Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Broilers gathered around a waterer.
Another way to obtain chickens for meat is to let a couple of
hens stay broody in the spring and raise a handful of chicks to
broiler size by fall. Come fall, pick all the new roosters to be
meat birds, plus any of the older hens that aren't laying,
leaving yourself with a flock around the same size you started
with in the spring—about 10 to 20. The meat birds get
processed in the fall, vacuum sealed, and frozen. You should
take newly hatched chicks and raise them in the brooder, and
thenceforth keep them separate from your regular laying
birds. Otherwise, your hens will figure out that you've killed
them and get spooked, and your rooster will get aggressive.
Housing for Meat Birds
Unlike chicks of other breeds, broilers can usually be
removed from the brooder at about four weeks old because
they are pretty well feathered, and it's during a warm time of
the year. This is good, because otherwise they'd outgrow the
