Chickens

This is our movable chicken cage. The chickens are five weeks old and several of them look to be about ready for butchering. We will probably weigh a few tomorrow to see. We're looking for about 4.5 pounds live weight to get a 3 pound dressed chicken.

For lunch today we grilled the one that was butchered on Saturday evening. He was 2 lbs 3.9 oz. dressed. We ate all but one breast.

We let him "age" in the refrigerator for several days to see if he would be a little more tender, but there was no difference between him and the one we ate the day after butchering. The flavor is really great, and they are not tough at all, just more firm fleshed than supermarket chickens. We are very pleased with them.

We have 25 Rhode Island Red layer chicks in the brooder. They are very cute little things and are developing colorful wing feathers. Whenever we lift one of the lids on the brooder they run to the other end in a pack. It's comical!

In about three weeks or so they'll be moved to the chicken cage or a new coop if it's ready. We need the brooder for 25 Freedom Ranger Broiler Chicks that are arriving on or about July 1.

We've read a lot online about the Freedom Rangers, that they are just as tender as the Cornish Cross, but don't have the health problems and will forage for more food. They are suppose to take a little longer to get to butchering weight. We shall see...