I Earned an EXTRA $2500 in 8 Weeks by doing this ONE thing - How to Raise Meat Birds for Profit

We raise meat chickens on our homestead for our own family each year, but this year decided to open it up to the public and increase the number of birds we're raising.
Because McMurray hatchery was generous enough to send these chicks at no cost, and I was able to use some credit from Azure Standard for the feed, this round of chicks will be a complete profit.
We're also opening up 10 slots to the public to be able to come out to our homestead and learn how to butcher a chicken in a full-day workshop for a small fee. All this combined together has given us the profit of $2500 in just 8 weeks of raising these meat birds.
Watch this video for all my tips on raising chickens for profit, including the necessary setup... then head over to the blog for even more information on how to raise chickens for profit: melissaknorris...
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Related Links:
Raising a Year's Worth of Meat: melissaknorris...
Raising Backyard Chickens (Meat Birds): melissaknorris...
Raising Backyard Chickens (Egg-Laying): melissaknorris...
10 Tips for Raising Meat Birds: melissaknorris...
Maximizing Your Homestead for Profit (With Joel Salatin): melissaknorris...
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Shop this Video:
Premier 1 Heat Plate:www.premier1su...
McMurray Hatchery: www.mcmurrayha...
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Howdy! I'm so glad you're here. I'm Melissa from Pioneering Today and a 5th generation homesteader where I'm doing my best to hold onto the old traditions in a modern world and share them with others.
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#meatbirds #meatchickens #raisingmeatchickens

[@myberryownhomestead764]

Having that heat plate hanging is better bc you don’t have to pick it up and move it every time you move the coop .....it moves with the coop!!!!!

[@katieramos8156]

Same thing I was thinking when I first saw the video

[@13daniel1974]

Agreed. I was like, what a cool idea.

[@danruinsfood4002]

I used the same plate for a couple batches of chicks! I LOVE IT. :)

[@alphaomega3766]

You are a high value woman. Your knowledge, skill and work ethic around the home are very impressive. The world is desperately short of women like you.

[@scottheld4837]

Amen

[@MelissaKNorris]

Thank you!

[@Ghislain82]

My heart melted when you started and drove the ATV all on your own. Can't get my wife even near the lawnmower...

[@TechnologistLive]

Did you say the world is desperate for short women like her ....????

[@scottheld4837]

@@TechnologistLive Hopefully you are trying to be humorous. Otherwise, are you feeling alright? 🤔

[@ZenobiaRice]

It would be beneficial to know what price you sell your chickens for so that people can get a better idea of the actual profit of the birds alone.

[@agomodern]

Exactly. I'm trying to figure out the details from the title, but not sure if I missed something in the video or not. She says she buys 24 a year for her family and I'm not sure the 50 or so she bought were going to all be for sale or only half. if she sells 50 of them and makes a $2,500 profit, that would be well over $45 a piece. Sounds super expensive to me for a 5 lb chicken.

[@4KidsandaFarm]

First thing, we didn’t know azure standard sold animal feed! Second, you are doing a fantastic job educating others on how to raise their own food! Thanks so much Melissa! 🤘🏼❤️

[@abundantlyblessedhomestead9951]

I've got a video on mixing your own soy free meat bird feed for around 50 cents per pound here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKPIladtbcyVhLs

[@kearstonH]

Golly you you are such an inspiration. As a Christian, wife and mama I've learned so much from you! Thank you for leading with your giftings!

[@BracesandBoots1]

I covered my chicken tractor with that really thin corrugated tin roofing. I was worried that it was going to get cooking hot inside, but it ended up being super cool in there. I think it's because the tin is so reflective that it never absorbs sun's energy.

[@caitlinfox8852]

I love that they’re “all natural” birds. I love all of your videos, but I’ve been wondering how to do a lot of this, so I am grateful for this video.

[@abubakaranwar6859]

Lol chickens are reaching 5 pounds weight in 5 to 8 weeks and you think it’s natural they are not natural or organic at all

[@joshbennett2762]

There is nothing natural about chickens there is no chickens in the wild they are bread so far from there ancestors it is not recognizable

[@CharginDave]

Thanks for the video. I e been kicking around the idea of “modern homesteading” for awhile. Time to put things in motion.

[@MelissaKNorris]

So great to hear! You are in the right place!

