Backyard Farm: Raising Chickens,Turkeys or Ducks for Meat

Once you have realized how much you save by growing your own food, you may start thinking about growing more than vegetables for dinner.

Let's talk meat.  We are in no way experts at raising meat birds, but it is actually pretty easy, especially if you have enough yard for foraging.  This is our second year raising our own meat birds.

We started raising chickens and turkeys for meat last year and it has been great to see a freezer full of roasting chickens that taste the I remember chicken used to taste..... like chicken and at a fraction of the cost of what we find in the markets.

Meat chickens are eating and drinking machines!  They spend every minute of the day eating everything in sight, and drinking lots of water.  The more forage they consume the more flavorful their meat becomes.  So, unless you enjoy the "taste" of store bought chicken, limit the amount of feed you provide and encourage them to find their own food.

The turkeys we raised for the holidays were amazing!  Lots of tender, juicy meat without that bland taste we had gotten used to over the years.  Those birds were full of wonderful turkey flavor.

This year we have added Peking Duck to the list of freezer meats.  These ducks grow to as much as
13 pounds each, and we have six of them.

The first rule of raising meat birds (or any meat animal) is DO NOT get overly attached to them.
 
Enjoy them, treat them well, and they will have led a good, albeit short, life, and it will be better for you when it is butchering time.

(We chose one female Peking and one male Swiss to keep as pets and for eggs)

Last year Nick became emotionally attached to the turkeys, aptly named Thanksgiving and
Christmas.  They had become pets and would follow him around.  When the holiday season rolled around and it was time to say good-bye it was so difficult for him it took days of trying, and not doing, the "deed".

This year, he has not permitted himself that degree of attachment to our turkey.  (We have only one turkey this year since it's mate died a day or two after hatching).

Find a good source for buying your stock.  Meat chickens are usually Cornish or Cornish Rocks, they are basically the same bird.  Day old chicks sell for around $1 each if bought at a farm.  Turkeys cost a bit more, around $4 each and ducks around $4.50.  Allowing the birds to forage will keep your expenses down and greatly improve their flavor.  We do provide feed for our birds, but only as a supplement.  In the end our final cost for per chicken has been about $3 and about $7.50 for each turkey (we had two). The chickens averaged a weight of 3-4 pounds while the turkeys dressed weights were over 25 pounds!

Housing for your meat flock is also minimal.  We have a grassy area that has been fenced and we built a chicken tractor from pvc and plastic mesh.  Covered half of it with heavy plastic for shelter, and used tie-wraps to keep it altogether.  Since we wait until the outside night-time temperatures have warmed up, we don't need any additional heat source for the chicks.

The chickens are ready for processing at 10-12 weeks for broilers, 3-4 pounds dressed.  Longer if you prefer a larger bird to roast, about 4-5 pounds dressed.

This year we let them grow larger, as long as they weren't experiencing any problems supporting their weight on the their young bones.  We filled the freezer with birds of an average weight of 5+ pounds. When I ran out of freezer space I boned two of the chickens and processed the meat in the pressure canner, and only froze the wings and drumsticks.  I made chicken stock using the remaining carcasses.

Butchering your fowl is not for the squeamish, which I am.  Luckily my husband isn't.  Admittedly it did take him a few false starts before he did the deed for the first time.  But by the time he'd processed 3 chickens,  he was a pro.

There are several methods used to dispatch a chicken, and plenty of How-To videos on You-Tube.
We try to be as humane as possible. 

One of the most important steps is to do the deed out of the sight of the remaining animals and any neighbors.   Next spend a few minutes with the victim.  Nick tucks it under his arm and walks around a bit, gently petting the bird and keeping it relaxed.  

Then he covers the birds eyes and quickly cuts off its head before it has a chance to realize anything is different happening.  Next he promptly suspends the bird from a prepared hanging spot where he lets it bleed out.

Oh sure, some of you are no doubt thinking this is a lot of wasted time and effort, after all, it's only a chicken.  You may be right.  But since we raise only a few birds at a time, no more than 20, we have the time to spare for their last moments.

Can't say it was as uncomplicated however, when it came time to process the turkeys.  He had become quite attached to them.  They were not afraid of him, and it did take a few days of saying good-bye before he could finally complete the job.

