MEAT TO EAT IN 2 MONTHS

Livestock you can buy for $1.99

We are on Day 9 of Quarantine. The “Coronavirus” aka Covid-19 struck our countries headlines- 1 week after I started writing my blog. My mind immediately went into survival mode with all such talk. I began saving all of my couch cushion change up for a batch of livestock that could quickly stock my freezer using a jar of linty coins. Little yellow Broiler chicks were my lucky golden ticket.

What is a Broiler?

I called our semi local Runnings (farm supply store) everyday this week, checking on the status of their incoming chick order. Today was the day. I threw the kids and a cardboard box in the car and got the heck out of the house. We arrived to find they only had 29 birds left in store- Cornish Cross aka Broiler.

Broiler is a hybrid breed crossing a Cornish with a Plymouth Rock. In other words it’s a Hulk version of a chicken that grows really fast reaching table weight- four to six pounds, in just 8 weeks. Thus, they are a cost effective investment to get you meat in 2 months.

Because of their excellent growth rate they are the most preferred choice among the commercial meat producers and among backyard farmers. They grow faster and taste better than dual-purpose breeds (those for meat & laying).

Eggs vs. Meat

It’s a common asked question, “Will Broilers lay eggs?”

Technically, yes. Hens usually start laying eggs when they are about 6 months old. Broilers are genetically crossed for maximum meat production, but are challenging to breed if you don’t use a proper method because their large size makes it challenging for them to mate. Broilers consume so much feed in under 2 months that they have reached butcher weight. This being said holding them off another 4 months would either get them on the “My 600 pound life” or dead from inability to access nutrients (feed & water) that they need to live.

White Chicken-Whiter Meat

I never understood the saying, “Ugly Duckling.” They apparently never saw a chicken…
As chicks, these fuzzy yellow buggers are CUTE but after a week old they will start molting their downy coat and revealing stark white pinfeathers. They aren’t completely feathered until 8-10 weeks, which ours most likely be bye bye by that time.

Farmers also prefer the Cornish Cross for their clean yellowish skin and white meat that is achieved from light feathers skin tissue on the bird.

Cheap, Cheep, Cheep

These specific chicks originated from the Hoover’s Hatchery in Iowa. If you bought these same chicks online for mail order pickup at your local post office, they are selling from the hatchery at $2.92 per bird. However, because the farm store (Runnings) is buying a bulk order they sell for $1.99.

Heres a estimate breakdown for how much it will cost to raise and feed out 29 Broilers in 8 weeks:

CHICKS: $57.71
$1.99/ per chick x 29 chicks = $57.71

FEED: $110.32
$13.79/ per 40lb. bag
10lbs. feed x 29 birds = 290lbs. feed -divided by 40lb. bag = 7.25 rounded up to 8 bags of feed. Multiply 8 bags of feed x $13.79 per bag = $110.32 to feed 29 meat birds in 8 weeks
-I feed Nutrena Nature-Wise Chick Starter 18% Non-Medicated Poultry Feed (Also bought at Runnings) 40lb. bag
–Broilers consume about 8lbs of feed in 6 weeks, I’m figuring for 10 to be on the heavy side and considering for 8 weeks of feeding

Housing: $27.96
$6.99/ per 40lb. bag bedding x 4 bags = $27.96
–We already have a feed and water dispenser, heat lamps, chicken coop with a built in brooder stalls (brooder is a space to raise baby chicks, similar to a nursery), but this would need to be added into the cost if you have to purchase any materials.
-To bed the coop, I use Equine Pine pellet bedding. It looks like a pellet but dissolves into a saw dust cake when activated with litter and moisture. Easy to clean and it’s 100% biodegradable which serves my compost pile well! Avoid CEDAR- the oils it releases is harmful for birds!

Utilities: $55.92
Here’s how to figure electric for a heat lamp:
12 cents per hour (average amount charged by most electric companies per kilowatt hour). The cost of electricity to operate a 250 watt bulb in a heat lamp, 24 hours a day, for 30 days is $21.60.
$21.60 for heat lamp electric/ per month x 2 months = $55.92
-Water & electric also need to be accounted for. We live on a farm with a well, so we do not pay for water.
-The chicks environment for the first week should be about 95 degrees, after the first week start dropping the temperature by 5 degrees. A heat lamp or lamp with a reflector is usually necessary.

Processing: $31.75
-We are doing a home butcher, and will just need to invest in Shrink Bags. I ordered a qty of 50 shrink bags, including zip-ties and 2″ x 2″ blank labels “Easy Kit” for $31.75 that includes priority shipping to any US address.
https://www.poultryshrinkbags.com/chicken-shrink-bags
-Before getting your chicks you should consider if you will be doing a home butchering process or sending them to a locker plant. A professional meat locker will ensure all of your meat is properly cleaned and sealed, it does require you to find a way to transport your birds to the facility, making a butcher date appointment sometimes months in advance, and can be an additional expense that may end up being a deal breaker for the “deal” you are given when processing at home.

TOTAL: $283.66
When divided by 29 birds: $9.78/per bird
$9.78/ per bird divided by 5lbs. (average weight of bird after processing) = $1.95/per pound

Weighing out Costs

Is it worth it? If we were crunching our time into these birds we would be charging more per pound. For home raised poultry in a safe (minus children & 5 dogs) and controlled environment we will average $1.95/per pound. A product of this equivalent to buy from another farm would average $3.75/lb. in Minnesota.

The experience this is giving to our children, not to mention the healthy homegrown protein product it will supply us with is priceless. Hopefully, all of our birds hang in there through it all.