anyone raise chickens for own table? Pasture raised slow strain

[Chasingmytail]

I'm looking at raising around 25-50 birds for out own use. I want excellent tasting slow strains. Is Sasso the best option?

If these birds take 20 weeks and I want to pasture raise them then when is the best time to buy them? March? Want long daylight, good pasture and obv low input.

 

[Badshot]

Used to, don't underestimate how long it takes to pluck and dress 50 birds.
Always very nice meat, much darker and full of flavour. Think it was sasso we done.

 

[beefandsleep]

I reared some Indian/Cornish game cockerels for the table and the taste was out of this world. Everyone who ate them commented on how good they were. Only drawback was they were very slow to finish, 24weeks BUT they were twice the size of a supermarket bird.

 

[Blaithin]

I raise them. Usually a group every couple years, depending how many spare cockerels I get out of my layers. Usually go with the Cornish Giants the hatcheries offer here instead of the more slower options but then feed them slower to limit leg and organ issues.

 

[Pasty]

You could have a look at those French ones. Ummm. Will come to me in a minute. Proper sustainable breed as well so you can keep parent stock without having to torture / starve them as with the frankenstein crosses. Le something. Or you could try something like Indian Game over Ixworth / Dorking which will give a lovely slow growing bird.

I raise all our cockerels to at least 18 weeks, even Leghorns. The thinner breeds I just skin and take off legs and breast as you might with a pigeon (not legs obviously). Bigger breeds go to 24 weeks and get the full works. I reckon about £5 worth of feed to get something like a Rhode Red to 6 months and that gives you a 2kg bird killed and dressed depending on strain. So not value for money compared to the supermarket junk but it's not the same product at all. It tastes like chicken as opposed to nothing. So I don't even compare.

I have about 6 lovely Ixworth hens in my main flock and if I can get a meaty IG boy next year, might give it a go.

What the hell are those French birds called? La something..Bah.

 

[Pasty]

Bresse Gauloise

 

[Pasty]

Oh and in 2017 I expect to have a couple hundred cockerels to do so I'm going to build me one of these bad boys. YEEEEEHAAAAW.

 

[Dan Powell]

Oh and in 2017 I expect to have a couple hundred cockerels to do so I'm going to build me one of these bad boys. YEEEEEHAAAAW.

Argh. That was grim. Surely bruises the meat!? What are the spiky rubber things on the inside?

 

[Pasty]

Argh. That was grim. Surely bruises the meat!? What are the spiky rubber things on the inside?

Apparently not. Rubber fingers. Lots of folk in the US use them.

 

[Blaithin]

We use similar. Just use an old washing machine and add the rubber fingers. Works great but you still have to pick out the pin feathers. Doesn't bruise them at all but sometimes you end up with a broken wing. Maybe 1 in 75.

Hutterites use big, factory type ones. Toss in dozens of birds at a time.

 

[Badshot]

Used to use a rubber finger plucker on capons, dipp them in the scalding tank, then hold on to the legs and stick em in between two rotating drums of rubber fingers, plucked quick as a flash, little bit of tidying up is all. Get it wrong and it ripped them to shreds and spat them out the back though

 

[Greenbeast]

We've got a whizz bang, cracking device, no bruising! Used to do batches of 50-100 at my parents farm, yet to get set up at my place

 

[Pasty]

We've got a whizz bang, cracking device, no bruising! Used to do batches of 50-100 at my parents farm, yet to get set up at my place

DIY build or bought in? I'm looking to build one next year.

 

[Greenbeast]

My step-bro built it, i can try to answer questions. Or at least pass them on.

Very handy bit of kit though

 

[Pasty]

I've got various plans. Just need to get my head around it and the workshop cleared up. Currently full of chickens.

 

[Greenbeast]

sounds like a chicken and egg situation

 

[Pasty]

Indeed...............

 

[mikep]

Whatever breed you do the main point in getting tasty meat is to ignore all the MHS sh!t and let the birds hang for a few hours after plucking and gutting. This time of year about half day would do in the winter a day. Then fridge at 2 for degrees or freeze.
Chill too quick and you get supermaket quality.