This year’s chickens

Two-week-old White Rock X meat chickens

The White Rocks have arrived. Yes, 40 more White Rock Cornish X males, here for the fattening and then away for the slaughter. We got two-week-olds for the same reason as last year: save time and care with so many things going on! Their new chickenhouse isn’t quite ready, so I set up temporary quarters in the barn, 2×10’s surrounding a 4×8 sheet of plywood. A brand new feeder and waterer, some fresh wood shavings, and they’re let loose to do what they do best: EAT! (But there are PLANS to get them properly outside this time, eating bugs and romping in the dirt…)

15 thoughts on “This year’s chickens”

  1. My wife & I are considering broilers for next season.  Tell me, do you have to aquire province quota license for CSA?  Are there any exemptions for smaller producers or are you obliged to apply to CFO like larger producers?  I know this is the dull paperwork side of farming but it would be great to hear some of your experiences… this is the stuff so many of us forget as consumers!

    Keep up the great posts!  Thanks, Jim.

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  2. You’ll need to check the ordinances for your locality. Many places put restrictions on how many you can have before you have to get a permit/license.  And, if you do talk to ANYBODY in a government position, write down the date, time, name and take a few notes. This is imperative should a neighbor complain!

    There’s a good discussion in the forums over at the Urban Chicken website if you’d like to hear more. Mostly they’re horror stories, but there’s a lot to be learned from the others’ experiences!

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  3. I am in the process of expanding our chicken herd.  That involves modifying a building to house them.  Were only talking about 50 birds.  Your chicken house looks really interesting – and reminded me to move this project up the 2do list a bit.

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  4. Jim,

    If you are talking about the Canadian quota, I know there is an exemption for up to 300 layers (at least, that’s the exemption around here in Québec).  I do not know about broilers, though.  But anyway, as I understand it, Mike is raising them for his own consumption which mean he is not bound by any form of quota.

    EtienneG

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    • Great cihoce on the Buff Orpingtons! You can’t go wrong with them. They are personable, sweet and smart birds, and very cold hardy. Mine tend to go broody occasionally, and they do make great mothers.

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  5. Jim: I assume you’re in Ontario, Canada, since you mention “province” and CFO (Chicken Farmers of Ontario)… :) It’s kinda convoluted, but still quite straightforward for Ontario:

    You can register (free) and raise 300 broilers per year for unadvertised, farm gate sales, and have up to 100 additional egg layers (no registration).

    For personal use, you don’t have to do anything (and I’m not sure if there’s a limit as to how many).

    Etienne is right, we’re just raising the meat birds for our own use.

    Here are links:

    Quota exemption for Ontario’s small chicken farmers

    Chicken Farmers of Ontario:  Small Flock

    Hope that helps!

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  6. Thanks all.  Yes, Etienne/Mike, that’s exactly what I was asking and yes this would be for Ontario.  Really appreciate the responses/links!

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  7. Hi, we are a small, organic farm on the other side of the world in Australia.  I found your blog just now when I Googled ‘garlic, frost’. I haven’t had a chance to read much of it yet but your photos are superb. We’ll be back to check it out again soon. Have a look at ours.
    Happy growing,
    Kate and Brendon

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  8. Mike, while on the topic, have you considered adding eggs to your CSA share?  That sounds like a good idea to me, and it is part of the plan for my own tiny farm project.  Just wondering if you gave a thought to the idea yourself, and what the conclusion was.

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  9. Those chicks are so cute. I remember Mom getting chick every spring. This was such a great time of the year. I love the old fashion chicken houses. I did a pen and ink of Grandma’s and I am currently working on another feel good drawing with a chicken house in it. Farm raised chickens are a lot better tasting than store bought.

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  10. Funny side story:

    I was at the feed store to buy some okra seeds back in March, and this pretty woman was buying (I’m guessing) a dozen chicks. I’m very interested in raising chickens but have never done it So I asked her how she raised them.

    Long story short, she doesn’t eat their eggs or their bodies, and was semi-horrified at the thought of such a thing. She just keeps them around to eat bugs.

    HA!

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  11. I am so glad to find this blog. We too have a tiny farm, preparedness, bee keeping, food preservation blog. Seems like a ton of information in a good format.

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  12. I am a mini farmer in the great state of Ohio, I have at the present time 96 broilers, and 24 wyandottes.  The wyandottes are only 2 weeks old and the broilers are 3 weeks old. I have a date set for the end of October to see the Plucky Poultry for my broilers. All the broilers are not for me, but for friends and family as well.  We did some broilers this past spring, I froze some and canned some.  We also do hogs and beef.  The wyandottes are for eggs. I have a question on what you use on the ground in your chicken coop???

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