We have ordered our broiler chickens from Welp Hatchery and they will be here in April. They take about 8 weeks to butcher normally, but ours may take a week or two longer. Broilers tend to have very rapid growth (getting very large, very fast). Because of this, they are prone to broken legs and heart attacks (among other problems, I'm sure). We have heard if you feed them a ration for laying hens, this prevents some of the problems, but takes a little longer. We'll also be pasturing them, so they will have access to outdoors (bugs, greens, sunshine). We are also looking into a type of bird called the Freedom Ranger, which is originally from France. They are a free ranging meat bird, take a little longer to get to butchering weight, but don't have the problems Cornish Rock broilers have. The only draw back may be that they do not get as big and the breast is smaller and thinner than what people are used to these days. Dolly Parton chicken farm maybe? We'll see how this first batch of broilers do, then go form there. We have a list we are starting for anyone interested in purchasing chicken from us. If you're interested, drop us an email.
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