How We Never Buy Meat From the Grocery Store

[@jasoncar7215]

We don't have any birds (yet) but we have not bought any beef since around 2006. My family we eat wild game that we harvest ourselves. Instead of say chickens, we eat pheasant, quail and the like. For beef, we eat elk, deer, antelope (my fav) or another animals that we know where is comes from, what it eats and how it was harvested.

[@704406bbl]

Certainly, wise advice there. Well, we went up to Joel Salatin's farm Saturday for the Lunatic farm tour and let me just say if you or any of your subscribers get the chance to go, by all means go! We had a wonderful time. Joel is such a fine man who entertains, and teaches. His farm is beautiful and you learn so much just by walking around and observing. Driving up we found your podcast with him and it was great. So entertaining and informative. Yes, you got to have your head right and decide if you got what it takes to kill and dress you own meat birds. Or anything else for that matter. Well done. Thank you for sharing.

[@JanineMJoi]

We just moved to Culpeper and will be going to Joel's place soon

[@goldengryphon]

I have been raising chickens for most of the past 20 years and prefer the slower growing meat birds, using the random cockerels that are part of hatching your own eggs or otherwise just eating the birds that no longer fit the flock. I will be looking into seeing if we have some of those traveling butchers in the area and what they cost since I have had several people ask me about raising and butchering birds for them. I have no problem raising birds, but that's a LOT of plucking if you don't have a plucking machine! Thank you for all the great ideas in how to increase my potential meat production.

[@danielleterry180]

I do all female from start to finish I feed 22% crumble I let them go to 8 weeks first time my birds were 7-8 lbs which put a strain on my auto plucker so this last time I started processing at 6 weeks the bigger birds first and they were 5.5-6 lbs let the smaller ones go another week and had 6-7 lbs guess because they didn’t have to compete with feed. I can’t tractor my meat birds my yard to small so I raise 30 in a 10x26 leanto on 6 inch sawdust. After 2 weeks I stop the feed full time to 12 hrs on 12 off and I make them stand to eat! Very lazy and will eat and sleep with head in feeder unless you make them stand to eat . I will never buy chicken from grocery store ever my chickens give me plenty of good healthy meat and no growth hormones!

[@SirgalDelRchannel]

WOW! What a great lifestyle. Growing your chicken is the best thing to save a lot and you know what you are eating. You did a fantastic job!

[@marthadoane6875]

Thanks for turning us on to Conway Feeds!

[@Esther_33]

we started buying grass fed from a local rancher in AZ. they are old school: cash and they deliver. i love it! very important to me to have a local source of beef. plus i got a lot more $/# than butcher box subscription. pasture raised chicken on the other hand is soooo expensive. i have not found a viable way. no way my husband would agree to pay $20+ for 1 chicken. we are renting in burbs so not going to raise meat chickens until we have our own place. we cant afford to move. AZ housing is off the charts.

[@passaflora09]

I raised some CornishX years ago. 1 roster I who was very friendly I did let grow to adult he got as big as a small turkey. He was a pet. I did find someone to take him as I decided I really didn't want a rooster.

[@JanineMJoi]

Everywhere is off the charts but AZ is running out of water. You might consider moving, since you are renting. I lived 18 yrs PHX. Now in Virginia. Lots of water, lots of space, growing zone 7

[@JenM-4774]

Are you in the Phoenix area? I'm also in a suburb and there are HOA restrictions, so I've been looking for somewhere to get poultry.

[@Lonewolf_1776]

​@@JenM-4774 You can raise quail in your garage under the radar and possibly rabbits. Just don't tell your neighbors.

[@sarahspencer3737]

I'm also in AZ and wondering where you found your beef if you wouldn't mind

[@jodieh4739]

We did 10 meat birds in a regular back yard in town. We didn't move them daily, but at least weekly (more as they get bigger). Used them to add fertility to the soil which was jut bare dirt. Covered it in straw, let it sit for about a month and we are now trying to grow grass in the area. They are so much easier than laying hens! They are pretty lazy, don't try to escape, aren't loud etc. They do smell more though since they poop so much.

