We believe all chicks should live to fulfill a purpose in life, and encourage consumers to explore raising their own male chicks for several months to provide food for the family table. By doing so, the reach of sustainable, humane agriculture is extended.
Straight Run vs. Sexed Poultry
Most breeds of chickens are unable to be easily sexed while young. Large commercial hatcheries employ specially trained “vent sexers” who are able to examine day old chicks and determine their gender with about 80% accuracy. However, vent sexing can injure chicks and there are casualties even with the most experienced vent sexers. In most commercial hatcheries producing chicks for the home market, once the male chicks have been identified they are killed as demand for them is low among backyard flock owners.
True Dual Purpose
The straight run chicks you purchase from us can feed your family in two very important ways. Female chicks (pullets) will begin to lay eggs at around six months of age. Being heritage breeds, they will continue to provide eggs for years, with breaks for molting and decreased daylight hours. The number of eggs they produce will begin to ease as they begin to age. Male chicks (cockerels) will grow to a good size and be ready for the table between 14-20 weeks of age, depending on breed. This is the original process employed by our grandparents’ generation for raising chickens for the family table. Additionally, as hens begin to age and lay less frequently the choice may be made to use them as “stew hens”. Long slow cooking produces excellent broth and tender stew meat.
Raising Cockerels
All chicks may be raised together, whether male or female. However, we do prefer to separate the males and females as soon as we can distinguish the sexes. This allows the female chicks to have better access to food, as the males can tend to dominate the feeder area. From hatch until around 10 weeks of age, chicks should eat Starter. This is a finely ground, high protein food mix that meets their rapid growth needs. Excellent brands of organic chick starter are available from local/regional companies such as Scratch and Peck out of Bellingham and In Seasons Farms from British Columbia. They can be purchased at local outlets such as the Food Co-op, Cenex and the Co-Op Farm and Garden in Sequim. Talk with us if you need advice on where to purchase a quality food for your birds. Once they are in their third month, chicks can move to a Grower ration. With all birds, we highly recommend offering granite grit free choice at all times, no matter what you are feeding them and whether you free range your birds or not. Granite grit can reduce feed consumption by 10%, while increasing weight gain.
This mix of nutrients helps them develop the bone, organ and muscle needed for a healthy frame. This frame will then begin to fill out, and the breast and and thighs/legs will develop. We will have given you an estimate of the age when your young cockerels should be ready for processing. They may or may not begin to practice crowing by the time they reach processing age, though many of the heavier dual purpose breeds do not begin crowing until a more mature age.
Local Processing
Some of our customers have the experience to do their own processing. But most prefer to have it done by a professional processor. Our area is lucky to have a local, WSDA approved, humane processor that has agreed to offer their services to customers of Peninsula Poultry Breeders for a minimal fee. Contact us for their information. If you live outside our immediate area, but are in the Puget Sound region, we may be able to refer you to someone closer to you who would be able to commercially process your birds.
Processing Day
The night before your birds are scheduled for processing, remove all food as soon as it is dark. This is also a good time to move the birds into a comfortable container for transport. Plastic dog crates are perfect, as they provide a secure and quiet atmosphere to help keep the birds calm but allow them to stay together. Covering the crate with a light towel helps keep them settled. You will have received instructions on your early morning drop-off location and your preparations the night before will make it easier for both you and your birds. Later that day you will receive a phone call that your birds are ready for pickup. They will be clean, wrapped and cooled when you receive them and can go directly into the freezer. The only difference from a grocery-purchased whole chicken is that freshly processed birds should be allowed to rest in the refrigerator for a few days before cooking.
Knowing that your family’s meat was raised in a manner that you can be proud of and that supports a humane, sustainable way of living is worth trying. We appreciate your willingness to do so! Thank you for purchasing your chicks from local farmers who breed to a humane, sustainable standard of poultry production. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions.
Storing Processed Birds
Once processed, your birds should be kept chilled until they are ready for storage in the freezer. Prior to cooking, they must be aged. This is just letting them sit in the refrigerator for several days, in a plastic wrapper or covered container to prevent them from drying out. This can be done either before they enter the freezer, or if you freeze them right after processing, they may be aged as they defrost in the fridge. Aging allows the meat to relax and soften, helping to tenderize it prior to cooking. When people complain about heritage birds being tough, it is normally because the bird was not aged correctly or was cooked incorrectly.