[@xyzsame4081]

@@MelissaKNorris Hi, Melissa, have you considered duckweed ? It is in the name, grows like weed and is well suited fodder for poultry (and pigs love it too, must by their version of salad). It needs only a small shallow pond with nutrients (can be some manure or runoff) and no good water quality or high oxygen. Trout wouldn't make it, but duckweed is thriving. Plus of course insects, frogs, toads - all helpers against pests. Some of the insects are caught when he harvests the duckweed and the pigs and chickens love that too. Check out the videos of Takota Coen. He says the stuff is more nutritious than alfalfa (fat, protein), and outcompetes soy when it comes to yield per area. He made it so the rain would rinse some nutrients from his corall into it (he has it near the hub/spoke central feeding area). Only during a dry spell he had to give it a bucket of manure every so often (when production went down. He skimmed off half of the little pond and next day it had regrown. It is a free floating water plant.

[@terryekinch6592]

@@xyzsame4081 hang a pail with holes drilled in around the bottom edge. Put raw meat or garbage in it. The flies will produce maggots which will drop from the holes feeding the poultry.

[@tjeanvlogs9894]

I have successfully raised meat birds inside a major city limits on a standard urban house lot. I use McMurray too and have tried be almost be all the others including local. They are the best. Also I use both Azure be and the same feed mill as I live within two hour of Melissa. My time commitment was 30 mins/day when brooding (2 to 4 weeks), 10 mins/day when on pasture (3 to 12 weeks), and a dispatch day. Because I didn't have much grass, I grew fodder which runs about 20 mins a week, and fermented their feed. My birds sell for $7/# chicken, $12/# for ducks. If you are going to start this, aim to just cover your chick and feed costs with the extras beyond what you family will use. Batches of 30 to 50 birds can be dispatched by a single moderately experienced person in a day. From a wheelchair, I can do 20 chickens or 12 to 15 ducks or turkeys in a hour up to packaging. Given my physical limitations, packaging still takes me way too long. The trick is understanding what the system is doing and apply or tweak as needed to work for you. I still rent my scalder and need to get the wax system for water towel, but own all the rest of the basic equipment. My operation is on hold because I have moved out to my SIL (only allowed 8 laying hens) as we are buying rural property in together, but before that I grew chickens, ducks, and rabbits in a cycle that had chicks coming in during week one, and a dispatch day every week for the rest of the month. My whole set up was a 10th acre, an urban back yard. It can be done. Feed my family, my service dog, and netted about $800/ month when I shut down expecting to be on our new property by now. Edit: I used lights but will be going to a plate brooder with a feather duster mommy since I run birds all but 2 months a year (last dispatch in Dec and first chicks in Feb).

[@poshpoultry8721]

I've had horrible luck with McMurray hatchery but I have not bought meat birds from them. I bought 20 sultan chicks and every single one died at about 3 weeks old. Just dropped like flies for no logical reason. I raise my own sultans usually but this year I really needed to add to the gene pool, Every single chick from them keeled over. They suck. After that happened, I purchased from Cackle and every single one lived just fine. Go with cackle, far better quality birds.

[@tresfingeros]

@@poshpoultry8721 ,🤔 McMurray normally stands behind their chicks ...my last order I lost 10 in shipping and another 12 - 2 days later and they said they could either refund them or credit them for my next order

[@poshpoultry8721]

@@tresfingeros they died at 3 weeks or so old. So probably was too long to do anything like replacing or refund. I’m guessing they died because of poor breeding. Their sultans also had gray on them they were not pure sultan I am sure

[@Angela152half]

I ordered for the first time from Murray McMurray hatchery this year. Our city code allows us 6 layers per household and I figured I could stretch it by 2 plus a “free” one. When they arrived I received the 8 original and FIVE free ones. I’ve only lost one. Luckily we live just inside the city limits and we turned our old 11’x55’ fenced garden area into a chicken coop/run and they are thriving. I will never buy my chicks from anyone else.

[@cowboyramessesii623]

Melissa have u looked into getting brewers grain from a craft brewery, they will usually let u have it for free, it is a waste for them, all of the protein is still in the grain

[@nickyroberts5934]

Thank you for that tip. I'm going to look into this

[@cowboyramessesii623]

@@nickyroberts5934 the protein can be 16 to 32%, the brewing process only takes the sugar and some of the flavor from the grain, cows and hogs love it like candy, and u can still say u are raising grass fed meat because it is grain

[@dwighthires3163]

@@cowboyramessesii623 Nearly every cow in the world is grass fed if you mean it eats grass or something that grew like grass. It is horrid deception to feed a cow grain all its life and then call it grass fed. We should be in the business of representing the truth and of letting cows use their stomach chambers as ruminants should. My suggestion is let the pigs and chickens eat the grain and the cows eat the grass as their stomach demands.

