this if someone is over 10 mins late the driver will not wait as he will have a truck load of chicks to deliver commercially.

 

We are going to get are next lot from P.D.Hook - like Poulet they are a commercial breeder, but buying direct (no delivery) they are 60p - 90p at a day old, depending on breed and sex. We intend getting a mix to see which ones are best.

 

At a day old they need to be at +90f and then you reduce the heat by 5f a day, until they are fully feathered and can control their own temperature. Ours started indoors and then in a brick shed with the heat lamp, then were without the heat lamp and finally went in the Rablu.

 

Tracy

[Guest]

thanks for the advice so far. We're holding off on the meat chickens idea for now, until we see how much work the lottie is going to be, but it's an idea for the future

[TAJ]

The book is 'Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens' - I got it from Amazon.

 

Tracy

[Guest]

thanks Tracy