The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: CarolW on January 11, 2012, 08:26:07 pm

Title: From egg to table !!
Post by: CarolW on January 11, 2012, 08:26:07 pm
Hulky (named by our grandson), the chick we hatched out early last summer turned into a right ninja bully!!  He flung himself at me twice and last weekend went for the OH.  So Tuesday night after work our neighbour showed me how to dispose of him, we hung him in the log shed and last night I plucked, gutted and cooked him for tea.  He was lovely!

So, we are hoping to buy some more eggs (but meat birds this time) to hatch them, rear them and then enjoy !!

Could anyone advise what breeds we could look for when buying fertile eggs please ?
Title: Re: From egg to table !!
Post by: Castle Farm on January 11, 2012, 08:28:47 pm
facebook.com/pages/Utility-Poultry-Keepers/231571570247281

You need to read it from the bottom up to get all the information on there, as it's a pyramid posting on Facebook
Title: Re: From egg to table !!
Post by: Rosemary on January 11, 2012, 08:45:48 pm
We raise Hubbards. They're a specialist meat hybrid - raised outdoors and killed at 12 weeks, they are very tasty with a good carcase.
Title: Re: From egg to table !!
Post by: Sandy on January 11, 2012, 09:51:52 pm
We had some last year and they hardly move anywhere, I let them free range for a while and they went no further than a few feet from thier pen, when the snow came I put them into thier pen and they appeared happy, they were put to sleep  ;) in the dark hours and tasted so very nice I would recomend them to anyone!! May have some again but Steve has filled up the run with logs!!
Title: Re: From egg to table !!
Post by: holz306 on January 11, 2012, 10:12:57 pm
ha your post made me laugh.  I've got 5 cockerels to do from my hatch and whilst i'mlooking forward to eating them, and i don't mind the plucking, i'm waiting patiently for someone else to dipatch them for me!
Title: Re: From egg to table !!
Post by: Hermit on January 11, 2012, 10:20:10 pm
At the moment we do Indian Game x RIR for meat birds. They are a very good flavoured bird , with good weights but they do take a little longer to mature.
Title: Re: From egg to table !!
Post by: Sylvia on January 12, 2012, 08:21:36 am
I rear pure Cornish(also known as Indian) Game and C.G.x Light Sussex. Marans also make big, tasty table birds.
The C.G.xL.S pullets are good layers too. I will have hatching eggs soon if you are interested.
Title: Re: From egg to table !!
Post by: StephB on January 12, 2012, 11:35:17 am
Hi

We buy in 20 Ross Cobb day old chicks about three times a year from a local commercial grower.  they cost me £1.20 per chick and I have vaguely guesstimated that in total they cost me around £5 per bird to raise to table weight, which is about 12-14 weeks.

They are no bother at all, we keep them warm in a pen in the barn for 4-5 weeks and then set them free in the orchard, lock them up at night and then we kill and pluck them on one weekend and then let them hang for the week and then gut and dress them the following weekend.

We used to buy butchers free range chicken for £13 a go, so for a little effort there is a big saving to make, and I know they have had a nice life and a quick death.

Its great to provide you own meat as well as veg.  its addictive. ;D
Title: Re: From egg to table !!
Post by: Hermit on January 12, 2012, 11:44:04 am
You are right StephB it is addictive. We walk past the meats and processed foods in the supermarkets and dont know how anybody can eat them! Once you know you have reared your own meat to your very best ability you do get to wonder how other animals have lived.