[@glendalivingston6236]

Refreshing take on small farming! Thank you! You are spot on with your business perspective - have your product sold before you produce it and valuing in your time into the work. Same goes for market gardening which is why CSA models are fair for farmers. Of course, pressure is inherent with having to produce what you promise. Bad weather (like we had in 2021) can be something we all need to factor in as a significant risk going forward.

[@Warrior-In-the-Garden]

Many good points in this video. I would love to see a cost break down video. I just can't see how you can turn a $2500 profit after feed costs and rental of processing equipment. Even to gross that would be selling for $50 per chicken.

[@MelissaKNorris]

In the video description I have we're doing a hands-on workshop on butcher day and that includes the ticket sales to that. 😊

[@countrysister700]

@@MelissaKNorris please emphasize that before half of your followers run out to buy chicks. You're a skilled marketer and communicator who sells a desirable product but most of your followers will do well to break even. Better perhaps to tell your viewers honestly how to take a farm product and market it for profit (including adding tricky titles to YT posts 😉)

[@rachelc.7152]

@@countrysister700 In the description she explains that she is making $$ by growing out more birds than her family needs. She is selling the additional butchered chickens to the public and in addition she is charging a fee for an on site butchering class. The birds were free and she had credit with Azure for the feed. I think that she is being very straight forward and honest about the entire project.

[@countrysister700]

@@rachelc.7152 You're absolutely right. It's all there but the viewer has to be patient to put the pieces together. Blame my adhd for really liking to see the whole picture up front then the details.

[@thesaintmustwalkalone708]

@@countrysister700 this generation expects everything to be laid out... I agree with you on that, but it is their responsibility to actually read and watch everything and do their own research before jumping headfirst into something they know nothing about. In no way is she being deceptive... It's just not a quick Kim through way that this generation who was spoofed by rteachers expect to be taught. The responsibility lies with the viewer to properly educate themselves and not rely on part of a single YT video.

[@l0gic23]

A video on the business details, the class, the pre-sale, etc would be interesting

[@agomodern]

Should have been this video with $2,800 profit in the title, but zero of that was really discussed.

[@Lady_of_Ishpeming]

Have you considered modifying the first tractor and adding a lift hatch on the front to make it easier to put your feed in? Please do a breakdown on how you make 2500 in eight weeks. How many birds and at what price?

[@lori9655]

We have been raising meat birds for sale for a few years now and get unsexed birds. We also feed all the time. I find if we have food on one side of the coop and water on the other side, we might lose 2-3 birds out of the 30 we raise. They are much larger, between 6 and 10 lbs. We have to have them butchered at a govt. inspected site if we want to sell htem so that also adds to the cost, but we do get our meat for cheaper. Our land isn't flat enough for chicken tractors but I'm experimenting with growing duck weed in bathtubs to feed all our birds. Its quite high in protein and grows really fast.

[@dwighthires3163]

Lori, I wish you great success with the duck weed. There is a KZbinr in Canada being very successful with duck weed.

[@silverpotter6325]

Its kinda a bad weed if any gets near a water supply it can take it over i heard

[@dwighthires3163]

@@silverpotter6325 Theirs was already our of control on the water system so the harves it daily and keep in a little better in check.

[@silverpotter6325]

Ah had no idea we haven't had an issue of it here that i know of

[@apostlerobbiegray]

Great video! Definitely should put a small door on the front to place feed and water through so it greatly decreases the amount of climbing in and out of the coop , I would hate climbing in and out daily especially in 90+ degree wether Shalom!

[@buddymann34476]

A suggestion is to screw scrap tractor tube rubber along the edges of the chick tractor. This will save time of placing wood along any openings. The tire tube is flexible and will form to the ground and it will not rot.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

They have to be sold for quite a lot to profit from. That unfortunately is a roadblock to many consumers. The problem is even on grass they eat SO MUCH. Buying feed (and birds) in enough quantity to get deeper discounts is really hard for the average homesteader. Cheap broilers are still over $2 a piece and 50lb bags of higher protein feed are around 16 to 20 dollars in our area. We have found even with limited feed (12 hours on 12 hours off) our meat broilers would eat 2 bags a week in their last month, and we were raising 20ish per batch. So expensive. Seriously consider meat RABBITS. Makes so much more logistical sense.

