Meat Birds vs. Egg Layers

Let’s dive into what it really looks like to raise meat birds. In my opinion, meat birds are one of the easiest farm to table changes you can make on your homestead. 

There are many options when it comes to meat birds:

1. You can go with a dual purpose bird who produces eggs and then you cull for stewing hens. 

2. You can choose a breed that grows quickly and efficiently and is only used for meat. 

3. Or, you can go with a bird that could be dual purpose, but you choose to process them well before they lay eggs. 

When deciding which bird to raise, it’s all a matter of personal preference. On our homestead, we have dabbled in all three options and I’m going to break down my findings for you here to help you navigate a bit more easily!

1. Processing egg layers for meat:

This option is my least favorite out of the three… I prefer to keep my egg layers as egg layers because I feel like they live up to their purpose best that way. When we process our laying hens, we typically do so around two years old. This is because egg layers decrease in production and become more of a financial impact on the farm. Next month, we will dive into budgeting on the homestead and how that mindset helps us to stay purposeful with our resources. 

My reasoning for not liking this option as much has a lot to do with the fact that slow cooker chicken recipes aren’t my go to in the kitchen. I prefer juicy full breast meat and you’re just not going to get that on a laying hen. Laying hens (and roosters) have obviously gone through hormonal changes and they are very active, making the end result of their meat very tough. 

I have friends who enjoy slow cooker meals and prefer raising their chickens this way! Don’t be discouraged by my preferences if this is you!! Find what works and embrace it! 

If the world went to heck in a hand basket - we’d set our preferences aside and embrace the dual purpose bird 😉

2. Choosing a breed that grows quickly and efficiently and is only used for meat:

This is our preferred method of meat - specifically with the Cornish Cross breed.  These birds are bred very specifically to grow bigger, faster. You’re going to get the most bang for your buck and your time investment with this option. 

A Cornish Cross bird takes 8-9 weeks to reach full size and they end up being anywhere from 4-7 lbs per bird depending on how you feed them. 

It’s nice to store these birds in your freezer and know that your day was spent well and the most efficient way it could have been - because processing birds is work! 

Since they are butchered so young, they never reach maturity and their meat is very tender. They get the “FarmFreshFamily” stamp of approval. 

One down side is the fact that they literally only eat and poop. These birds aren’t winning any races or running for leisure - they grow quickly which makes them less active overall and since they tend to not know when to stop eating, if you aren’t rationing their feed, they will likely collapse due to heart failure. 

3. Go with a bird that could be dual purpose, but you choose to process them well before they lay eggs:

By choosing a dual purpose bird and utilizing them as meat birds (aka they don’t mature enough to lay eggs) - like the Freedom Ranger breed - you’re going to be looking at raising them for roughly 11-12 weeks. As far as a comparison to Cornish Cross 8 week old, you will get less meat but, many say that freedom rangers have a more flavorful meat. In my opinion, I didn’t notice much of a difference in flavor (hence why Cornish Cross is where we steer). Another noteworthy factor about dual purpose birds as meat birds is that they are more active. They run quickly and have less heart attacks due to growing too fast or overeating. 

If you don’t have enough land to raise your own - there are a few things you can consider doing here:

1.Develop a relationship with a local homesteader or farmer and support them by purchasing birds from them. 

2. Create a relationship with someone who has land and offer to pay for the birds, feed, and their time ahead of time for you to have a final process - butcher the birds with them and give them a few birds 😉

3. Lease land somewhere (close enough for you to go to daily to care for them and move them) and raise meat birds. You can also hire someone to maintain them for you depending on your situation. 

Getting creative and forming your own unique solution will be hard at first,  but SO worth it when you get that farm to table experience.