Raising 12 Months of MEAT CHICKENS {START to FINISH}

This is how our family raises all of our chicken meat from our homestead!
↓↓↓↓↓↓ CLICK “SHOW MORE” FOR RESOURCES ↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
• Get the Chicklift: www.chicklifts.com/?ref=bette...
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• Thermometer for Scolder: amzn.to/3HmvA3v
• Poultry Skrink Bags: amzn.to/3sfVjGA
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SHOW NOTES:
We are a better together family of 6 living in an 800sqft Shed to House Conversion and currently converting a 336sqft shed into a tiny house for our new studio! Oh yea, we are doing our best to build a sustainable homestead in central Texas raising pigs, chickens, and rabbits…. and hopefully more!!!!!
#familycow #buildingahomestead #chickens

[@preppingmama]

Someone may have already said this. But having more than one bird in the plucker at a time helps remove the feathers more quickly.

[@firstrespondersfarm]

So, to the lazy comment. I believe everyone is different and they do different things. It's called preference not laziness plus no one else's opinion matters, just yours. I don't even know if that person had experience in homesteading, probably not, but still everything is always easier said than done. I'm pretty sure it's hard enough to have your KZbin channel and homesteading at the same time. We are just starting our homestead, I've had a KZbin channel for the past 2 years, and I've been starting my own company while working for another company. So, I understand preference not laziness. Please, keep putting out great videos!

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Absolutely, love it!!!!! Thank you so much for your great comment. We wish you all the blessings on your new homestead….. and also please feel free to send us your KZbin channel! We’d love to subscribe to ya! 😁

[@marksinkie9774]

We packaged them whole when we did butchers when i was little. Working on getting back to doing butchers again.

[@amouramarie]

"... has a fantastic life, and one bad day." Ha! This is EXACTLY what I say about my own animals. That I won't let myself feel bad about keeping them for eating, because I will do my best to make sure every animal I keep has a wonderful, happy life -- and one bad day. XD And that's pretty good, considering that's what we all hope to have for ourselves, isn't it?

[@Dr.JustIsWrong]

"A fantastic life, and one bad day..." Awwww😊😊😢

[@carolmalko615]

Never heard of the Chicklift. That is a game changer! Thanks for this info.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Absolutely!!! Here is the link if you’d like to save it somewhere in your notes. Again it is an affiliate link, which would REALLY help us to keep making KZbin content. Get the Chicklift: www.chicklifts.com/?ref=[e-mail]

[@elizabethwilliams5673]

Excellent video! Love the editing style yall adopted. It’s been a while since I watched one of y’all’s videos and I’m very impressed at the growth y’all made with videos skills. It’s not lazy, it’s just preference! I love rotisserie’s so I will be doing this too.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Oh wow thank you soooooooo much Elizabeth!!!! Well we like to switch up our video styles depending on what story we have to tell. These bigger videos we really like to let Kelly write her heart out! So glad you liked it! Thanks again

[@joannayoutube]

Love this video! Thanks for sharing such great info while still making it beautiful and entertaining to watch.

[@kim_858]

We are starting this new adventure of growing our chicken for meat in the spring of "23".. I've learned so much from this 1 video! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Oh YAY!!!! That makes us so happy!! 😁 It is why we upload videos. Please let us know if you ever need anything at all!

[@nancyseery2213]

Thank you. This was clear,to the point and very good general information for people wanting to start raising their own meat chickens. God bless and keep growing.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for your amazing comment Nancy!!! 😁

[@Formerlywarmer]

I grew up with my family doing this yearly. Great video

[@benjaminmccubbins8882]

Fantastic life and one bad day! I about spit out my coffee.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Hahaha!!! 🤣🤣🤣

[@taxin2476]

What a great way of explaining the life and death. All good days with only one bad day.

