Thankfully, the chicken project is finished. When I was at work on Wednesday, Martin and his friend Bill (paid in chicken) slaughtered them. The chickens were 9 weeks old and most were reasonably well grown. These chickens are bred to be processed at 6 weeks and grow fast, they also need to eat a huge amount to sustain that type of growth. I raised them on grass, moving their pen twice a day giving them access to a bit of green pick and sunshine. I had more chickens die than I expected, which may have been because of the cold or something not right with my management. If I did it again I would use a different hatchery for the day old chicks, and raise a smaller group. That said, none of the chicken had any sign of disease when killed, with healthy livers and good carcasses. The total cost per chicken was $12.50 to raise. Now I'm looking forward to the taste test for the effort.
Welcome home Darling.
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