Chicken HARVEST

Process your own birds with this helpful guide.

- MARISSA KING

With shortages becoming a prominent condition in the grocery store, many people have started to become self-reliant, and an even larger homesteading movement is taking place right before our eyes. Many people have turned to raising meat chickens for the many benefits and products that they offer while also being low-maintenance animals.

Before we look at the slaughtering process, you need to take a few things into consideration such as the type of breeds you’ll be raising. If you decide to go with a Cornish Cross, you’ll easily find them in many feed stores. Cornish Crosses are yellow chicks that grow rapidly and are ready for slaughter within eight to 10 weeks. Because the growth rate is expedited, this decreases their feed consumption required over time.

Cornish Crosses are the most popular breed when it comes to birds raised for meat production. However, if they go past 12 weeks of age, medical issues will arise, such as possible broken legs from weight gain and gout. You can’t keep this breed for an extended period because of how fast and easily they put on weight, without enforcing a strict feeding regiment.

I prefer heritage breeds and mixes on my farm. This way, if life gets in the way, I’m not on a strict slaughter timeline to ensure their health and welfare. There are tons of heritage breeds available that produce wonderful birds with a good amount of meat.

The breeds I have raised and slaughtered ranged over the years, but my favorite has been the Buckeye. The meat tastes amazing, and knowing I raised them myself provides an entirely new appreciation for the animal and what it gives me and my family.