[@stanbrown915]

Just bought 2.5 acres in South Central Arkansas, getting ready for retirement ( second childhood) my plan is to be as self sufficient as possible. SO much to learn. I'm excited and kinda scared but I still have 6 years till liftoff so I have that going for me.🤣🤣

[@thetruth45678]

I'm doing pretty much the same, but with 1.25 acres in northern New Mexico. Would be interested to hear what you've learned, and what you have in mind for such a small space.

[@batpherlangkharkrang7976]

Hi.... Thank you for showing your video homestead 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 🏡🎥👍👍👍

[@theeasterbunny61]

Love watching you guys! Hard work but pays off! ❤️

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Thank you!!! You are so right!!

[@JusticeWillPrevail101]

Greetings from sunny Singapore!❤ Being living in the city, I enjoy your video very much and learn a lot from it too. Great jobs guys!👍 So much hard work 💪 but it's nice to see the fruit of hard labour in the end. I admire your strength, hard-working and warmth love vibes 💗 ❤🎉

[@TealStoneHomestead]

You have a great narrating voice Kelly :) Can't wait until we're able to do meat chickens!!

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Oh it is SUCH a rewarding experience. Just had a whole chicken last night….. sooooooo good!!!! We enjoyed meat rabbits, but the taste of a well seasoned chicken with that crispy chicken skin!! 🤤🤤🤤🤣🤣🤣

[@TealStoneHomestead]

@@BetterTogetherLife love the rabbits!! But crispy chicken skin is one thing I most definitely miss. Soon!! 😊

[@DIYinspiredLewisBrantner]

I love your shirt! your not afraid to wear it on one of your videos! I just ran across your channel..... I will be subscribing...... I agree, its better together. We love making videos also. Thanks for all you do!

[@ahomesteaddream]

We cook the whole chicken because some of us like white while others prefer dark, it’s so much easier to just do the whole thing at once when it’s split like that.

[@mouthfulacoque3580]

i have a hard time blieving anyone "likes" white meat by itself. I have spent years cooking for other people and just can't take this as an honest statement

[@onlyintime9914]

Yes... one of the best chicken tractors I have seen with the chick lift gaget

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Absolutely!!!

[@mossygreenlog]

I think you guys are doing a great job and that's a lot of hard work and prep. People might criticize, but everyone's got their own way and you can learn and improve as you go.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Thank you!!!

[@amandastorment5376]

Thank you so much! Way easier than when I grew up!

[@countrylivin202]

Great video. Was looking for an easy wheel system for our future tractor. Thank You!

[@diversparadise7058]

Love Kelly narration!

[@jenesselayman9666]

What a great and informative video!!

[@aaronphillips1558]

That plucker is awesome!!!

[@LeeCraftyHomestead]

very nicely done on the video. we are all homesteader. from Ohio

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Oh thank you!!! So nice to meet you. 😁😁👍🏻

[@alibrown411]

Sometimes I envy you in the US. In the UK land is so expensive that it's hard to do this without being rich, plus too much regulation and the weather is cold and wet so you don't want to be outside for half of the year.. Great video though, hope to do similar on a smaller scale

[@simonbarnes1495]

I live in the UK as well and agree.

[@ASimpleLifewithChrisTara]

Great video guys...thanks for sharing. One of these days we are going to try our hand at meat birds. Especially NOW

[@HelenEk7]

Love your tractor! Will save this for later..

[@MobileMC74]

Living the dream! Love the video

[@user-tz9jh6pv2j]

Oh, man! You guys should really check out some recipes for chicken gizzard and chicken feet. If you get some cumin and chili flakes on chicken gizzard and then grill it, it is DELICIOUS (although a bit high on cholesterol but it's a nice snack once in a while). Same with the hearts. And marinated chicken feet are absolutely tasty. I'm Chinese American and my parents have a homestead/farm out in Pennsylvania and this is what we make with them! We don't have any recipes for livers though, but my fiancee's parents are French and they gave us a recipe for pâté that we have to try out.