[@jenniferrescott1149]

My family also did this in town for practice . As we had never dispatched an animal.. My kids helped with plucking. They were between 6 and 8.6. Lbs after processing. The meat was so good

[@setsailatnoon]

Mixed run/meat and egg layers. You get both.

[@southtexasprepper6605]

Great idea, I have 3 laying hens for their eggs, but I've always wanted to raise chickens just for their meat.

[@celbertbrown]

That is impressive you have your beef sold that far out!

[@GUNMETALGUYUSA]

Extremely Interesting And Informative 🤠👍

[@resourcefulgirl]

So I'm building a home on 20 acres. I have such difficulty butchering an animal. I never have and I don't want to. Times are changing and I do like meat. Tough transition for me because I've only had very spoiled pets. So much easier when I don't know the animal. I realize this is something I need to get past. Thanks for the vid :)

[@BlackMamba-lt8oe]

very rich woman

[@resourcefulgirl]

@@BlackMamba-lt8oe It certainly would be easier if I was. Just over 20 years of planning and lots of sacrifice. No vacations just working a ton. I like work and I'm extremely determined when I set my sights on something. I usually work 60 plus hours per week. Ha! And I'm still not rich :)

[@ceepark114]

My husband and I raise a crop of Cornish X each year to fill out freezer. We get half male half of them female then butcher the male birds in 8 weeks and the female in 9 weeks doing two batches which makes it easier than doing all in one day. We package the bird in pieces rather than whole since it is just us two eating it.

[@falinegallagher1218]

Oddly enough we raise pigs, goats sheep for harvest but I haven't done meat birds since I was a child. We would take a day and process them out, by hand. I have many memories of plucking chickens and turkeys. Not all of them good memories. But the last time I was at our local grain mill I was looking at the bullitan board and they have a chicken processing kit for rent including an automatic plucker (that's not me!) So now I am considering raising meat birds and renting the kit for a weekend. It was a mind opening idea that I could do it myself with an automatic plucker without the upfront cost of buying it my self, and knowing that I am helping offset someone else's cost.

[@zaynesalmon3070]

Just did our first batch of Cornish crosses. Mixture of male and female birds - whole birds varied from 4.75 to 7.25 lbs with most at 6.x. Processed at 9 weeks. Had some left whole and some cut up. Eating what we need and selling the rest. In Texas so will wait to do next batch in fall due to heat.

[@tipgiles5432]

We live in a subdivision on the edge of Austin, Texas, and buy all of our protein from sustainable farmers and ranchers at the Sunset Valley Sustainable Food Center farmers market. Yes, it is much more expensive than the grocery store, but we know the people, the farms/ ranches they have and the methods they use, and are helping sustain them as a business. We get three two portion meals from one half chicken (a way we can buy the birds) a meal of meat and veggies, followed by either chicken enchiladas , then either a soup, quesadillas, or soft tacos or loaded nachos with the rest. So one chicken can provide the two of us 12 servings. We can't or have no desire to fight urban raccoons and possums to raise and butcher them. WE raise much of our veggies and buy the rest from the farmers markets. JoyGiles

[@jconsolini6286]

Birds are a good idea. Rabbits are too. I raised rabbits for years and three does and one buck should yield you around 250 pounds of meat a year. I think rabbits cost wise is a whole lot cheaper and less space to take up and quieter too. There are Con's and Pro's on all of these. You are right on butchering, you need to be prepared to do it yourself or arrange someone to do it at eight weeks. Don't let them go any longer, they won't grow any more weight and their legs will start to brake because of there weight. Great information Melissa.

[@hands2hearts-seeds2feedamu83]

We got our first 25 Cornish cross meat birds this yr. We just moved them birds out side to a pen. I was wanting to use a chicken tractor, but I have not been able to finish the one I started.

[@stevenleifheit214]

Great info

[@Biophile23]

Note that a lot of cities and towns have laws against processing chickens for meat on your property, even where laying hens are legal. We have a group of laying hens. We sometimes hatch our own and we just eat the "extra" roosters. :)

[@ajhubbell3754]

I’ve always believed that what “they” don’t know won’t hurt you. Or, better to ask forgiveness than permission. The government shouldn’t be able to tell you how to care for your family if it doesn’t hurt your neighbor.

