Our little baby chicks will soon be 5 weeks old. The standard life span for this meat-bird breed, Cornish Cross, is 6-8 weeks. Apparently that is about how long they are able to live, period. Their breeding which makes for the meaty birds we buy in the grocery store, allows these birds to put on a ton of weight in the first 6-8 weeks, so much weight that their little legs have a hard time supporting their bodies past 8 weeks. It seems pretty gross when I think about it too much, but I come back to the feeling that if I buy meat from the grocery store, and I have the space and time to raise animals for meat, that I really should at least try raising meat for the family. That is not to say that I think the slaughtering day will be a breeze, or that there is no sadness in raising these little guys with the intention of eating them. All in all I feel a bit unsure about this whole process. But it is definitely providing our family with a greater awareness of the food we eat and the process in which it gets from the farm to our table. So for that, I am grateful.
FROM THIS......
...TO THIS IN 5 WEEKS
Our hens are housed right next to the little birds' brooder and outdoor area. It is funny to see the two different types of birds sharing a fence line. Their interactions seem limited but I wonder what they think of one another. 8 of the hens have been laying for a few months now so we are getting in the groove of fresh eggs. But last week, the rest of the hens (about 30) started laying too so now we are getting all the eggs our 2 families need plus eggs to sell (which will help cover the feed). I love the daily ritual of collecting eggs. I really love not needing to buy eggs from the grocery store. Our hens seem healthy and happy with plenty of outdoor space and bugs to eat and other hens to cluck with. It is really the summer of the chicken around here.
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