[@bonificent3138]

Southern VA here! Fry those suckers like chicken and they become delectable. One of my favorite ways is also baking them with rice.

[@jdkproductions7671]

Very enjoyable watch I appreciate the content 😊

[@ImpendingDuff]

lazy? or more practical? what a joke... some one actually said you were lazy? what works for them doesnt have to work for you. screw em, i love the insight your channel gives me so i know what to be ready for when i get started. thanks for this video. i love these types of insightful videos.

[@Wishvr10]

I am so happy for easy lift for the mobile chicken coop

[@BetterTogetherLife]

It’s awesome!

[@naestrebloc9849]

Great info! Thanks!!

[@annetolno-foster926]

Hi , great video! How long can you keep the chickens in that fridge or freezer you showed? Is it possible up to a year ?

[@anthonyharper8161]

Love it ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Great video.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Thanks Anthony!

[@pauliexcluded1]

"...a fantastic life....and one bad day." We should all be so lucky.

[@lynnpasteris4362]

This is fascinating!

[@CleoCastonguay47]

Great "How To" video from start to finish.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Hi there Mr Cleo!!!!! So good to see you back here! Thank you so much for always being a valued member of our KZbin family! 😁

[@Huey_N]

Love the content!❤ thank you.

[@cherylkelley1970]

Have you thought about vaccum sealing before freezing? I do that with my whole and parts of chckens.

[@trainingolives3370]

Awesome video, y’all! We are outside of San Antonio 👋🏻 🤠 and we have laying chickens, but we’re really considering meat birds here. I have a question: our digging predators can be a problem here so I was wondering if you have experienced that at all with the mobile tractors, and if so, how do you deal with it? We have to put out a foot of hardware cloth around our stationary run because of it. Thanks! 🤍 {And I LOVE the cookie sheet and rack idea for the brooder! I have chicks literally making a major mess right now with their water and feed so I’ll be doing that little trick *today* 😅}

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Well two things I would say. 1) I believe that moving them daily might slow your digging predators. 2) I’ve also seen people put a low single strand of electric wire around the chicken tractor. We did have a serious loss of chickens, but that was because I had a large opening in the top wire that I didn’t zip tie up. Plus I used chicken wire. So hardware cloth is way better.

[@ericb4127]

Thank you for this video. How many boiler chickens can feasibly be raised in processed in a year?

[@tyq517]

Lovevthe motto...fantastic life....one bad day... Also the 2 types of chicken processors....lolol I leaned in!! Great video

[@BetterTogetherLife]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 Glad you liked that. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@lyricboss115]

no waste and friendly to the animals, I wish the rest of the world could follow suit ❤

[@fiendeng]

Awesome video thanks! So motivated meow, I picked up some info pamphlets from my country supply store today. Does anyone read the ingredients label on layer \ broiler feed bags....do simple mixes exist out there ?

[@heathriggs8202]

Slow Homesteading is perfect for me

[@BetterTogetherLife]

100% Heath!!!!

[@AileeahColganMusic]

Hey! Great video! I’m currently researching on how to do this from start to finish so thank you for this resource. But something no one ever mentions and I’m curious what your thoughts are… Why use a chicken tractor instead of just letting the free range? Is there a downfall to letting them free range? we have 4 acres that are is fenced but we have 23 other laying hens that free range as well. Is it bad to mix them?

[@BetterTogetherLife]

We use tractors and move them twice daily. It keeps them feeling secure, on fresh ground and prevents overhead predators. On our small acreage, we can use them to scratch and then follow with seed to grow more ground cover. So it helps us function stack. I don’t think it’s bad to free range at all. We have learned that so many methods exist bc folks are using what they’ve got and making it work for the best possible outcome. So as long as you aren’t running into issues, the best you can do is act and adjust as you go!

[@aussieandrew]

did you need to take to all the chickens at once or could they have them grow longer?

[@tigar0485]

Brotherton family: Where do you get your freezer bags?

