does anyone keep chickens for meat aswell as eggs ?

betterlife

this question will no doubt horrify some (sorry:o) but was thinking of keeping chickens (not as pets) for layers through the warmer months then once they stop laying for the winter have them for the freezer, i think they would be quite cost effective this way. hope this doesnt offend anyone, but atleast they will have a good life whilst with me and free range

lostinrates

No, but as an offshoot of keeping chickens for eggs and breeding I get unwanted males, which we eat. we had one the other night. I consider them a useful bonus but not to rear for meat.

My chickens haven't yet stopped laying for winter, only slowed down a bit....

TBH I thinkit would be very expensive way to do things on a home scale....chickens cost to buy,take a while to come to the right age to lay from egg, and then get going laying in the second year after laying, by which time they are tasty but tough.

By all means eat your boys if you hatch your own...its the only sensible thing to do with them and any that need culling for reason other than disease but what you are proposing is not a cheaper way IMO for tender breast fillets or roasting birds.

edit: also you;d have to choose a dual purpose breed...which are less great at each thing...in general. the one we ate last week was a home bred hybrid of a dual purpose breed and a laying breed....fine legs and thgihs, but mean on breast meat.

angelavdavis

Generally, chicken types have been bred for be either meat or egg birds predominantly although there are some breeds that are an exception.

There is a thread on Old Style called "Hey Let's Keep Chickens" which you will no doubt find useful.

betterlife

thankyou for the advice , i will have a look at the thread you have suggested, i kept ducks a couple of years ago for eggs and meat , and i was brought up on home reared duck chicken and rabbit, so i suppose it rubs off a bit? thanks again

Lotus-eater

Like LIR's I've kept dual purpose chickens and the unwanted males have gone into the pot. But I've never kept chickens just for the purpose of eating.

I have thought about it though and the way I wanted to do it I read about somewhere. Buying meat birds as day old chicks, maybe as 10 at a time. Then rearing them separately from the egg birds and killing all at once. You can make it reasonably efficient and moneysaving, as long as nothing goes wrong I would have thought.
I mean, think how much a organic decent chicken, costs in your butchers.

choille

I too eat young males that have been hatched by my hens. I do it for the taste rather than the cost. The meat is totally different than the white, plastic things you buy in supers.
Uusally I eat them when they are just about fully grown and therefore tender.
Most people don't want the cockerels - well don't want more than one because of fighting, noise etc.
Got some Orpingtons late last year & so far eaten a couple of unwanted young males - have to say loads of meat on them & very tender.

cootambear

lostinrates wrote: »

No, but as an offshoot of keeping chickens for eggs and breeding I get unwanted males, which we eat. we had one the other night. I consider them a useful bonus but not to rear for meat.

My chickens haven't yet stopped laying for winter, only slowed down a bit....

TBH I thinkit would be very expensive way to do things on a home scale....chickens cost to buy,take a while to come to the right age to lay from egg, and then get going laying in the second year after laying, by which time they are tasty but tough.

By all means eat your boys if you hatch your own...its the only sensible thing to do with them and any that need culling for reason other than disease but what you are proposing is not a cheaper way IMO for tender breast fillets or roasting birds.

edit: also you;d have to choose a dual purpose breed...which are less great at each thing...in general. the one we ate last week was a home bred hybrid of a dual purpose breed and a laying breed....fine legs and thgihs, but mean on breast meat.

I once stayed in a cheap greek guesthouse, the breast of chicken I was served was tough and had about as much meat on it as a witches t+t. now I know why.