[@schifflangefarms4539]

I have always had good luck with Cornish from Jenks hatchery near Portland, Ore. Rarely lose any. Cornish are their main business and oldest hatchery in the U.S.

[@juliesummerfield9784]

Same here. Jenks Hatchery has been amazing for me here in Eastern Oregon. We raised 600 per year and our losses were so much lower with Jenks. A lot of our issue with other hatcheries is they were just further from us so chicks spent time in shipping and it's just hard on them. I am interested in how you did your workshop for butchering. We quit raising the chickens because our kids are growing up & leaving home so we don't have as much help. Maybe if we could have 3 to 5 people come learn how to butcher, that could increase profits and solve our problem of not having enough help. Do they get a free chicken too? What I really want to find is a chicken tractor that I can disassemble when not needed and store in a shed so it can last longer. We want something we can walk into. Salatin style was ok but we need to be able to access them easier. We took deposits, and towards the end we were also doing a minimum order of 5 chickens per customer because it was harder to organize 50 customers vs more chickens to only 25 customers etc. Butchering day is already a huge work day....adding communication with everyone and the people that flaked out last minute on 2 chickens was frustrating.

[@jlane9055]

@@juliesummerfield9784 to disassemble use door hinges on corners just knock the pins out to disassemble

[@kelliehubler2110]

Thank you so much for this video. I am a bit confused though on how you made $2,500 raising 55 birds. Did you sell them for $45 a piece? That seams really high. I can't see people buying a 5-6 lb chicken for meat. Please let me know what I missed.

[@jjStinger72]

6-7 bucks a lb is not out of the question for these kinds of birds at our local farmers markets. I guess your mileage may vary depending on location. And this was last year numbers *shrug*

[@KingMoses05]

My first time. I sold 6 for $90 and had enough in the freezer for my family. Those 6 made my money in equipment and food back easy. Guess it depends on who you know.

[@dj9428]

Description explains she got everything for free and sold tickets for processing day seminar. One-off $2500 win for her. Should have explained her bait title in the video.

[@samthemaniac6284]

It's just clickbait

[@joshbennett2762]

On top of that she is calculating that the birds and feed was completely free

[@WorldCrafterPrime]

Yeah I have so many pricing questions. You can get an organic whole chicken from Kroger for $7-8. The chicks from McMurray are ~$3.50 - $6, though I'm sure that's before any price breaks or discounts for buying in bulk etc. I see a lot of comments questioning the $2500 number in the title, I don't care much about the specifics of your situation business wise, that's your business, but I can't imagine anyone paying more than $12-$15 for a whole chicken. Am I way off here?

[@MelissaKNorris]

In our area people do pay more for a pasture-raised organic whole chicken. We're actually charging the low end here, the key is true pasture-raised, meaning they're moved to fresh grass (and on fresh grass) every day, including at night, they never spend time in an enclosed coop/building and only fed organic/non-GMO food.

[@abundantlyblessedhomestead9951]

Average prices in my location is 4 to $4.50 per pound. You can make even more money by feeding soy free. I have a video on my channel that teaches you how to mix your own soy free chicken feed for maximum profit

[@christopherdowning7776]

@@MelissaKNorris If the low end is $50 per bird, what is the high end?

[@Faithledliving]

I like that the heat plate only uses 15 watts! That is fabulous for an off-grid setting! Going to be connecting with premiere1supplies!! Thanks for a great video! We’ve been experiencing the 110 to 120 degrees for the last 3 to 4 weeks. Insane heat and really unusual season but as with every season and oddity there has been lots of takeaways! Blessings sweet friend!

[@northwoodsdad7506]

We raised our meat when I was growing up. The most meat chickens we raised at once was 120. They were free ranged once they got bigger. You just have to provide cover for them from raptors. We always had various equipment and trailers for them. They decimate the bug population! You don't need butchering equipment really. You need an axe/block 2 tables and a big dipping tub that you can heat. Some people prefer a knife /kill cone. If you want old school grab it by the head and swing in a circle.

[@magnoliagrovehomestead8321]

Trying to plan out logistics for raising our own birds, and then potentially for profit next year. Thanks for all the info!

[@MelissaKNorris]

So great to hear!

[@tonyasinner751]

This is a great video! I am so excited to learn how to grow chickens for meat, eggs, and eventually profit. Thank you for the links!