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Oh great question! Here is the link: amzn.to/3sfVjGA

[@michaelmcguire19]

So where do you buy your chickens and how long does it take them to get to you

[@shaniduncan2255]

can you tell me about your hanging feeder and water in the tractor? thanks!

[@GoodTimesHomestead]

Way cool video.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Oh thank you so much Jennifer!! 😁😁

[@godsamazing2090]

Very Nice! ⚘️

[@Reddylion]

Good.

[@woundedwarriorartist6315]

Would it be okay to use a vaccume sealer for the meat too?

[@karrenbrazel8844]

I just wanna say…. Thank you for your honesty (lazy homesteader approach)…. You’ve given me hope 🤣…. Nothing wrong at all in making life easier. I am curious about the last bit towards the end, bagging with that straw, then dunking in water….What is that? Why?

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Hi Karren!! Thanks for the comment. And yup, nothing wrong I guess with “lazy homesteading”. 🤣🤣 If that’s who we are. Lol. Those bags are poultry shrink bags. You put the chicken into the bags, dunk in hot water, and the bags shrink to the size of the bird. We put a link in the description for the bags we use. 😁👍🏻 Let us know if you have any other questions!

[@karrenbrazel8844]

@@BetterTogetherLife oh wow….. genius idea, thank you, I’ll look into that. BTW…. You guys are far from lazy! I only had 1 child to raise…. I actually applaud you guys, you are doing great 😊

[@lisaplanck7809]

I buy from the amish people up north in Indiana and there is no comparison to fresh raised chicken. Store bought is aweful!! Have a question?? Did you have your baby yet and will you be having a video for him or her?? I soooooooo can't wait!!🤗🤗🤗😍😍😍

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Nope! No baby yet…. And YES!! We will most certainly be having a video of the birth! 😁😁😁 Have you seen this video of ours when Finley was born? kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6qTm4CKaLCmh6s

[@lisaplanck7809]

@@BetterTogetherLife No but I will definitely watch it. I looove babies, and big families. What a joy! I look forward to seeing it and seeing this new little person when they get here. Praying God's richest blessings for you and your sweet family!

[@rhyswillett153]

Beautiful 🙏💜

[@cccspwn]

Nice editing :D 1:20

[@CoquiGarage]

Love y’all’s videos. What do you folks do for work?

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Oh thank you!!! Kelly actually talks a little about this in our latest video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/javKiqqgm7Gqnbs But we are FULLTIME content creators! And we run an essential oils business.

[@CoquiGarage]

@@BetterTogetherLife That’s awesome. I’ve been wanting to sell my home in Central Tx to move like y’all but we haven’t figured out the work thing for my wife lol

[@MikaelLonely]

this video is too perfect to watch when I come home from work enjoying dinner while watching an interesting video like the one I just watched. Great video, keep it up. 😄😁

[@echosquest]

So homestead seems nice nad all but how do you pay your mortgage and stuff, are you actually making money selling stuff from the farm/homestead or are you still working? Very informative.

[@christoon7848]

I've seen Stoney Ridge Farmer use a plucker like that but thought he was running 2 to 3 birds at a time in his.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

There are bigger ones. But we bought ours during 2020 so the bigger more expensive ones were out of stock.

[@christoon7848]

@Better Together Life after watching this video the one I was referring too was in the drop menu below this video. His looked to be the same size I think and did 2 at once

[@dantheman9852]

Hows the meat after the chicken plucker vs hand plucking? Seems violent but is it works it works.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

The meat is PERFECT!! Doesn’t hurt the quality at all.

[@Isaac-mc4kk]

Great video as always. Is there a cost savings in doing this?

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Great question. Cost savings compared to what? Costco organic? Farmers market? Etc?

[@Isaac-mc4kk]

@@BetterTogetherLife Lets say Costco.

[@GossAug]

How long do you raise the chickens before harvesting? Is this possible to do and let them live longer life spans?