This year he vowed not to become as emotionally attached to the meat animals.

There are many "How To" videos on You-Tube which will walk you through the step by step process of dressing your meat birds from start to finish.  I strongly recommend you watch as many videos as you can find, then give the subject lots of thought before you commence.

Don't forget to consider the amount of available storage space you have.  If you have a small freezer and barely space for a quart of ice cream, what are you going to do with your fresh chicken meat?

We freeze most of the birds, but I always like to have several pounds of meat stored in jars.  A one pint jar holds approximately 1 pound of meat, which is perfect for using in a pot pie or pot of soup, or a pot of chicken and dumplings.

Backyard Farm: Photos of the "Farm"

Eye level view of the new fencing for the garden and the goats.

The lower portions of the picket fencing and the goats pen are "lined" with chicken wire in order to keep chickens and wild critters out of the garden; and to keep chickens from wandering out of the goat pen.

There is a chicken wire "tunnel" which connects the chicken run with the goat pen and allows chickens to have full access to the goat pen as well as their own large run.

This view during fence installation shows more clearly the chicken run at the back of the garden.
The run is about 25' long x 8' deep and is beneath the trees and along the fenced property line.

The property behind is an early elementary school, grades K-5.  The children often bring their parents to visit the animals after school.
The teachers have also taken their young students to visit our turkeys at Thanksgiving.

I apologize for the dark areas at the tops of these photos, it's the camera strap peeking over the lens.

Another view during the installation; the yellow chicken house has two runs and the coop is divided inside by a chicken wire wall and door.
This is to keep young birds separate from the mature hens and their pecking order.

Cattle panels have been used for the goat pen; left-over panels are being used as support for the tomatoes. 

An old frame made from piping and wire, to form a mesh, is providing support for the cucumbers.

A view from "the street" looking in to the yard along the fence-line.

The goat pen was constructed from pressure treated 4x4's and 2x6's and 50" inch x 16 foot galvanized cattle panels.  The entire goat yard
measures about 30' x 20' with an ell about 8' x 12'.

We left the height of the 4x4's uncut in case we need to add additional height to the fence as the goats get bigger.

These goats are 4 months of age in this photo and are about half their adult size.

Inside the goat pen there is ample space for running and playing.  A teeter-totter, cable spool and child's slide keep them busy when they aren't playing tag with the chickens.
                       

 This overhead view was photographed through window screening and with electrical wiring in the way.  Please excuse the poor photo quality.

To the far left of the photo, along the neighbors fence, is our compost area consisting of 3 large bins made from rescued decking. 
At the upper left corner is the smaller of the two chicken runs.  We use this run for turkeys, ducks, and meat chicks before they are big enough for the chicken tractor and the larger fenced in pen.

 The larger chicken run, to the right of the coop, is situated along the neighbors chain-link fence and the back side of the garden.  It also meets with the back left corner of the goat pen where we added a chicken wire tunnel so the hens can easily roam from their run to the bigger goat pen.

Lots of worms, bugs and greens available for their foraging.


The goat yard measures approximately 30' left to right and 20' front to back.  There is also an additional section which adds another 8' x 12' to the back, left corner of their yard.  This is also the corner where the chickens can come and go.

At the front of the goat fence, about in the center, we have a hay bin made from left-over cattle panel.  The panel was measured and cut in a sort of + shape, and all four sides folded upward, and joined at the corner seams with zip-ties.  Longer  bits of the some of the wire were folded over to form hooks for hanging onto the fencing.

This is my favorite area!  It is where we grow my Kentucky Wonder green beans.  The frame is 8' wide x 16' long x 10' high (might be a bit higher)

There are 7 "joists" plus the two ends.  Twine used for baling hay is tied to the joists about 5" apart.  At the ground are 2"x2"x8" strips to which I tie the bottom end of the twice, about 5" apart.  By tying the lines so the wood strips float just above the ground the lines remain taut.
I plow a trench for each row and fill it with compost, burying the wood strips with the compost.  (The dark lines in the earth are these rows) 
At the bottom half of each end we added 2"x3" fencing (left-over) for additional vine support, such as for vining flowers like Morning Glory. 
Added bonus here, when nothing is being grown except flowers, it is a nice area for comfortable outdoor chairs; or, as we plan to try later this year, covered and wrapped with heavy plastic wrap, it can be used a a warm house to extend the growing season, or start seeds in the early spring.  It has full sun, all day, all year.
To the far left is the fenced area for meat birds.