[@dustinhiggins4160]

13:20…in regards to saving on feed cost i would recommend trying out “freedom rangers” opposed to Cornish cross. I raise 4000 3x per year for market on pasture and i must say they’re a MUCH heartier bird and exceptional foragers (they will not sit at the feeder all day). And in my opinion better quality meat. Also my mortality rate dropped drastically. The downside….they take 2 more weeks to mature than Cornish cross

[@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123]

Wow, do you butcher and package all them ?

[@theashleighroseshow9075]

Sooo good you go girl! I look up to everything you do so much. Love your videos. Don't stop you are achieving so much.

[@dancudworth4940]

We let ours go 8-10 weeks , average weight 8lbs , cant beat it , raise 10-12 birds put 100lbs of meat in the freezer, pretty good last batch total cost 1.40 $lb

[@bikerchic7938]

Ive watched a few videos on auto feeders using a very wide pvc pipe thats about 4 ft tall and that will become the food container and 90 degree elbow at the bottom keeps the feed from falling out but does allow the birds to come up and grab the food out of the elbow. This would be attached to the tractor and may last weeks..

[@rubychurch3466]

I love that they’re only five days old and recognise food containers already. They’re so damn cute.

[@renamaemcdonald2075]

Lots of great information! Thanks for sharing this. It shows that you really care for your animals & that they can really enjoy their lives... even if it's a short life.🙂

[@beatricethomas8537]

Put heating plate on sliding mechanism so you can move every couple of days. I am new to raising chickens so I hope I am correct. Thank you for your sharing of your knowledge.

[@lukehalpin8571]

Did you consider building a worm farm to feed them, or even another insect farming technique?

[@dailybible3800]

Very nice set up n strategy for raising meat chickens❤

[@Camperhollow]

Depending on the gauge of the extension chord you are using you should be able to go quite a ways. I use a 12 gauge extension chord and have ran an electric cultivator about 250 feet away from the power source on a 20amp circuit. I couldn't afford a rototiller this year for our garden so I bought the electric cultivator and it actually worked well even using it quite a ways from the house.

[@SpliffyMeister]

chick peas and other beans fresh from the garden works too and helps egg production too

[@thelovelandhomestead52]

I love the great info! Just raised my first batch of 60 meat birds. Definitely learned a lot and will definitely do smaller batches next year lol.

[@l0gic23]

What did you learn? Let us know if you post a video on the topic.

[@thelovelandhomestead52]

@@l0gic23 idk if I have room to write it all down lol. My biggest advice would be to take the time and the extra money to make it easier on you in the long run. I used mostly what I had on hand and it wasn't ideal afterwards. Next year I will build better tractors and definitely recruit more help for processing day. Over all I absolutely loved the experience

[@jflu79]

Just got our first batch of meat birds Mon for our family. ❤

[@grammydayao7581]

I put fine wood shavings where my chickens sleep at night. It keeps things cleaner for my egg chickens. They love sleeping on a large board at night , and a few sleep on the roost .

[@elizabethyoung4469]

I live in Ohio and the hatchery we us is Eagle Nest. Their meat birds are delicious and pretty hardy. We have learned over the years different methods to make sure our birds stay healthy and strong. We have been at this for about 25 years. In the beginning we would sometimes loose up to 25% (at the worst) but usually no more than 5 to 6 birds. We usually raise 25 at a time. Over the past several years we haven't lost more than 2 and have gone some years without loosing any at all. If we do loose any, it is usually do to a heat wave when they are close to butchering and they can't handle the heat as well.

[@drivensaver7926]

Love eagles nest!!

[@VictorRodriguez-rd5xl]

Wow...couldn't of been better said...thanks for sharing, also good to know about McMurray Hatchery...have a great chicken season God bless 🙌 🙏..

[@sewpretty13]

Great Video! Do you mind sharing what breed of chickens you use? Are they Cornish Cross?

[@katierobbins7962]

The hanging heat plate is brilliant! Love it!

[@deborahelliott8460]

I usually grow wheat grass for mine, however, I raise Female chickens that lay eggs. My husband don't want to eat the birds, but the eggs give me more than enough for what we need for our meals. I don't do chicken tractors, I am free ranging ours every day. They come back home at night. We do a head count at night.

[@janetbusener6634]

How do you keep them from becoming food for predators?

[@Tjamison4647]

This is fantastic! Thank you for sharing. Your information and helpful tips are invaluable.

