Jake and I (practically) sold out of our freshly slaughtered chickens in a day and a half. I only have three birds left! Plus the 10 we’ve reserved for ourselves. I didn’t realize demand was so high for humanely-raised, locally-grown poultry, but they flew out of our hands faster than we could freeze them. And the feedback we’ve gotten so far from customers who’ve already cooked their birds has been glowing. (Is it unbecoming to bask in one’s poultry raising majesty?)
Buoyed by our success, we’ve decided to do it again.
Yes, that means that we just ordered another big batch of chicks. This time, 35 female broilers. The baby cluckers arrive next week.
The hatchery will only mail chicks during the hot season because chicks can’t tolerate cold (which is why raising broilers is strictly a summertime pursuit). Like last time, we’ll raise them until they’re about 8 weeks old. But because they’re female, they’ll weigh slightly less at slaughter so they won’t cost as much. Slaughter will take place near the end of October….just when summer gives way to serious autumn chill.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d one day be a chicken farmer (!?!?!), and I’m still not sure if this qualifies as a step up or one step closer to living in a hollow, but it’s definitely an adventure. Right?
All original content © 2012 by Jessie Knadler
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Glad all the chicken business went well. How is the cutest little chick doing these days? Miss the updates
Or what I like to say is hallar with a long a sound. I think you are doing well and I’m glad things turned out better than you expected!