Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Raising Meat Chickens ~ "Send Off" Party

As of today, we've lost 5 meat chickens.  We've raised white rocks before, and had a lower mortality rate than these Jumbo Cornish Rocks.

I can't tell if they are breaking their legs or having heart attacks, but from my research, it's common.  Next year, I will have to order more, and expect to lose a few.  Just sharing that tip for those considering raising chickens for meat.

We do feed them a good quality chicken feed, with 22% protein.  

We are getting goat's milk now, but my youngest said she thought it had a "funky" taste this year.  I wonder if it's because we had switched their grain?  I may switch it back to see, but I plan to make cheese next week too either way.

Today, the temperature is expected to rise to around 83°F here.  After watering all the animals, onions, strawberries, peas and potatoes, I had already worked up a sweat out there.  

After last year (a late frost), I am not in a huge hurry to plant flowers.  I've only purchased a few pots, but can't wait to get my hanging pots purchased for my front porch.  Porch time is very much enjoyed here.

We are having our oldest's daughter's "send off" party today.  I've already mixed up homemade macaroni salad with my home canned relish, and have another jar ready for our grilled goodies.  And of course home canned pickles. 

It's hard to believe that I will soon be wearing shirts that says "Who needs a superhero when your son is a Marine" and "Proud Mother of a National Guardsman."

6 comments:

Carolyn said...

We've only lost one Cornish Cross to what could have been considered a heart attack, but it was in the middle of summer (not a good idea to raise those birds, so we now do it in spring or fall) and they had just been moved from one pen to the other & it was over 100 degrees. It keeled over. Any other losses have been because of my mismanagement (i.e. left a bucket full of water in the pen & one drowned or accidentally stepped on one, etc.). While I wouldn't mind trying other breeds, overall we've been very happy with the Cornish X's.

Good luck to your daughter! The party sounds delicious :)

Kelly said...

I raised freedom rangers. They didn't get too big.
My cousin had a couple of those big fat white meat birds as pets. It was horribly disgusting. They eventually died from heart attacks :/

Willow said...

Porch time is fun ~ I love a good porch with hanging baskets !

Liz said...

I am not doing any flowers till the end of May. Our temps are in the 80's today too! Feels good! Good luck to your daughter!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

We first lost 2 cornish rocks from them trampling each other, so we split them up into more totes in the house (at the beginning). We had ample heat on them too at the time. Then they started to just die off in the larger coop after we moved them. They have a lot more room, more feeders and more water, but the temps today are pretty warm here too. I had to water twice today before 2pm.

RB said...

We don't have a porch, but we do have a spot on the back of the property that is one of the highest points in the county before the land starts dipping towards the ocean, and we sit up there some nights to catch the breeze and watch the sunsets. They're gorgeous here because as the sun sets behind the trees, it looks like the woods are on fire - so pretty.

All my spring flowers are peeking up now. The roses in the front yard along with walkway and around the tiger lily bed are full of roses. They're gorgeous. The clematis is growing like a weed up the trellis, and has more purple flowers than it's ever had before.

Spring came late here in the NC sandhills, but it's been worth it.

And hey, when I'm watering the flowers in the evening, if I get sweaty, well...I water myself a bit too. LOL

Congrats on your son and daughter. The seasons of children pass so quickly, too quickly.

God bless.

RB
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