Raising Broiler CHICKENS for Meat
Raising broiler chickens can put meat on your table quicker, and with less effort, than raising any other livestock. In just a handful of weeks, your chicks will reach target weight, and your larder can be stocked with meat that’s tastier and healthier than anything you could buy at the grocery store. Plus, raising meat chickens lets you opt out of the profoundly inhumane industrial food-production system. The choices between hybrid or heritage breeds, confinement or free-range, and conventional or organic feed are entirely up to you.
Best Broiler Breeds
Growing broilers – young chickens with pliable skin and tender meat – involves making several choices. Your first decision is whether to raise hybrid or heritage poultry breeds. The fundamental differences are the amount of time they need to grow and the flavor of the meat. The quicker your birds reach the target weight of about 6 pounds, the cheaper they are to raise overall, and the more delicate the meat. The longer they take, the more they’ll cost you – as is the case with heritage breeds – but the meat will be healthier and more flavorful.
• WHITE HYBRIDS
The most efficient hybrid meat chickens are an industrial creation developed by combining White Cornish and White Plymouth Rock genetics. The resulting hybrids – the type most commonly sold at the supermarket – grow and feather rapidly. Chicks of the same age and