[@bikerchic7938]

Have you ever picked up a piece of plywood that has been lying on the ground for awhile? you will see worms and all kinds of bugs.. My idea is to water down an area of land near the chickens, and put down a 4x8 sheet of wood next to where your tractor is, then next day pull plywood up and rotate tractor so birds have access to worms etc... Free protein

[@rough-hewnhomestead5737]

Although we're not selling, we are raising 50 birds this season. We also have a new tractor under construction. It's a busy and exciting time! God bless.

[@jamesturner7728]

In the UK we call them electric hens good for a two week period eny longer back feather doesn’t grow to well

[@PROAmateur01]

You can add a raised platform that’s barely off the ground for them to be off the cold ground and put the plate over it. You have to clean it, but that’s fine. Also, you should add a hatch at the front where you had the feeders sitting at the front of the video so you can just open a hatch and set the feeders in.

[@MelissaKNorris]

In nature chicks are always on the ground with overhead heat from the mom so I don't worry about the ground

[@xyooj96]

your gross revenues $2500 for eight weeks on 53 birds or about $47 per bird? what's you total cost for eight weeks?

[@MissChievousRN]

McMurray is THE BEST!!! And they are super on shipping costs!!

[@barefootbutterfly321]

How much do you sell the birds for? 2500/50 is 50, so to make a profit you’d have to sell for more than that. I don’t think I’ve ever bought a bird from the store that expensive (although they’re from huge processors 🙈). I’m clueless as to how much an organic chicken would sell for 🤷🏼‍♀️ thanks 😊 PS. I’m just beginning my own homestead in Florida! My son is raising chickens in his science class, and we’ll be taking any home that need it 🥰 we’re going to start with just eggs 😅

[@skydyverjym]

She explains in description that all the birds and most/all of the feed was free and she sold tickets and charged admission for allowing customers to watch them butcher their purchases

[@leaapolo976]

Hi

[@barefootbutterfly321]

@@skydyverjym I think I was asking what the people are paying per bird

[@skydyverjym]

Clickbait

[@skydyverjym]

Deceptive fraudulent clickbait

[@samwalters4911]

McMurray’s the best hatchery I’ve dealt with if you’re going to buy yourself backyard meat chickens for your Homestead you really should try buying them from McMurray at least once.

[@tresfingeros]

Been raising both eggers and fryers for 35+ yrs... your spot on young lady 👍 good job Can I inquire as to what area of the PNW your in. I grew up in Ore. many,many many😂 yrs ago.

[@jackbits6397]

Wow what a synchronicity. Just slaughtered our first batch of meat birds yesterday (20) to see how it goes. Thanks for the info!

[@justinm2796]

Just got our first batch of 15 from McMurray Hatchery and so far we are very pleased. 7 weeks left!

[@MelissaKNorris]

Keep us updated!

[@justinm2796]

Will do!

[@Meatchickens]

Great job 👏 Melissa K. Norris, I'm also a chicken farmer.

[@ksyifajayabroiler702]

thank you for providing detailed knowledge this is very useful

[@TheOldSwedesFarm]

Great ideas. Thanks for sharing your experience. We'd like to free range some meat birds next year. Cheers from Minnesota!

[@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123]

Minnesota here too 🥶🥶🥶 We have such a short season to get everything done…..garden, chickens, building projects, fencing, harvest, canning, butchering ☹️ I need help 🤣🤣

[@TheOldSwedesFarm]

@@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123 Check out our channel. We're trying to get it all done in a few months too. Can't wait for spring, and my hens are really ready to get outside and free range!! We're southwest of the metro by about 50 miles. Stay in touch!

[@sant0sch]

What I always wonder - is that possible in Europe? I mean, as far as I understand, you have lots of requirements to raise chicken, cow, pigs and even selling vegetables is quite complicated. When I watch that clips on youtube about the US, it always seems to be so "easy" living a dream of raising animals in a beautiful way. Over here in Europe I always have the feeling, you have to make a Phd just to sell tomatoes.... And yet, the quality of US meat/vegetables is often waaaaaay higher than here.

[@sant0sch]

btw, asking because we have a beautiful farm with a big property and we would love to raise/grow food for our self. Same time we are thinking, making some profit with hight quality food. But it seems impossible. We are based in Portugal and specialy the quality of meat/chicken is poor and mostly raised in unaceptable ways.

[@MelissaKNorris]

I can't speak to your exact situation as I don't know the area but I do have other readers/watchers who are doing things across the pond as we say

[@davidmaughan4472]

I'm confused. $2500/50 birds is $50/bird. Can someone explain?

[@timmmmmmmmmmy1]

Apple cider vinegar with mother and we typically have zero loss. 1oz to a gallon.

