The 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Getting Meat Chickens.

Growing your own meat birds on a homestead is a popular and idyllic idea many aspire to. Chickens are often the first animals people consider when starting a homestead, and raising meat birds is a natural next step from raising egg-laying hens. However, while growing your own food may seem romantic and enticing, it's important to note that it requires a significant amount of hard work, sweat, and tears. Many people underestimate the effort involved in raising broilers. I was one of those people. Anytime I'd drive by a farm with chicken tractors in the field, I'd think to myself, "That looks so simple. you could raise so many and not even have to deal with cleaning out the poop. All I'd have to do is put them in a brooder and then send them out to pasture to be harvested in just 8 weeks. Boy, was I wrong about this!

It's easy to get caught up in the idyllic images presented by social media and online communities, but the reality of actually raising those broilers when you have absolutely no experience and a fantasy of what you think it should be like can be quite different. As someone who grew up in the city, I had to learn the hard way that becoming a homesteader involves a lot of work and dedication. Through my journey of raising 25 broilers from chick to harvest, I learned five key things every beginner should know to make it easier.

Number One: Don't Be An Over Achiever!

You may be tempted to go out and purchase 100 broilers your first time and think, "This is so cool! I'll keep half for myself and sell the other half." Don't do it! get a quarter of what you want and see how it goes first before jumping in over your head. Thankfully my friend talked me out of purchasing the amount I wanted and to only get 25 to start.

If you want more than 25 chicks, you better have a barn. They are not normal chicks. their poop is wet, and they poop A LOT. Not only is their poop wet, but it also smells. Way, way worse than an average chick. I had 50 normal chicks in my house in a brooder till they were two months, and my house did not smell as bad as when I had 25 broilers in the same brooder for three days. Even with daily brooder cleanouts, it was unbearable.

(The chick on the left is one and a half weeks older)

Number Two: Don't Procrastinate

If you're thinking to yourself, well, I'll get the chicks now, throw them in a brooder for four weeks and get the chicken tractor built while they're maturing, you are way too optimistic. This is a great plan, and all if the only thing on your to-do list is to build the tractor. But if you have other projects that need to be finished, then you probably won't get it built in time in a timely manner that doesn't cause stress. Either get it done before getting chicks or get it to a good 95% finished.

These chicks are NOT NORMAL; they grow fast and need to be off heat at around 2.5-3 weeks if the weather outside is above 50 degrees. You do not have four weeks to get anything built. My mistake was thinking broilers would still need heat for about four weeks. I was told to keep a light on until they feathered out. Well, mine never really feathered out, even at 8 weeks. I learned later that they did not feather out in a timely manner because I was keeping the heat on, and they were getting too hot. On top of that, the heat was causing them to start picking at each other because the feather shafts were filling with blood in the body's attempt to cool off. The bright red shaft was attracting other chicks to peck. At three weeks old, I ended up with 25 purple chicks and an empty bottle of blu-kote.

Oh, well, I don't need a chicken tractor. my broilers will free-range. Yep, I thought that, too, because of reason number two. I procrastinated finishing the chicken tractor. Broilers are not free-ranging chickens. They do not move unless there is food bribery involved. The area around your feeders and waterer will be piled high with poop because that will become the broiler hub. If you have predators around, they will have absolutely no chance of running for cover because their thick little legs just don't move like that. To keep broilers in the most sanitary and safest manner, you need a chicken tractor.

(This is NOT 95% finished.....)

Number Three: Do Not Put Normal Chicks in With the Broilers

It's not advisable to keep normal chicks with broilers unless you establish clear boundaries and avoid getting too attached to your food. I learned this the hard way, and it made things much more difficult for me. I enjoy observing my animals to get a sense of what a healthy, content creature looks like at different stages of life. This helps me identify any potential health issues before they become serious problems. However, having normal chicks around the broilers was a mistake. It was a constant source of comparison that only made matters worse. BROILERS ARE NOT LIKE NORMAL CHICKS, and it's important to recognize this fact. They have difficulty walking, breathing, and performing other basic functions due to their genetics. They cannot compete with normal chicks for food, but they can use their size and weight to bully them around. Every time I watched the chicks, I felt guilty for depriving the broilers of a normal life. However, I had to remind myself that this was beyond my control and not my fault. All I could do was provide them with the best quality of life for the next few weeks before harvest.

Number Four: Don't Overthink It, Just Cover

Covering the tractor is something that was a very debated subject between myself and my husband. I wanted to cover it three-quarters of the way, and he said that covering it all the way would be better, but he could not give me a compelling reason why we should cover it all the way. So we compromised and did it how I wanted. Hear me out, I had compelling reasoning for why I didn't want it all covered. I was thinking that if we covered it all the way, they would always be in the shade and never see the sunlight. How will they ever survive without their daily dose of vitamin D? I'd be depriving them of the best thing in life, sunlight.

Well........ They don't want sunlight! Especially in the heat of summer. Broilers run hotter than a chicken, so they get overheated easily. By covering the chicken tractor three-quarters of the way, I shrunk their shade area by a lot. especially when the uncovered area faces east. They end up with a very small area of shade for about half the day. But I am not about to admit to my husband that he was right, not yet, at least.

Number Five: Butcher Early

Around six weeks, you will start noticing issues with a few broilers here and there. Their breathing is getting worse, they start overheating a lot easier, and they don't really waddle; they roll. At six weeks is when the possibility of a heart attack increases.

The average broiler has bright red skin and wattles. The feathers on their head are usually smooth, and their skin is warm to the touch. Their appetite is also through the roof, they will never say no to sitting down and chowing down on whatever food may be within pecking distance. Broilers that have dark red, almost purple skin and wattles, feel colder to the touch, and don't look interested in food, will be suffering a heart attack within a few hours to a couple of days. If you want to cut your losses, butcher early. at six weeks, broilers dress out at about 3-3.8 lb. That's the average size of whole chicken sold at the store.

(From left: 8 weeks 8.5lb, 7 weeks 5.5lb, 6 weeks 3.8lb)

(On the left, you can see the face and wattles taking on a more purple appearance indicating a decrease in heart function, on the right normal coloration of the face and wattles)

When you butcher a bird with the above symptoms, you will notice the following when removing the organs. The abdominal cavity will be filled with yellow fluid, and the heart, normal-sized, will be encased in a sack filled with fluid due to congestive heart failure. The liver may also have a fluid cyst, but not always. The broiler is still safe to eat. The build-up of fluid around the organs is due to heart failure and the inability of the heart to properly pump blood through the body. The blood is what helps transport the excess fluid to the kidneys to be excreted by the body.

(Heart inside of fluid-filled pericardium)

If you decide not to butcher it and the bird ends up dying, the best way to confirm that it was a heart attack would be to open it up and look inside. The abdominal cavity will be filled with fluid, the heart will also be in a fluid-filled sack, and it will be massive and very soft. There may also be greening on the very bottom of the breast muscle, where it is in close contact with the heart and does not receive adequate blood circulation due to congestive heart failure. (The greening of the breast muscle in commercially raised chickens is caused by a condition called Oregon Disease, and that is mainly due to keeping broilers mostly inactive during the growing period)

(On the left: heart after suffering a heart attack, on the right: normal broiler heart)

Overall, raising broilers was a fascinating experience with its highs and lows. If you appreciate ethically raised, flavorful, and sizable chicken, it's definitely worth the effort. The taste is incomparable to those sold in stores. Additionally, manually moving the tractor is an excellent workout for your entire body, especially if your pasture is on an incline.

I would greatly appreciate your feedback and insights on raising broilers. Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below. Humorous anecdotes are always appreciated.