This arch is the chicken tractor we use for the meat birds that are old enough to remain outdoors.  During the day, both ends remain open.  At night both ends go up, with the birds inside, for their protection.

Currently we have ducks living here.  Six Peking for meat, and 4 ducks of two other breeds for pets.  The area is enclosed with 2'x3' fencing, 48" tall. 

After the ducks have been processed, it will be time to move the meat chickens to the area; then turkeys.

Through the arbor at the rear of this area, is the front yard.  Next year, we plan to add an orchard and more garden there.  The orchard will have apples, peaches and pears all planted using the espalier method in order to get the most use from the limited space.

As you can see from these photos, we do not live out in the middle of nowhere.   Nor do we have a very large parcel of land.  What we do have is a carefully laid out site plan where we can get grow or raise most of our food.  We also earn a bit of money from the sale of our eggs which helps to pay for the feed and wood chips they will need in the winter.

Our goats will be ready for breeding around Thanksgiving.  I am searching for a suitable sire for their kids, which should be born in April.  At that time there will be plenty of fresh goats milk for drinking, for cheeses and for soap.  Much of which will be sold, including the kids.

From this garden I can, dehydrate, ferment, etc. enough food to last us until the next harvest.  

There is still much to accomplish such as collecting and storing water, converting our oil heat source to a sustainable wood heat system, building a green house and a root cellar.  In time we would also like to drill a well and be free of the water company.

We have looked into solar power for electricity but at this time the investment isn't doesn't make "cents" for the small amount of electric power we consume.

I hope this visual of the layout of our little homestead is helpful to you when you are planning your backyard farm.  Remember, this started with only 6 bags of potting soil!

Backyard Farm: Farm Animals - Chickens

At some point you may begin thinking about adding livestock to your little farm.  Raising animals is not for everyone, but, those who do take the step of adding animals to their life, are usually surprised at how the animals are so different from what they had expected.  They have personalities!  Even chickens have individual characteristics and endearing qualities.

"What?!" you say...  Yes indeed, each chicken is one of a kind.  I admit it, I always thought chickens were dumb as dirt, but they proved me wrong.  Chickens give more than just eggs and meat, they provide entertainment and also help reduce stress.

We bought our chickens as day old chicks (maybe they were more likely a week old).  Even at that
tender age there were two who stood out from the rest.  One was the most timid, the other was the "boss" and the other 11 birds gave way to her.  At least for a while.

Penny is the "Boss of the hen house"

As the weeks passed, and the little girls grew larger and stronger, they each became a bit more assertive and eventually the "boss" was ousted and another took over the lead.

Now, three years later, the pecking order has changed several times.  Most of them have names and we can tell by their individual sound which is "talking".


Chickens don't require much, a safe place to sleep at night and lay their eggs, food and water.  They

are natural foragers and spend much of their day outdoors eating grass and bugs.  The more they forage the better their eggs will taste, plus it will keep the feed expense low.

During the months between snow seasons, our hens find most of their meals in the yard.  This is supplemented with table-scraps.  Cracked corn is given as a treat, and feed pellets supplement during the months when they cannot forage.

Because of our location they have a fenced in "run" where they can run around, dig in the dirt, etc. when we are away.  Our chickens have been given lots of personal space both in the hen house and in
the run.

The hen house is 8' x 10' and we have found that 6 laying boxes is sufficient.  They also have two roosts made of 1"x5" boards.  There are three large windows for light and air circulation.

They require at least 10 hours of sunlight in order to lay eggs regularly.  And the ample air circulation keeps the flies away and the house less smelly.

For comfort and cleanliness we spread a thick layer of fine wood chips on the floor and in the laying boxes.  Chickens poop a lot, which is good for the garden but not for a living space.  By having a thick layer of wood chips it is easy to scoop up the droppings from beneath the roosts with a wide shovel, such as a snow shovel, and allows us to reduce major cleanings to once or twice a month.

