Adding to Our Flock

It doesn’t feel too long ago that I shared in this post that we orderd our first baby chicks, but here we are two years later with our second batch of chicks! The same week that our order of 11 egg layers came, we also welcomed 10 cornish cross chicks which had hatched in a local classroom! Remember when I mentioned trying meat chickens someday? Well, here is our chance!
Today a family friend rode with me to the Amish to show me where she takes her chickens to get butchered. I know that Andrew and I are capable and could learn, but for now this seems like a good option for us!

In the meantime, there is so much to learn! Do I go the easier route and fatten these chicks fast with feed and butcher them at a mere 8-9 weeks old? Or do we go with a slower, more natural method that includes building a chicken tractor and letting them graze as we slowly prepare them to be butchered?
(I’ve been learning so much from my friend Cheyenne over at PricklyChickenco! Be sure to check out her courses if you plan on getting chickens!)

On another note, Andrew has been working on building an addition to our chicken coop and its coming together nicely! This will not only ensure that we have enough walking and roosting space for our hens, but also provide a separate coop where we can separate baby chicks or new chickens that need to be slowly introduced to the flock!

As we go and learn, I hope to share more about what we are doing and learning!