Cooking Your Birds
For tips and recipes for preparing your home-raised chicken, look here.
Straight Run vs. Sexed Poultry
Most breeds of chickens are unable to be easily sexed while young. Large commercial hatcheries employ specially trained “vent sexers” who are able to examine day old chicks and determine their gender with about 80% accuracy. However, vent sexing can injure chicks and there are casualties even with the most experienced vent sexers. In most commercial hatcheries producing chicks for the home market, once the male chicks have been identified they are killed as demand for them is low among backyard flock owners.
True Dual Purpose
The straight run chicks you purchase from us can feed your family in two very important ways. Female chicks (pullets) will begin to lay eggs at around six months of age. Being heritage breeds, they will continue to provide eggs for years, with breaks for molting and decreased daylight hours. The number of eggs they produce will begin to ease as they begin to age. Male chicks (cockerels) will grow to a good size and be ready for the table between 14-20 weeks of age, depending on breed. This is the original process employed by our grandparents’ generation for raising chickens for the family table. Additionally, as hens begin to age and lay less frequently the choice may be made to use them as “stew hens”. Long slow cooking produces excellent broth and tender stew meat.
Raising Cockerels
All chicks may be raised together, whether male or female. However, we do prefer to separate the males and females as soon as we can distinguish the sexes. This allows the female chicks to have better access to food, as the males can tend to dominate the feeder area. From hatch until around 10 weeks of age, chicks should eat Starter. This is a finely ground, high protein food mix that meets their rapid growth needs. Excellent brands of organic chick starter are available from local/regional companies such as Scratch and Peck out of Bellingham and In Seasons Farms from British Columbia. They can be purchased at local outlets such as the Food Co-op, Cenex and the Co-Op Farm and Garden in Sequim. Talk with us if you need advice on where to purchase a quality food for your birds. Once they are in their third month, chicks can move to a Grower ration. With all birds, we highly recommend offering granite grit free choice at all times, no matter what you are feeding them and whether you free range your birds or not. Granite grit can reduce feed consumption by 10%, while increasing weight gain.
This mix of nutrients helps them develop the bone, organ and muscle needed for a healthy frame. This frame will then begin to fill out, and the breast and and thighs/legs will develop. We will have given you an estimate of the age when your young cockerels should be ready for processing. They may or may not begin to practice crowing by the time they reach processing age, though many of the heavier dual purpose breeds do not begin crowing until a more mature age.
Local Processing
Some of our customers have the experience to do their own processing. But most prefer to have it done by a professional processor. Our area is lucky to have a local, WSDA approved, humane processor that has agreed to offer their services to customers of Peninsula Poultry Breeders for a minimal fee. Contact us for their information. If you live outside our immediate area, but are in the Puget Sound region, we may be able to refer you to someone closer to you who would be able to commercially process your birds.
Processing Day
The night before your birds are scheduled for processing, remove all food as soon as it is dark. This is also a good time to move the birds into a comfortable container for transport. Plastic dog crates are perfect, as they provide a secure and quiet atmosphere to help keep the birds calm but allow them to stay together. Covering the crate with a light towel helps keep them settled. You will have received instructions on your early morning drop-off location and your preparations the night before will make it easier for both you and your birds. Later that day you will receive a phone call that your birds are ready for pickup. They will be clean, wrapped and cooled when you receive them and can go directly into the freezer. The only difference from a grocery-purchased whole chicken is that freshly processed birds should be allowed to rest in the refrigerator for a few days before cooking.
Knowing that your family’s meat was raised in a manner that you can be proud of and that supports a humane, sustainable way of living is worth trying. We appreciate your willingness to do so! Thank you for purchasing your chicks from local farmers who breed to a humane, sustainable standard of poultry production. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions.
Storing Processed Birds
Once processed, your birds should be kept chilled until they are ready for storage in the freezer. Prior to cooking, they must be aged. This is just letting them sit in the refrigerator for several days, in a plastic wrapper or covered container to prevent them from drying out. This can be done either before they enter the freezer, or if you freeze them right after processing, they may be aged as they defrost in the fridge. Aging allows the meat to relax and soften, helping to tenderize it prior to cooking. When people complain about heritage birds being tough, it is normally because the bird was not aged correctly or was cooked incorrectly.
Cooking Your Birds
For tips and recipes for preparing your home-raised chicken, look here.