Major cleaning involves removing all the used chips and droppings, then replacing it all with fresh chips.  At least once yearly the hen house needs to be emptied and hosed down.  Adding a mild disinfectant, such as vinegar, will help in keeping your chickens happy and healthy.

Don't throw the chips away, toss them and the poo onto the compost pile.

How many chickens should you get?  That depends on how much space you have and how many birds are permitted by local zoning laws.  In some cities although you can keep a chicken as a pet, you cannot have more than one or two.  Other towns have no zoning laws whatsoever regarding keeping chickens.  To find zoning laws for your area you can go to your city/town's official web-site and do a search for  "Zoning Regulations".   Or do a web-search for: ("Your City/St"zoning regulations)

Even if the zoning allows chickens, don't get a rooster without first talking with your neighbors.
Some people do not appreciate the crowing of a rooster at all hours of the night.

How large is your family?  How many eggs do they normally consume  daily?  Chickens may or may not produce an egg every day.  We have 14 hens and normally get 10-12 eggs daily.  During the winter months when daylight hours are fewer, and our hens molt, we get 3-4 eggs daily.

If you normally purchase a dozen eggs per week, then I would suggest 2-3 hens.

Another hurtle to getting your chicks is where you get them.  Most farm stores that sell chicks have a minimum, 6 or 12.   If there are farms in your area you may be able to buy just the few chicks you need. 

Backyard Farm: Start Small, then Expand

To give a better perspective of what can be accomplished in a small space I have collected a series of images showing the evolution of our backyard into a "farm".  It is my desire that these photos will help you with your decision whether or not to convert your limited space and maybe provide a few ideas of what can be accomplished in a small area.

In the beginning.....

In the beginning our backyard was a weekly chore of mowing grass and/or raking leaves and walnuts (there were 5 walnut trees, three maple and a massive pine).  There was a small 12' x 12' patio area and nothing else.

My first garden.  Six bags of potting mix.

year 1- 2011 and 2012

 In "Year 1" of our garden we started small, very small.  The garden consisted of 5 or 6 large bags of potting soil.  Into each bag I planted two tomato plants, two summer squash plants,
 
 cucumbers, and cantaloups.  It wasn't a big garden, but there was plenty of tomatoes, cukes, summer squash and zucchini to share.



Year 2 - 2013:  The gardening bug bit me and I knew I needed more space to grow so we dug up a bit of dirt.

and also added a three of raised beds.  We also decided we needed chickens, both for their eggs and for their "fertilizer".

 

We were able to get some free pallets, and built a hen house.  It's lucky the pallets were free, because the siding, nails and roofing were not.  Neither was the pressure treated 4"x4"x10" timbers upon which we set the house.

We also needed to buy fencing and posts to build a run with ample space for a dozen chickens (we had intended to buy only six chicks, but the farm store could only sell them in groups of 12).

After adding an old window we had and a coat of paint, and a few laying boxes, the hen house was ready.

Several 10' x 3/4" pvc pipes form the frames for supporting the plastic sheets which help to extend the growing season.

The garden had expanded to three raised beds and a dug out area about 16' x 16'. 

Year 3 - 2014:  Lots going on in our third year!

year 3

Matt is 6' tall/ the beans at this time were only half grown to their full height.

The garden continued to expand with the addition of two more raised beds, a 12' x 12' corn patch,  an 8' x 16' bean patch (for my Kentucky Wonder snap beans), and a dug out garden which has expanded to 20' x 30' (more or less).

20' x 30' garden, with raised beds behind, and corn patch behind the raised beds (behind the hoops)

In our third year we planted 32 tomaoto plants which produced 150 lbs of fruit.  The bean patch produced 36 jars of snap beans and 5+ pounds of dried beans for use as seed.  400 corn stalks produced an average of 2 ears per stalk; approximately 10 lbs each of yellow summer squash and zucchini; a half bushel of green bell peppers (for some reason the 5 plants didn't begin to produce until late August); also pumpkin, butternut and acorn squash.

In addition I tried planting onions and potatoes for the first time.  The onions didn't do very well, growing from onion sets only to ping pong ball size (I dried and saved them and replanted this year); the potatoes were just a couple of kitchen spuds which were beginning to sprout so instead of throwing them into the compost bin, I planted them.  They produced enough mid-ling sized spuds to add to a stew.