[@darenleeper1644]

7 weeks or so. Cross rocks just keep growing. Their legs give out so you need butcher. Cornish, deleware, buckeye, freedom rangers, jersey giantsbetc can be hanging around without needing to slaughter right away.

[@rebeccahherdener2068]

I am both people in one body. Lol. I want chickens and to build a home out of a shed.🤣 Also, it looks like the chicken plucker also tenderizes the meat some!🤣😂 Also, I feel that. Sometimes its nice to skip chopping up the birds bits. Lol. Not really lazy necessarily... More...trying to make the work easier,and not harder! As my husband always says "work smarter, not harder!"

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Haha, it sure might. But it does the job. 😂 Love that you are “both people”. That means Rebeccah that you are OUR KIND OF PEOPLE!!!

[@rebeccahherdener2068]

@@BetterTogetherLife yay! Lol. And I noticed! I want to get one of them because of how quick a job that seems to do on the chickens! With all there is to do when homesteading, I'm sure it'd help cut time down a bit!

[@LordBlaze79]

Where did u get that big black container at the end to hold little chiks?

[@BetterTogetherLife]

These are from tractor supply

[@tyq517]

New Subbie!

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Oh THANK YOU Soulz!!!!

[@randykoffler3152]

What is the floor size of the tractor

[@deborahuballe2108]

Do you use one chick lift per mobile coop?

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Yup! That’s all you need. 😁

[@AM-qw3mb]

When you’re bagging them what temp is your water at?

[@BetterTogetherLife]

I can’t remember off the top of my head, but the bags will come with a temp recommendation.

[@angelasheppard7197]

New sub .love channel

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Thank you very much Angela!!!

[@terrynewman4609]

Any tips for first timers my chicks will be here in a few days

[@BetterTogetherLife]

I really like electrolytes in the water right away on the first day. Warming plates and a safe brooder box 👍 have fun!

[@BooksbyAFoster]

My husband and I did all these things... yet when we cooked them... they were rubbery and terrible... What did we do wrong??? Thank you.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Oh yikes! 1) how old were they when you butchered them? 2) did you butcher them yourself? 3) what breed? 4) what feed? And how much feed? 5) what hatchery did you use? Glad to try and help!

[@wonka6848]

3:30 "A primary goal of ours is that any animal we intend to eat has a fantastic life and one bad day" - when I see the size of the tractor and the amount of chickens in there, I would say "A primary goal of yours is that any animal you intend to eat has a bad life and one fantastic day". Lock yourself and your family for one day in your house and see how fantastic that day is and then multiply it with the 45 days these birds are in there. You have enough space to let them "run", until these poor creatures cannot run anymore, because they grow to fast for their muscles, on your property and lock them at night.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Maybe. We wouldn’t mind to try that someday. But yet, how would this breed of chicken be able to even get themselves in at night? Like you said, this breed struggles to walk at week 6-8.

[@wonka6848]

@@BetterTogetherLife Thanks for your nice answer to my provocative post. Me for myself I don't have such breeds at all but only heritage/dual purpose chickens. They take much longer, until they can be processed, cost more regarding food, but meat quality is very good and you can breed them on your own. In my opinion, no private household should have these cornish cross, etc. They are interesting when you have to feed a mass market of people from which some don't have too much money. It's no hate against you, if you continue like that, it's of course ok and I trust you you want to give these meat balls the best possible life.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Well like we stated in the video, the birds get fresh grass every single day.

[@stanbrown915]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 Lazy!! That's not even correct. Loved the video.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

hahaha!!!! We like to try and have fun with some of those hater comments. lol! 😁

[@loraypruitt5922]

😊

[@DianeSmith-he8pe]

How many do you do at a time? i thought you said 20 or so??

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Maybe 30. We usually buy about 40 chicks with the knowledge that some will die before processing.