[@cherylbearden261]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Approximately what would you make per bird. I have no clue how to price them.

[@kclewis8360]

That is a great idea to have your customers prepay. but I thought that the birds had to leave your homestead alive because people could sue you saying you contaminated the meat in some way

[@MelissaKNorris]

Look into the Federal Exemption PL90-492 (Producer/Grower Exemption) which allows you to raise and sell up to 20,000 chickens per year without inspection and they can't be frozen and must be within so many hours of butchering

[@bille294]

@@MelissaKNorris Having just read PL90-492 and Cornell.edu's explanation, it makes perfect sense why you 'sell' the birds as chicks, and then process them for the client. Exemption 2 of the Poultry and Meat Act allows for: "The custom slaughter or processing of an individual’s livestock or poultry for the personal use of the owner (a service). NOTE: Products produced under these exemptions may NOT be sold in commerce. In addition, Custom Slaughter exempt livestock products must be marked “NOT for SALE” and exempt poultry product marked “Public Law 90 - 492.” Since you're providing a ''Service" by processing someone else's birds, you fall under this exemption. As long as you stay under 20,000 birds a year, and I don't see that as a hardship at all... Nicely done!

[@rayt7320]

I apologize if this has already been answered but I searched for it. What breed of chicken do you recommend for meat birds?

[@popiston8773]

Hey Melissa! Thank you for such an educational video! You mention in the video name $2500, does this mean that you sold one whole chicken for ∼$50? Sorry for asking, it just seems too much (?) - I am not from US so I don't know the prices of organic whole chickens you have there.

[@kathyolivares6557]

I had the same question.

[@CliffsideStables]

@@kathyolivares6557 me too!

[@georgetaylor2819]

From what I understand - If she had 50 birds and realized a gain of $2,500 in eight weeks - that would be a $5/USD gain per bird - so the question is what was her cost per bird (all inclusive) acquisition- feed & care - processing - and finally including the cost of selling each bird. That would mean about $300/USD weekly from this enterprise. She is probably selling the birds for about $10/each which would be only +/- $2/pound - because she stated they weight approximately 5 pounds dressed out. Ms. Melissa, please, could you elaborate on this for us "inquiring minds," please? Thank you -

[@brandycole1434]

It's my understanding that these birds are for her family. She raised additional chickens for sale.

[@lukeryuzaki2328]

@@brandycole1434 Even then, how many does she have to make $2500 in 8 weeks? How much per chicken?

[@mindofmadness5593]

Down in North Carolina. My property is Clay/sand. Plenty of weeds but no place to place a moveable Chickenhouse. When I mow or chop out overgrowth can that be tossed into the house for them?

[@BelowAvwrageGamerTV]

Last year we had to put shade cloth on our tractor last yr during that heat wave

[@lesmohr6289]

Have you tried to ferment your brid feed now you will be giving them more balk now you could use fresh corn or what every feed you want it cool but you add more I dont know how to say it but it might give them a better heath chicken

[@michaelwroblewski8091]

I really liked the tractor. What is the size of it? Interested in building one. We raised birds last year without a tractor, lots of work.

[@Munky332]

How are you butchering and packaging the birds? I'd really like to see how you go about processing them. How much area does one need for a chicken tractor? I realize it scales with the size of the tractor and number of birds, but do you cycle the movement? ie use the same land area? I've got about half an acre, however half of that is covered by "wetlands"// wooded area, I'm still looking into how much of that area I can actually use, but I've got at least 12,000 sq/ft of area, though I don't know if the neighbors would be OK with me putting a chicken tractor out front lol.

[@thomasturner3834]

This will be my 3rd year raising broiler chickens in Michigan. This year I want to start selling chickens, but I am finding it very difficult to find processers that are FDA approved. This is a big problem for me. Any ideas how to deal with this for a new guy. Thank you

[@victorbenner539]

I live in Southwest Washington state so I would love to attend your chicken slaughter/processing workshop. And it appears that should be coming up soon. What do I need to do to sign up. Thanks.

[@jimmyavalos6073]

Awesome work and knowledge of homesteading.

[@StewartFarmApiary]

Great video. what are the actual dimensions of the tractor? It looks to be a 8x12. Am I correct?

[@MelissaKNorris]

12 x 10 ☺️ you were close

[@StewartFarmApiary]

thank you.

[@LeeRyan72]

Try placing something under the warming plate. Puppy pad?