This was also the year we decided to try raising meat birds, chickens and turkeys.  We were able to raise and process 24 chickens and 2 turkeys (named Thanksgiving and Christmas).

Year 4 - 2015

This year we have made some big changes.   Goats, ducks and roosters.

 

This is in April, a view of the garden (r. front) chicken run (left)  new goat pen (new fence at center r to l)

view of the goat pen and garden from the hen house.

view of garden from hen house looking toward the house.

This is the view of the garden from the hen house looking toward the back of the house.
The garden is being fenced in order to keep critters out.

There is a chicken tractor (center right- hoops)
where we keep the Pekin ducklings. (meat)

The area in the lower right corner is the corn patch from last year.  This year:  winter squash.

We added two little goats to our farm.  These little sisters were born in January and will be ready to breed in November, increasing our livestock which we will sell, and they will produce milk for drinking, cheese, soap....

tomato rows, bell peppers, cucumbers

Last year I staked the tomato plants to 2" x 2" x 8' poles.  It worked fine, but meant I had to keep tying the growing plants to the stakes all season.

This year, since I have some cattle panels left over from the goat pen, I decided to try training the tomato plants to weave themselves in and out of the fencing, after all, tomato plants are vines to some degree.

I have also added crushed egg shells to each tomato plant hole.  The calcium is supposed produce sweeter fruit.

garden, chicken house and run

 On the right side of the photo is a green frame, made of pipe (salvaged) which has had wire woven up, down and across.  This is support for the cucumbers.
 Overview of the garden, chicken house and run, and goat pen.  (view if from a second floor window through window screen)

The bean patch is located out of view to the far lower left of the garden.

goat pen

Look carefully at the way the yard is set-up.
Every area fits neatly next to the next, and every inch is being used in the most efficient manner possible.

The total area is less than 1/4 acre.  Next year the plan is to expand into the front yard by adding an espaliered orchard with dwarf apple, peach and pear trees.

Our hope for the garden this year is to harvest another 150 pounds of tomatoes; at least a bushel of bell peppers; lettuce and herbs for the table; a bushel each of yellow summer squash and zucchini;
as many brussels sprouts as six plants can produce (first time growing these); at least 30 pounds of winter squash; green peas; rhubarb, strawberries, blueberries, 6 cabbages, onions and more......

There will also be an average one dozen eggs per day which we sell at $3 dz., 24 meat chickens, 2 turkeys for meat and two to sell; 10 pekin ducks for meat.

I do not use insect repellent in my garden.  As much as possible I manually remove bad bugs as I find them and feed them to the chickens who love them.

Also, only natural fertilizer is used such as compost I from my compost bins, or when necessary, I will buy organic compost when I don't have enough of my own.  I also feed the garden a regular feeding of chicken poo tea.  This is by far, the best fertilizer I have every used.

Backyard Farm: Compost, egg shells, and epsom salt

In order to have strong and health plants that produce lots of great tasting vegetables the plants should have a healthy diet.  Plants that have a well-balanced diet will pass on this on to you when you eat their vegetables.  On the other hand, plants grown in poor, under-fertilized soil will struggle to produce even a meager crop.   (We do not use commercially produced fertilizer in our garden.)

Compost is a primary source for a healthy garden fertilizer.  It is easy to create, but it does take time for the organic material to break down.  Start training your family to save kitchen scraps for the compost bin.  When you mow the lawn, provided it has not been chemically treated, add the clippings to the compost pile, along with twigs and small branches that have been chopped into small bits.

Following each addition of organic material, add a layer of garden soil, and give it a drink of water.
You will notice the pile begin to shrink down after a while as the organic matter breaks down.


My favorite fertilizer is chicken poo tea.  I feed this drink to my garden two or three times per week once the plants are established.  It's amazing, you can almost see the plants grow and produce lots of vegetables.

To make the Chicken Poo Tea:  When we clean out the hen house we begin by separating the poo from the wood chips.  Fill a barrel, or good sized tote, or other suitable container, about half-way with the chicken poo.  Next, fill the container with water and let it brew for a few days.

Depending on the strength of the tea it may need to be diluted before pouring it onto the garden soil.
If the container has a strong odor like that of a sewer or cesspool, it needs to be diluted.  You can add the brew to the garden with a watering can, a bucket or other system you may think of.

