Recap on Raising Meat Birds (Year 1)

Raising Our Own Meat Birds in 2024

Last year, we embarked on raising our own meat birds, starting with a careful decision-making process about which breed to raise. We began by testing various roasting chickens from local farms in our kitchen, cooking and evaluating their meat quality and broth potential. Ultimately, we chose White Rock chickens for their abundant meat and the rich, collagen-packed broth their bones produced. This breed aligned perfectly with our goals for a high-quality meat program.

To ensure the health and well-being of our birds, we opted to raise them in smaller, more frequent batches to prevent overcrowding. They were given their own enclosure in the barn and access to a designated poultry pasture we lovingly call "the meadow." This reclaimed half-acre, fenced and seeded with clover, mullein, mint, and nettles, provided a perfect foraging environment. It also housed our compost heaps and natural mulch piles, creating a nutrient-rich space. From sunrise to sundown, the chickens enjoyed roaming, scratching, and lounging in the sun, which contributed to their happiness and the quality of their meat.

Processing days were both challenging and crucial to our program’s success. We prioritized keeping the birds stress-free, packing them up early in the morning for transport to a health-inspected facility in the Amish community. Though emotionally taxing, the White Rock breed’s rapid growth made timely processing necessary, as their large size could lead to organ failure if they lived too long. Balancing their health and comfort until the end was an important responsibility we took seriously.

This year, we also added turkeys to our farm with the goal of serving farm-raised birds at Thanksgiving. Though we initially tried to keep them contained in the meadow, the turkeys frequently escaped and eventually free-roamed with our egg-laying chickens. Their friendly, curious nature won us over, and they quickly became farm favorites. Saying goodbye was difficult, but the pride of serving our own turkey to 30 family members during a barn Thanksgiving was unparalleled. Alongside the turkey, we served a game pie featuring root vegetables and quail meat, showcasing the fruits of our labor.

In addition to processing turkeys and chickens, we overcame the challenge of processing our male quails. Male quails tend to become aggressive with the hens upon maturity, so we made the compassionate choice to prioritize the well-being of the flock by culling the aggressors. While the physical aspect of processing became easier with time, the emotional toll remains. Reflecting on 2024, we’re proud of the progress we’ve made and the full freezers we achieved. For 2025, we’re planning to restructure our meat bird setup, as we hope to add ducks to our program