[@Mansahx]

Hey. Here’s an idea. After you feed them. Use a board to section them off from the back. So, you don’t have to worry about them moving to the back. No run over. 😬👍🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾. Nice video and info 👍🏾

[@dwighthires3163]

Hilarious! Love this joke!

[@janicehuffer2907]

How do you price them to pre sell them. That is what I need to know. I grew up on a farm but we used everything we grew/raised. Now since pandemic and with coming food shortage-I want to get back into raising our own food and do what I can for others who live in apartments and can’t.

[@Chris1969o]

Awesome video! Very informative and detailed!

[@jandoinc]

Thanks Melissa👍lot's of info❤

[@camboishawt]

Thanks for sharing your great ideas and your time :)

[@Monicaa-u2s]

I just found your channel and your podcast interview with Joel Salatin. How do I find your 3 day challenge you talked about in that podcast? Is there a recording of it somewhere?

[@IlkinKarachay]

This type of mesh is quite weak. Some animals like foxes can tear it apart. It's true that no animal can chew metal wire but the way they are built by a cheap method helps animals to un-twist the wires just by pushing and pulling.

[@samcresp5440]

It seems pretty impossible to make profit here in Australia. The initial investment in feed, shelter and the birds is really steep. I’ve been researching for a while for a backyard laying flock, but I’m receptive to alternative flocks. Feed comes at the cheapest I’ve found is $24 for 20kg growing feed. Cheapest commercial meat breeds come out to be around $5~ to $15 a day old chick, haven’t seen cheaper then $5 though. Then everything else with the investment costs. Whole chicken is $9 here at regular supermarket. I think it’s near impossible to make any decent profit, unless I run an operation big enough to supply major chains and businesses. I think my money would be best spent in investing in eggs, hatching and breeding. Seems to be better and far easier.

[@2Ryled]

Build a 2nd story you feed them in, and can enclose them in it, while u move it. You have plenty of room.

[@littleacrehomestead8914]

How do you find the customers and get around legal laws about selling meat ? are people buying the birds and processing themselves?

[@meganrichter9748]

Do you have a video with more info about processing day? I appreciate your content!

[@cherylbertolini3140]

great information about only getting male birds.

[@davidjackson2846]

What is the rental fee on a plucker there? Or anywhere? Please respond if you know for your area.

[@learningtogrowinChrist]

Thanks for sharing! Helps me better visualize how to get going 👍

[@charlottehanna790]

Oh. I can't wait to have my mushroom farm. Thank you for your info here.

[@kevinholbrook7174]

Have you ever thought about building a “John Suscovich chicken tractors? They are able to hold up to 120 boilers per tractor! Hope that you have a blessed day 🙏

[@MrJoecool9999]

I bought a Tezla heat lamp earlier this year - coming out of the winter i had my chicks in the house hallway - fitted the new lamp and came back to find it had exploded - all the glass from the lens ended up down on top of the chicks but luckily none harmed - the element although broken didn't break into pieces but if it had I would have had a house fire...! Since then I use the heat plate - highly recommend it for safety comfort and it uses a lot less electricity...!

[@hilltopgardenstn]

Did you all build that pin? I'd love to have the blueprints to it if so. I'd love to build one.

[@MelissaKNorris]

We did, my husband didn't follow any blueprints (he's handy that way) but I'll see about writing down the dimensions

[@PrezUSMC]

Do you have a video of how you built your tractor

[@FunnySurpriseToys]

Hello my friend! Great video, thank you!👍11

[@knb6744]

Hi Melissa, I do enjoy your videos. I am not certain how well growing chicks for meat birds will do for us, though I would like to try. Any suggestions? I thought I might have heard you say you were in, or near the pacific northwest. My wife and I are also in the pacific northwest. Where we operate a Bed and Breakfast from our 6000 sq.ft. home. We are in a zone 9 growing zone? Though we love it here, (we are very close to the coast), our growing season here seems a little short. Winters here are about 5 months with temps that can get down to 18 or 20 degrees at night at times, but in the 40's to 50's during the day. We do get lots of rain most winters. That said, our spring and summers here are awesome. Though it still seems like a somewhat short growing season to me since we came from So. Calif. 5 years ago. Do you think it would be too cold or wet to raise meat birds here successfully, because of the rain and/or cold?

[@MelissaKNorris]

I'm in zone 7 with colder temperatures than you so you can absolutely do meat birds

[@nervapainify]

I got quails from McMurray and had no loss.

[@brentstraddle1462]

How did you get into his and how do you sell your chickens?