Confession...

[sleuth]

Confession...

I don't want to raise chickens or rabbits for meat for 3 reasons:
1. The kids want to name all the animals and it will be hard to explain why Lucy went missing. And Bobbie. And Gertrude. And Matilda. And...
2. I don't care much for butchering and I can't imagine it would be cost-effective to pay someone else to do it.
3. I don't like to eat meat on the bone and it's hard to raise a boneless chicken. If you're going to suggest butchering my own chicken and making it boneless, see #2.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

LOL - in many ways I don't blame you!

There are no rules that say you MUST raise your own meat. Lots of SS'ers don't have the ways/means/desire to do so!

If you really do like the idea of home raised meat and you simply don't want to butcher you might be able to find someone to do it for you in exchange for some of the meat.

When we butcher chickens there are times when I simply skin the bird and slice the breast meat off of the carcass, cut off the legs, thighs and wings, and toss the rest to the pigs. Then I have boneless breast meat and will use the bone-y pieces in soup which I will debone after cooking.

Certainly not trying to change your mind - just offering an idea.

 

[FarmerJamie]

Hi, don't know where you live in Ohio, but I know several processors in central and eastern who will do chicken for $2-4 per bird, depending on how much you want them to do for you.

My meat birds cost me $10-12 total each. Cost effective? Don't compare against store-bought factory chicken. There is a company nearby that is selling "farm-raised" chicken for about $40 per bird when you price it out by pound. Same cornish-x's, same processor, more or less the same feed (I asked them). $10 versus $40 seems cost-effective to me.

With regards to #1, every kid is different, even mine had mixed reactions, by the third batch, all was well.

you can do this.

 

[Hinotori]

If you really don't want to raise animals for meat then don't.

Just grow veggies and fruit and trade for meat if you want.

 

[mrscoyote]

I agree, do what you are good with and trade for the rest.

 

[FarmerChick]

do your ow thing
heck you might even become a vegetarian. see you can raise all ya want and not worry about butchering

raising livestock, butchering etc. is a royal pain in the XXX. but for some worth it. for others nope

 

[sleuth]

Hi, don't know where you live in Ohio, but I know several processors in central and eastern who will do chicken for $2-4 per bird, depending on how much you want them to do for you.

My meat birds cost me $10-12 total each. Cost effective? Don't compare against store-bought factory chicken. There is a company nearby that is selling "farm-raised" chicken for about $40 per bird when you price it out by pound. Same cornish-x's, same processor, more or less the same feed (I asked them). $10 versus $40 seems cost-effective to me.

With regards to #1, every kid is different, even mine had mixed reactions, by the third batch, all was well.

you can do this.

Probably more cost effective if you can find birds that are good for both meat and eggs, right?
When looking for a "processor" what would I look up in the directory? Butchers, Meat processors?

 

[sleuth]

If you really don't want to raise animals for meat then don't.

Just grow veggies and fruit and trade for meat if you want.

Ah, but I do... it's got to save some $$$, right? and you get healthier meat.
It's convincing the family that is the hard part, and figuring out the best way to avoid the bloodiest aspects of it.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Well, I hope you never have to then. But really, its not a bad skill to obtain for emergency situations....you never know.
But speaking on a practal level, I was once in a situation where I had more birds than I had time to process and I was employed full-time and wasn't quite as skillful as I eventually became with processing....and I happened to have an asian aquaintance that I struck a deal with. I told him if he would clean all my birds, I'd give him 1/3 of them and I'd get 2/3s. It was a good arrangement for us both. He was better at it than me and I suddenly had less expenses and lots of meat. Just a thought.
Regarding bones in meat.....I usually remove bones and boil them down to make broth, which I can and that only leaves me with lots of stew meat to put in bags in the freezer.

 

[Emerald]

If you really don't want to raise animals for meat then don't.

Just grow veggies and fruit and trade for meat if you want.

Ah, but I do... it's got to save some $$$, right? and you get healthier meat.
It's convincing the family that is the hard part, and figuring out the best way to avoid the bloodiest aspects of it.

It really doesn't with chickens(at least I dont' think so) I raise them for the eggs and we are paying about 60 a month on feed for those monsters. and I get about 8 to 10 dozen a week on a good week and about 6 to 8 on bad week. I dont' even try to calculate the cost per dozen anymore. I figure I spent that much or more when I had a dog and my dog didn't give me eggs. haha