Time lapsing the entire process of raising meat birds was a brilliant idea Cody. I especially like the idea of sectioning the birds out for storage and now I'm hoping we see a video on how the bone broth is made because where I buy my poultry they often have backs available for bone broth but no recipe.

As far as vacuum sealing the chicken (or anything really), I dont have one either but what I like to do is fill one of the sides of my sink with water and close the ziplock bag almost all the way (with whatever food that you are dealing within it). I then slowly lower the bag into the water until its almost going into the bag where I left it open. The water pushes the air out and then I seal the ziplock the rest of the way before any water gets in.

@morethanfarmers

11 күн бұрын

That’s a great idea!

@thewitchshomestead

10 күн бұрын

My dad taught me this trick after he learned it for freezing fish he’d caught. I agree, it works a treat 👌🏼

I had our first set of chicks shipped last week. Ordered 10 chicks. They were hatched and in the mail monday and didnt arrive until friday! 4 were dead upon arrival and the 5 of the 6 remaining were clinging to life and couldnt even stand. I tried so hard to save them but slowly they all died that day. I had one that somehow is still doing great. Our little miracle! Thankfully tractor supply has chicks still so we could get her some friends.

@GraceTheBabbler

11 күн бұрын

That is so sad

@brandynash1409

11 күн бұрын

Call the hatchery. They will replace them.

@diyfferent

11 күн бұрын

Avoid buying shipped chicks during the hottest times of the year.

@lilymead5457

11 күн бұрын

You did let the hatchery know of the issue?

@dig_grow_cook

11 күн бұрын

I got an incubator so I could hatch at home now and just ship the eggs. Problem is you won’t know how many you will get. I had a great hatch rate last time and got more than I bargained for 😆

I have to tell you when you mentioned putting chickens in the freezer, I expected that you would doit all! Imagine my surprise seeing you take the chickens some where to get them processed! I had no idea that there was such a place! Here in rural Colorado if you raise chickens to put in the freezer, it is our job to do all of it! Which is a horrible job that the men in this family refuse to do! You are so very lucky to be able to have the chickens done that way! Love your videos and look forward to each one!

Your dedication to preparing delicious meals warms our hearts and fills our bellies with joy. Every dish you create is a testament to your culinary artistry and care. And I am Floating Village Life

We did broilers for the first time two years ago. We still have some left in the freezer and they still taste just as good. How you store them helps a lot with that. I thought I’d have a really hard time with butchering something I raised too, but I have the same understanding as the you do: giving them a good life, best I can and certainly better than the alternative. We did Cornish cross, and we ended up with Turkey sized chickens. But this next time we will be doing another breed so we don’t run up against the issues you were discussing. We were fortunate to not really deal with any health issues, but we sure could have. Thank you for noting the breed you raised. We will definitely be considering rainbow rangers for our next round.

The scene where the chook escapes with your son - classic : )

@anzonettecoetzer2465

11 күн бұрын

I came to see if someone commented on this 😂 loved it!

@madnicmomify

11 күн бұрын

I love that they show this stuff, keeps it real!

@morethanfarmers

11 күн бұрын

😂

My DIL introduced me to your channel. I love your content and quality of life. I will continue to watch and share you with others.

I'm gonna throw this out there. We raise 2, 25 ct, batches of cornish cross each year...solely in 2, 5x8, stationary chicken tractors. Is it ideal? Of course not. But we raise them on non-gmo feed, in a clean tractor(we top off bedding 2x per day, and clean completely every 4-5 days...which would equal moving them twice on grass), we offer grass and weeds..clover, etc. as a supplement, so they do get grass. They are under shade and weather protection as well. The ONLY time we lost more than a couple of birds was the year it was over 100°F and we overfed them...we follow a 12 hours on, 12 hours off feeding schedule after 3wks of age...and that year I totally forgot that! So, it was hot...and they were way too big. NINE died! Our fault. My birds are always healthy and happy. So. There IS another way to raise them without a large acreage. The key is not over-crowdi g, quality feed, great shelter, and CLEAN bedding daily. Oh, and they are always close to 6lbs at butcher(we learned to butcher them ourselves from Sow the Land here on YT), at 8wks. One year, we had to wait until 10 weeks, and they were all over 7lbs...and some were 8lbs! Welp Hatchery is where we always get our chicks from. I just don't want anyone to think they can't do this because of space.

