(Video 2:45)
This is our second batch of meat birds this summer, and will be the last until the spring. A couple months ago we had 50, but we were splitting it with another family in our community, we raised them, they paid for the chicks and half the food, and of course we split the meat.
It's already a tonne less work having 25 instead of 50. I don't have to fill the water and food so often, and they take up less room in our living room which they will be living in for 2 weeks as I explained in the above video. Food security and shutting down factory farms are the main reasons we choose to grow and process our own meat. We also grow egg laying chickens, and the ones that turn out to be roosters, we eat as well. We have 36 egg chicks outside right now, and half of those will feed our family through the winter.
Slowly but surely we are becoming less dependent on corporations. I have so much gratitude for plants and animals, they are the reason our family survives!
Minor typo detected. I removed the
0at the end of the url.Love your homesteading posts lyndsay. It's great to see people cutting their umbilical cord to the "state" and corporations.
Thank you so much Full Time Angel!! Nice catch! I changed my post from yesterday too, same mistake was there. Big Love!! Yeahhhh Fuck the State. Hard. No lube.
lol, they deserve a cactus. OUCH!
Just be careful not to break the cactus cause that may provide lube...
You're amazing buddy. Thank you very much my friend
Hahaha :D
No lube...indeed! Unite! :)
---Homa
p.s. Interesting timing on reading this post...I just got home with chicken for dinner (first time in quite a while)
Ba hahahaaaaa that's awesome glad you're on board, and good about the synchronicity too!
Everything you do just warms my heart.
We bought chicks when I lived in new Brunswick and I'll never forget them living in the house for the first week or so.
That's really sweet of you to say Ed <3 I'm glad you get happiness from me sharing Life here! <3 <3 Hopefully one day you can get some little peep peep peeping in your home again!
That's a lot of food you're producing. Better for your health. You know where your chickens are raised and what they eat.
Yes, and no vaccines, no antibiotics, another bonus!
Awesome work there friend! I love what you are doing! Are they cornish cross? When do you process them? We are thinking of getting some, or freedom rangers?
They are broilers. We will process them in about 6 weeks time. They live in the house for 2 weeks just because they can't handle the cold yet, and then they move out to a pretty large coop/run. They usually like to peck and play around for the first while outside but by the last 2 weeks they are really lethargic and I have to get them out of the coop a couple times a day by shooing them, just so that they keep getting a bit of exercise and fresh air otherwise they'd just lay by the food all day long. They are also really prone to heat exhaustion, which I didn't know before we got them the first time. The dead of summer was a bad time to get them that's for sure! I had to be misting them with water many many times a day just to keep them cool and we had a big fan going, but really what they would have needed was some A/C.
Best luck with getting some birds, your family will thank you that's for sure!
Excellent. We've just processed our second batch of meat birds. And have now achieved 'Chicken Independence' for 6 months. Hoping to keep that going indefinitely now.
We achieved 'Egg Independence' a while back - not had to buy eggs from a shop now for four years.
For meat birds we use Ross Hubbards (I think similar to Cornish Cross in north America) but they do have leg problems - particularly if we keep them beyond about 8 weeks.
I'm hoping to get a slower growing, more 'natural' meat bird soon. I've been looking to get the French Sasso birds - but difficult to get so far in the UK.
What age do you keep your birds to?
Congrats!! No better feeling in the world eh?
Our first batch we kept for 6 weeks, though some could have been done at 4 or 5. Thanks for the link, I'm going to check it out now :) :) XO!
Wow, 6 weeks is quick. What sort of breed/variety are they? What sort of weight do you achieve after 6 weeks?
They are broilers, and we had a friggin 5+ pounder the last time!!
That's big!! What sort of feed do you give them?
It's just broiler grower, we give them the crumbles version.
I've used pellets so far. Maybe I'll try the crumble next time.
Super cute chicks :)
BTW Dtube is cool! I have been posting all my AcroYoga content over there!! :)
Niiice! I'm happy to hear you've been using #DTube!! Hip Hip Horray :) I haven't loaded any new vid on youtube since DTube started up <3
Have you seen Mitchell and Webb before? Their take on farming totally made me think of you!
Keep up the good work!
BWA HAHAHHAAAA!!!!! LOVE IT!!!!!!!!
Aww. I miss my chickens. Thats a lot of birds!
Yeah, I really couldn't imagine life without them!! Sorry you can't have chickens right now :(
You have been busy keeping things on the local level. Yeah! Good for you and your family. What is next on the farm? More animals? Your friend. 🐓🐓
Next year hopefully pigs!! Looking forward right now to a good harvest and a nice rest for the winter <3 <3 < 3 Gonna start looking at buying electric fencing through the winter months, a little at a time, we plan on keeping the pigs in the forest in a pretty big area, apparently pigs love to forage in the forest and will find most of their food there. According to one guy, pigs in the forest are so happy they turn up their noses at the feed and prefer to find their own tasty treats!
How about you, what's gonna be new for you next season?
Sounds like a good plan for pigs. We had an over abundance of wild pigs when we moved here. Most are gone at least for now. Got some tree planting to do this fall. Our place was a tangled mess when we got it. Lots of undergrowth that goats would have enjoyed. Just don't have the resources to fence in so much area. We chip away at it and will no doubt get a few more items check off the list. Right now I am getting ready to start on some fall crops of kale, greens, beans, carrots. More later as time will tell. Thanks for asking. 🐓🐓
Ooh wow, wild pigs, so would you hunt them?
Yes, fencing is soooo expensive....!! :'( Why does getting self sufficient have to cost so much hey?
Good luck with your planting, so great you'll get some more fresh food to the table before winter hits!
It is an expensive adventure. A worthy one no doubt. Neighbors hunt the wildings. 🐓🐓
Ha I love this @lyndsaybowes reminds me of my own house :) Great to see people cutting the chains and taking back control!
Awww, I'd love a peek around your home/homestead some time, haha I'm nosey like that always love to see what other gardeners are up to XO!! Thanks so much for watching!!
Put a big dent in those factory farms for me :D
I buy all the 'good stuff' from the health stores, but it's better to handle your own food production for sure... Rock on!
Well good for you for supporting local!!
It is always good to have a food source outside of the corporations.
Thank you for understanding David xo
Preparation for winter the very mature, I like that, we know no winter, in my place just two seasons, the rainy season and the dry season
And which season do you prefer?
If the order picking, I chose although the rainy season floods there will be.
Nice bird... I like bird...have a nice day @lyndsaybowes
Oh, sweet. I saw a couple in the zoo at the weekend. They grow too quickly. :-) Have fun.
Yeah they feed them to the birds of prey right?
Why must cute things also be so yummy and fulfilling ? D:
Haha
Baby anything is cute, have you ever seen a baby crocodile? Sooooo adorable <3
Congratulation on your new flock!
Thank you very much <3
Cute chick, hehehe
Btw, I have new conten about a tradition meugang in Aceh.
If you want seeing please your visit my blog.
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awesome post,upvoted
Great (Y)