More farmers, old and beginners, are raising chickens for meat. And if you’re thinking of doing the same, then you need to pay close attention. Meat chickens are easy to raise and have good value, but you should know several things before starting raising them.
6 Important Tips On Raising Chickens For Meat
Choose the Right Breed
As a beginner, you want to start with dual breed chickens. This allows you to collect eggs and raise them to maturity before butchering the chicken.
However, Red Rangers, Cornish Roaster, and Cornish Cross are also other popular breeds among farmers. You can compare each breed to know which one will suit your plan and preference better.
For example, a male Cornish Cross can take up to eight weeks to mature and easily weigh four pounds, while a female can take two weeks longer to weigh as much. The Cornish Rooster breeds will produce more meat but they take twelve weeks until they’re ready to dress.Have The Right Amount of Chicken
If this is your first time raising chickens, you may want to have them in a small batch, about a dozen or even less. This will help you to know how to take care of them properly, such as keeping the heat, preparing the coop and pen, and even calculating their cost against your other animals.
Whether you get your chickens from the poultry next door or order from the next state over, you need to keep the chicks in round pens with enough space to move around.Chicks need Heat and Clean Water
Before you get your chicks, prepare the coop that will provide them heat and protect them from the weather. Anyhow, chicks need a lot of clean water, so you must be ready with fresh water every day.Feed Them Properly
The thing with feeding chicken or any animal is you can’t give them too much or too little food. If you give them too much food, they will grow too fast.
You can use a feeder machine to help you portion the seeds. However, this only works if you have a large amount of chickens. If you only have a handful of chickens, you can feed them only twice a day, in the morning and afternoon-evening.Regularly Clean The Pen
It doesn’t matter how many chickens you have, they secrete a lot and often. Clean the pen from excrement by scraping and scrubbing the floor. Don't forget to move the chickens out while you're cleaning it.Don’t Get Attached
It’s easy to get attached to the chickens, especially when you are raising them from chicks and only have a handful of birds. However, if you want to be a successful farmer, you need to toughen up, dress out the chickens, and start a new batch of chicks.
When you start raising chickens for meat, calculating the cost is inevitable. Of course, the result can differ depending on your city and state. But with thorough planning, you will get the hang of it immediately.
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