[@brobrian6666]

The yardbird plucker costs just around $500. Is there a cheaper way? I think so.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Well how do you define “cheaper”? Sure you can pluck a chicken by hand for free. But the Yard Plucker can pluck 10-15 chickens in that same amount of time. I value my time more than my money.

[@Vega50513]

@@BetterTogetherLife great answer

[@JOATMOFA]

How many meat chickens did you get on this one day? (edit) What is the purpose of the water through the straw?

[@BetterTogetherLife]

It was probably around 30 birds.

[@JOATMOFA]

@@BetterTogetherLife 👍

[@SpiritBearRanch]

I can not find link for chicken plucker

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Here is the link. It’s not currently available on Amazon Prime. So it’s 3rd party Amazon seller: amzn.to/3t8grxF

[@SpiritBearRanch]

@@BetterTogetherLife Thank you very much and much love to the family

[@wyattwells459]

Dont need to use the waste for stocks even. Chicken feet are delicious

[@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123]

No such thing as a lazy homesteader !!!! I have cut up my chicken and froze it in parts before but the time it takes is not worth it. Blessings

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Love it!!! Great idea!

[@boranayir4004]

guys believe me you don't need that chicken plucker we are doing by our hands always not that hard and you don't need to waste any water for that :D

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Challenge, let’s do a livestream contest. You pluck your chicken by hand and I’ll use my $500 plucker. Marks, Get Set, GO!

[@boranayir4004]

​@@BetterTogetherLife :D don't be mad dude 500 usd is minimum salary for lots of countries and I did not say I am doing faster yeah it takes 5 minutes more than this but if you are doing it for your own food you don't need that

[@BetterTogetherLife]

I hear ya, but time is money when butchering 40 plus birds.

[@michaelripperger5674]

$154-$208 for the chicken lift is crazy 😜 expensive. Why do they charge so much for such a simple device ?

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Hi Michael. Yes I do understand that it is a high price, but when it comes to this you 1000% get what you pay for. This thing is made like a BEAST!!!!!! You will never have to replace or repair your Chicklift. It is BY FAR our favorite product to endorse. It is that good and there is no way we could move our animals as much and easily without it.

[@spectrumofourlifebrost9219]

So 30 birds feeds your whole family for a year?

[@BetterTogetherLife]

No sorry if we messed up saying that. We do two rounds of these. One in the spring and one in the fall.

[@chrishooge3442]

Trying to convince the wife.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

You should for sure!

[@gabrieldiaz292]

See... I could'nt just bring home a box full of chicks watch them grow and eat them... not going to say I don't eat chicken but I go to the store where I did not knew the chicken :(

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Not sure I am understanding your comment. Sorry.

[@gabrieldiaz292]

@@BetterTogetherLife it's simple... im an animal lover and could'nt raise chicks for meat. Thats why I go to the store. :(

[@retheisen]

The garden's alchemists turn garbage into bacon.

[@retheisen]

7:55 The worst Capri Sun ever.

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Woah, that is a gross thought for sure. 🤣🤣

[@XRP212]

Anyone know why my chickens taste like dirt, i mean literal dirt/grass/ mud flavour, an earthy taste

[@gmathis4829]

That is a Picker, not a Plucker.....

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Hmm, I’ve never heard it called that. Maybe I am wrong. Here is the link to where we bought it on Amazon, here they call it a plucker: amzn.to/3vAqyxT

[@Audrey-AnnCayemitte]

noooooooo how could you do that to them?

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Do what to who? The chickens???? Did you not see in the title “12 months of meat”??

[@nickb8618]

Be extremely careful using chicken wire on any of ur enclosure. Predators can rip right through chicken wire

[@BetterTogetherLife]

You are absolutely right. Lesson learned.

[@stilliraise9201]

She never show how she killed the chicken

[@BetterTogetherLife]

Correct, KZbin doesn’t allow us to show it.

[@mlzotter6405]

heartbreaking, how can you sleep at night?

[@BetterTogetherLife]

What?