Raising Meat Chickens for the First Time

When I first considered raising our own meat chickens, I thought it would be very similar to raising hens. It’s not! There are 5 things I want to tell you about raising meat chickens, specifically Freedom Rangers (also called Red Rangers), for the first time. It might not be what you think!

I do not like chicken tractors. I said it!

I know that Joel Salatin started this trend, but I’m going to have to respectfully disagree that this is a type of pasture raised bird – at least for Freedom Ranger chickens (he raises Cornish Cross). We built a 10×10 chicken tractor and that was fine for a few weeks, but once the birds were bigger it was MUCH more difficult for them to get exercise and not lay in muck. When we moved the tractor in the morning, it was full of muck by the evening. Ick.

I enjoy seeing chickens run and jump and chase flying insects – none of that happens in a tractor. We ditched the tractor.

Instead, we went full homestead mode and used what we had. We didn’t need a chicken coop for this purpose, so we grabbed some tarps, covered a chicken-wired pen and lock them in for their safety at night. During the day, they can run in grass within a moveable electric fence, in a large area. I literally sighed in relief when we made this change.

If pasture raised birds is a priority for you, I recommend not using a tractor for a large quantity of birds. A tractor for a few birds would be fine! It would be light and easy to move.

Make sure you have a manageable number of birds.

My husband was very ambitious and mentioned starting with 100 meat chicks. At first, I thought “Well, sure! We might as well raise as many broiler chickens as seems reasonable, right?” But life started to get a bit busy, and I thought we should pair it down to 60 meat chicks, so that’s what we did.

What I didn’t realize is that 60 birds is a LOT of chickens to take care of, requiring a LOT of food and a LOT of water each day. While I’m glad that we did it, I think if I would have known how much work they are, I would have started with around 25 chickens. So, if you are wanting to just dip your toe in the water in raising meat chickens, my advice is to start small.

They Eat So. Much. Food.

This means it will cost a lot to feed them. You definitely have to have a budget in mind before you raise them. For 55 chickens (we lost 5), they ate around 25 bags of food, at 50lbs per bag. Now, I’m talking about Freedom Ranger birds specifically which cost much more to grow out than Cornish Cross. Freedom Ranger birds grow out a month or longer than Cornish.

Find out where you want to source your food from and have a plan to finance it. It can add up very quickly!

Have a system in place to care for them.

Our hens are so, so easy to care for. Every few days we fill up their feeder, give fresh water daily and gather eggs. Done (for daily chores). In raising 55 meat chickens, again, we underestimated the amount of food and water they consume daily, and this meant myself or my husband going to feed and water them multiple times a day. We should have bought the biggest waterer/feeder sold! It would have drastically reduced the amount of time it takes to care for them.

We are doing our best to instill a deep appreciation of where food comes from in our children. I wanted them to share in the responsibility of caring for the meat birds, but because we ditched the tractor and used the electric fencing it made it difficult for the kids to physically get over the fencing to help. The next time we raise meat birds, we will make sure our system is easy enough to include the kids.

Definitely make sure you can get the kids involved! The next generation needs to know how to grow food – especially protein sources such as chicken. Parents being their teacher and learning at home is the best kind of “school” for this!

It will not be hard to send them to the processor.

Let me explain. We raised hens and became attached to them. We know their personality; we enjoy watching them and laughing at their antics. If one gets lost, it’s a big deal. But we know they are here to stay and their purpose is to provide eggs for our family.

For meat chickens it’s been entirely different. They are cared for the same as the hens – fresh water, plenty of food, safe shelter, and lots of grass and sunshine to free range (and treats!). But their purpose is entirely different. We know they will nourish our family with healthy protein and fat after freezer camp. Even my boys are proud we are raising our own meat. We are thankful for these birds and care for them, but it’s not emotionally hard.

I’ve talked to several families that are interested in raising meat chickens, but their hesitation is harvesting them. I want to encourage you to push through the emotional aspect and think about the health benefits for your family. Bringing the birds to the processor and picking them up clean and ready for the freezer was not at all emotionally difficult. Don’t let the emotional aspect stop you from raising meat chickens.

What’s next for us?

It seems there is always a learning curve with anything skill related. Caring for animals is definitely a skill. We learned SO much and we feel very excited about the next round of raising meat birds. We will be trying Cornish Cross next year. When you buy chicken from the grocery store, this is the breed you are buying. There is an astronomical difference between the health of a Cornish Chicken that was raised in a backyard, and one from the store.

You do not need a lot of land to raise chickens for meat. I’ve heard of someone raising chickens in their garage (although I do not recommend that. ha!). Just start with what you have.

Do you have a .25 acre plot? Raise 10-15 birds and fence out an area they can run around. That first week of baby chicks cuddling under the heat lamp is pretty adorable. By around 3 weeks of age they usually have enough feathers to free range.

It doesn’t have to be your ideal set up to be right for raising chickens. Do what you can with what you have and then come and tell me how exciting it is to put the delicious healthy meat in your freezer!

Let me know in the comments, would you ever consider raising meat birds? If not, why not? Any questions? I’d love to hear!