To make your tomatoes sweet they require calcium.  A good way to ensure they have get enough break up into a powder, the shells of several eggs and sprinkle it into the hole before adding the tomato plant.

Epsom salt is good for helping you to relax by adding it to the bath, but it is also useful in the garden to keep the plants healthy and help them resist disease.  Simply sprinkle a small amount throughout the garden. 

Chicken and Garden Update

 KentuckyWonder Green Beans 7 rows stands over 8' high 8' wide

I can't believe it's been more than a month since my last post.  It has been so busy here the time has
just flown by!

One of our Black Sex Link hens had been abusing the other hens over the past several months, but until Nick caught her in the act of plucking the feathers off one of the Easter Eggers he decided that for the good of the other hens, her time was up.

He is very attached to our hens and having to "take her out" was painful for him.  It took several false starts over the course of a week, but he finally manned up and  made use of the axe he had purchased for the occasion.  She had the last laugh on us however.  Her meat was so tough we could barely cut into it, let alone dine on it.

Since she has left the flock, the girls feathers are finally beginning to regrow.  Not all, but most of the feathers are coming back. 

Nearly fully recovered from her stroke.

Two weeks later, one of the other Black Sex Link hens suffered a stroke.  The poor thing was so pitiful that first day.  She could barely walk and the other hens all attacked her.  Fortunately Nick happened to be nearby and saw the commotion in time to rescue her.  He removed her from the hen house and the run and set her in a safe place in the grass to spend what he thought would be her final hours.  Well, by the end of the day she was still with us and had managed to work her way to the door of the hen house.  So I put inside one of the laying boxes for the night.  The other girls didn't bother her until the next day.  So once again, out she came into the grass.  She spent a few days like this, laying in the grass, being hand fed, and slowly recovering.  During this time we discovered she was blind in one eye which made it hard for her to zero in one her food and drink.


Now, nearly three weeks later, she has figured out how to see with just one eye, how to find and eat her food and drink, she no longer limps, and although we cannot put her back in the run with the other hens (they won't let her return) they manage to have face-offs with her through the fence and she stands up to the bully. 

Little turkeys adopted a hen mama.

Since the other hens won't let her come back, we moved her into the run where we have two little
turkeys.  The little turkeys, Thanksgiving and Christmas, have adopted her as their mother and it is so cute to see them cuddling up with her.  At night-time she puts herself between them and open space.
They do not have a coop, but a 3 sided lean-to with roosts to keep them off the ground.

We have also gotten some meat birds.  Nine little Cornish chicks which are growing rapidly.  We expect them to meet their destiny by the end of August.  They have about half their feathers, so in another week we will be putting them out in their chicken tractor so they can forage for their food.

3 yrs ago the garden consisted of 6 bags of potting soil

Now that the garden is well established, we let the older hens out to roam and forage where-ever they like.  Since I began twice-weekly feeding of chicken poo tea, the garden has been thriving!  Even the corn which wasn't doing anything has shot up after each feeding.

Tomatoes thriving on the poo tea

The tomatoes are doing much better than I had anticipated when I first planted them.  I planted 40 plants of 4 varieties.  Half of them didn't survive and I had to start over with several purchased plants.
Now I have 30 strong plants and 5 or 6 varieties.  The chicken poo tea I have been feeding them has done wonders.  All the plants are full of tomatoes with more appearing each day.  This is one of the smaller plants and it has 20 tomatoes so far.

Oh, and the White Rock chicks we got back in April which were from a run, turned out to be all females.  We had hoped for at least one rooster in the bunch.

That's all the news from the hen house for now.  Hope your girls are all doing well and your gardens are thriving!

We have a sick chicken, Can anyone tell me what's wrong?

One of our hens appears to be sick and we don't know what to do.  Can one of you with more chicken experience please help?

She is the leader of the hen-house, the loudest, the hungriest and fattest, and the most bossy but over the past several days she has been changing.  She has become quiet and docile, doesn't eat and is losing weight, she has been pulling out her feathers and now has an irritated patch on her skin. 

Is she sick?  How can we heal her?  If not sick, what else can it be and what do we do to treat it?

We would appreciate any suggestions you may offer.  Thank you.