[@Biophile23]

@@ajhubbell3754 oh I agree but it can come back to bite you. We had chickens at our old place for a few years till an overzealous neighbor kept calling animal control on us. This was even though they were technically legal. They creatively redefined chicken coop to be wherever the chickens were, so no more free ranging in the back yard. We now live in the country where we can mostly do what we want.

[@avivagodfrey]

Sounds like a comparable period to rabbits. Rabbit fryers are ready at around 8 weeks. I don't know if you do anything with the feathers, but with rabbits you could also do pelts/leathers. Their poop is also ready to be used as fertilizer immediately instead of needing it to dry like chicken feces. ovo That's why I'm leaning toward starting a rabbitry rather than working with chickens, tbh.

[@kathleensanderson3082]

Melissa makes a lot of good points. I just want to say that if you are trying to prepare for not being able to buy food or feed (and meat birds do require purchased feed or a great deal of specialized home-grown feed), rabbits may be a better alternative. It's entirely possible to gather food for a few cages of rabbits by hand. Do some research before you start, to ensure they get what they need (and so you don't feed them anything poisonous), but don't be afraid to go ahead with rabbits.

[@lassa8435]

I love the heat lamp you have. Where can I find that one? Thank you!

[@thecakeladytm]

Where did you find that light cover?! The metal cross that is sold at my feed store doesn't protect the light bulbs or the birds at all!

[@lightfoot413]

great video and information,,a big commintment for sure

[@JayaRumahMurai]

Awesome‼️

[@DRC-zn9dg]

I bet if you grabbed a 2 wheeler aka dolly and slid it under the board where you have your rope at. You might be able to help pull the chicken tractor. It might raise the front enough to keep it from catching on the ground.

[@carolhamilton5164]

Ok if you don't have a poultry, seafood allergy and won't eat game meat and live in town. However do cook from scratch and don't use much meat. Do can and store food.

[@kclewis8360]

That’s funny they gave you one female chick on accident because I ordered 15 male Pekin ducks for meat which they are the Cornish cross of the duck world and they sent me 15 hen Pekins instead. I paid $4.00 for the males but the females are double the price so now I guess I can bred some if I want in about 9-10 months

[@busygirl2681]

That's good actually, now you can breed and sell.

[@kclewis8360]

@@busygirl2681 exactly my thought process

[@BlackMamba-lt8oe]

very good property the soil looks fertile like a tight 🐈

[@sheilafade2016]

Can you make a small one? For like 10 chickens at a time? I have a small backyard.

[@goldengryphon]

You can build a chicken tractor in any size you like. You just have to remember how much space the birds need each (between 1 and 4 sqft each). So, you could build a chicken tractor for 10 birds that was 40 sq ft by making the framework 8 feet by 5 feet, or 4 by 10, or 12 by 3.5. Whatever works better for you.

[@sheilafade2016]

Thank you

[@jodieh4739]

We did 10 in our backyard! They don't need as much space as laying hens as they are pretty lazy and don't explore much. Not all 10 made it, but that just happens. We also live at altitude and had abnormally hot weather and they don't do well in the heat. We were lucky enough to have a free coop from a neighbor but they don't need a lot. A simple hoop coop with a cattle panel and added chicken wire would work. We don't have a ton of predator pressure here but also have no dog or anything.

[@tclodfelter8789]

Is your chicken tractor made from cattle panels... like grape arbors?? Any chance you have a video on that?

[@aclaus596]

If I do 24 birds but build a larger tractor, can I move them every 2 days?

[@goldengryphon]

That's a lot of poop build-up, too. If you wanted to do something like that, I would suggest using the "heritage hybrids", or a slower growing meat bird. They don't poop as much but take longer to grow. One of the big problems with Cornish Crosses (and why I will never have them again) is that they get so large so quickly that they have to rest a lot which can cause ulcers if they have to sit in/on anything that can irritate skin.

