Raising Chickens at Home For Meat - 3 Popular Meat Chickens For Your Small Flock

Do you love the taste of freshly grilled chicken, dripping with juicy goodness??Come on in and learn how to raise your own chickens at home for meat!

Are you considering raising chickens at home for meat? Its' a great idea because nothing comes close to the taste of farm fresh, free-range chickens.

In order for your chickens to lay great tasting eggs, as well as provide you with mouth-watering meat, they should have access to dirt, grass and bugs. An outside run is a great idea and should be implemented when working up the plans for your chicken coop or pen. Having access to the ground will make the world of difference in your birds.

When our chickens have access to clover and dirt (grit) the egg yolks are a deep, rich, golden color. When fried, the eggs have a really wonderful taste. If you use them in cream pies, the darker egg yolks will give the pie filling a buttery yellow color that looks scrumptious. It will taste great, too!

If you can just about smell the aroma of freshly grilled chicken breasts, I think its' time you started raising chickens at home for meat. Here are 3 popular chickens for your small flock:
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Orpingtons:
Orpingtons come in a variety of colors and are big-framed birds that generally have a quiet disposition. They are easy to dress and are excellent winter layers due to their full plumage. Mature males average around 10 lbs. and adult females are around 8 lbs. They lay a nice brown egg regardless of cold weather. This is a great breed to raise overall.

Cornish:
This breed, when butchered young, makes a great fryer, roaster or capon. These birds have large breasts and thighs and are easy to dress. Some hatcheries recommend you butcher females as fryers and save the males as roasters. As I said before, butchering isn't my thing, but you can't do much better than a Cornish for meat.

Giants:
These chickens come in black and white. Slow to mature, these birds will surpass Rocks, Reds and other more common heavy breeds. Mature males weigh in at around 13 lbs. and adult females at 10 lbs. They lay brown eggs consistently through colder weather.

Keep in mind that a broiler-type meat chicken has different nutritional needs, such as a higher protein ration, to promote growth from hatching to market age. A ration specifically formulated for meat birds will ensure the chickens protein and energy requirements are being met.