Meat Birds

So do we have the time to raise them or not this year?  That is the question when it comes to meat birds.  We know we want to and we know what they will be once grown (dinner) but sometimes we just don't have the time to put into them they need and finding time to process them in the end.  But when we do its so worth it.

The first few years we went big and got 12 thinking we would have at least one big chicken dinner a month.  That didn't happen, by the time it was done we only had 6 birds left to process.  I'm not sure why.  I guess it could have been a bad year or it could have been bad a bad hatch who knows.  Oh and cooking a big chicken dinner in August's heat that is just not happening.  So we have scaled down to only six a year and last year we were so busy we did not even raise them.  We were sorry, really missed those delicious dinners so they were back on the "menu" this year.

This year we only went with 6 and we will see how it goes from there.  I would love to say we will end up with 6 wonderfully healthy dinners but one can only guess at the outcome when they are tiny chick.....Not like meat birds are ever tiny chicks but you get the idea.

So after my New addition for 2018 post I was asked by a reader if it is hard to eat something you have raised up for a chick?  For that I can only say, not for us as we know that is why we have them.  Is it hard to process them?  Not for the Hubby he knows what he is doing and has done it multiple times prior to us raising them on the farm he worked on years ago.  However, I will admit I don't help do that part and not so much because I would fell bad but because I really don't like the whole blood and feathers thing.  The kids on the other hand would sit right there and watch all day.  I guess we all know how well these animals were treated and what their purpose was from the beginning so it only make sense to us, if that makes sense.  I guess its pretty much the same as when we raise the pigs the same all applies again.

This is the other part of the cropped photo above.  I call it "eggs and bacon" and or "breakfast" even though we have never had a meat bird laying eggs it just seem like a good name for it.  The year of this photo was also the last year we raised meat birds and I happily welcome them back to the menu this year.  I would even be into roasting one up mid August if I had to :)