[@Wildevis]

I have a small garden and am looking at By-laws about keeping chickens, so I may build a small cage/tractor. How soon can you move them back to where they started, so basically how often does moving rotation return to where they start? If they ge tprocessed at 8 weeks, do the males start crowing as that would be a problem for me. I am seriously looking into getting chicks to raise for meat, but must also take into account my freezer space, so may do succession growing as we have long summers and mild winters. Definitely something I am thinking of and maybe 2 egg layers as well to start with

[@julayalo9860]

Males will not start crowing til much later

[@Wildevis]

@@julayalo9860 Thank you, as the crowing will be a problem on my suburban plot

[@honeytoone8610]

Two questions….. do you not have predators? The chicken wire doesn’t work here bc of raccoons. Also, if we don’t have grass ( south Texas) can we just keep them in a reg. Coop? Could we just throw weeds , grass in the run for them?

[@diannamc367]

It would take alot of bedding to keep them from constantly sitting in their own manure.

[@gwendolyncornwell2721]

Where do you get meat chicken feed?

[@michelledurocher1363]

do you have a video on teaching how to cann raw meat?

[@nancyseery2213]

Just as a rough guess, how much space do you think it would take to raise a dozen chickens, six turkeys, three or four hogs and two beef cows? I know it depends on lots of different things, like climate, food source and a dozen other factors. You raise animals and have for several years so I feel sure you can give me a rough idea. I'm talking about open area, without fixed structures, trees or ponds.

[@robkrombeen956]

Hi Nancy, I’m doing roughly those numbers on our two acres which is really about 1 acre when I account for our front and back yards. The space works really well with deep woodchip bedding so we have very little fly and odor issues……

[@ThereGoesDan]

What advice would you give to someone who would like to delve into the world of raising animals for meat but also gets attached easily to animals? I'd like to raise my own meat birds, but I know myself and I know I'm gonna name them and make them my pet. I do my best to rationalize: animal = food, but my emotions keep getting the best of me. I'm such a huge animal lover, I even cry when I see a dead deer on the side of the road....

[@CindyRussi.]

I’m the same way.. I don’t know if this system will work for us lol

[@BitsOfThisNThat]

No one in my family can hurt an animal. if we were to have a farm it would be to have a dairy cow or two and some chickens for eggs only. I'd have tons of veggies but other than that, no killing for us. My family is way too sensitive and lovers of animals to ever harm one. I'm glad you can do It if that's what you need or want to do. I like your videos though. God Bless

[@diannamc367]

If you wanted to be sustainable or even start a small business out of it you would need to get friendly with your neighbors. Grow a bigger garden, make sure you have lots of milk or eggs, etc. Those things might give you barter for meat

[@chdearley]

I would love to get chickens. But my township requires 2 acres to have them and I have 1.86, ugh.

[@chdearley]

@@matztertaler2777 Rabbits require the same here, they are Class 3 animals like poultry. I will be looking into it more, maybe I can get an exception.

[@goldengryphon]

@@chdearley Rabbits are quiet and you could make several good arguments for a small rabbitry as long as you had a good plan for poop maintenance. I'm still confused as to why so many places don't allow rabbitries. As long as you are a good caretaker, there shouldn't be any problems. (And running a few chickens underneath hanging cages makes the perfect garden fertilizer while keeping the bugs away. Win-win!

[@TomTom-tg2cb]

OMG you grow chicken trees 😀😀😀😀😀😀😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@kingisback7534]

Madam please show me how to butchering chicken duck quail turkey dove pigeon rabbit video please 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@YolandaTheGardener]

Mobile butchering… that’s interesting

[@suewomack5528]

What is your cost per pound at the end?

[@starbot2024]

Wow. I wonder why they dont make it past the 10 week mark and have all those health problems?

[@63SpaceGirl]

Do meat birds need a special kind of feed or can I just feed them what I'm feeding my layers? Our layers free range, can I feed the meat birds clover, grass, garden weeds & such? They're only 10 days old and already laying under the feeder to eat. 🙄

[@jerex112]

please stop walking for every intro