@Victoriaxx08

11 күн бұрын

I’m on a quarter acre. I raised 36 chicken, turkey and ducks on this with zero issues! They really don’t need much space. Everyone should have chickens! It’s so unbelievably easy

@5GreenAcres

8 күн бұрын

I also raise cornish cross. I tried both and like the CC. I have a stationary coop/brooder that I built a run for them out of hardwire. When they are feathered I open the doors for them to free range and eat grass and bugs. My CC's always are fully feathered. They don't look sick. They forage around just like my laying birds. I am butchering at 3-4 lbs this year. I have found that the 5 -7 lb birds get too tough. We'll see. It is my experiment this year. Processing in 7 weeks not 8.

You say that you have a mold problem in the vegetable garden. My grandmother taught me that you should never use leaves as cover in the vegetable garden because mold accumulates on them. Use wood chips instead, willow is good. Or planer shavings, but not oak. And for the BUGS, plant with wormwood, decorative cress, St. John's wort, velvet flower, celery, sage around your vegetable garden, these are repellent plants. And you should have a compost with sections, 3 at least, this way materials in the compost will burn hotter and the soil will be better and mold free. All the best and a lot of harvest to you from the land of Santa Claus. (Not from North Pole)🎅

The woman who taught me about doing chicken said that after butchering you can clean, bag, but keep in a cooler with ice for 36 hours to help tenderize the meat like when you hang beef. We then after the 36 hours put them in the freezer and they are more tender.

@dig_grow_cook

11 күн бұрын

Yes resting them. We did some at 24 and some at 48 but I don’t think I could tell a difference.

@gamerk3l116

10 күн бұрын

I maybe have a dumb question, but I’m trying to learn so I hope you’ll forgive me lol. What does being “tender” really mean for chicken and what’s the benefit?

@5GreenAcres

8 күн бұрын

I do the same thing. I haven't really noticed a difference either but....This year I am culling my cornish cross at 7 weeks not 8. I am aiming for a little over 3 lb birds just like you buy in the store. I think that is the key.

@dig_grow_cook

8 күн бұрын

@@gamerk3l116 I think the goal is to get past the rigor mortis stage so the muscles relax again.

So fast to get a plump chicken on the table! And you can't beat home made chicken broth. It's the tastiest. Love your visits with all of us. Thanks. See you all next time. Love from Central Oklahoma

@morethanfarmers

10 күн бұрын

For sure!

Thank you for the wisdom. Stay high frequency and high vibrations

Try using the heat shrink bags; we use them for our chicken and they are amazing. No freezer burn or moisture in the bag, and it’s like a vacuum sealed bag but much cheaper, easier, and quicker to use.

That is great! Thank you guys! It's hard to dispose of what you raised but, you know how they lived and quality is key! Blessings!

Trust me My hubby got me a vacuum sealer, BEST INVESTMENT EVER!! I use it for everything !! Great video

If you get a vacuum sealer, definitely get a chamber vacuum sealer, so much better, although it is a couple hundred more dollars it is definitely worth it..

Happy Monday from south America Suriname🇸🇷

This was great. Really informative and a terrific resource so thanks for putting it together.

I'm 3 weeks into growing my first batch h of meat birds. I laughed when you said your trying to make a video over 3 months because I'm trying to do the same. I feel your pain! I'm attempting this new format when I normally do weekly vlogs. You feel like you're repeating yourself over and over. I think you did a great job,fair play

@morethanfarmers

7 күн бұрын

Thanks!

I live in a village. Can't have chickens. But my friend lives in the country. She's going to raise the chickens organically. She's raising 10 chickens for me. I'm going to help her harvest them. Not sure if I can do the deed, but I'll process them. I do have a garden. We barter sometimes. I love it.

@morethanfarmers

11 күн бұрын

Great way to get started!

@myurbangarden7695

9 күн бұрын

I have a friend with 10 acres. I give her a deposit and pay a percentage of the feed and help her process. I get some birds and she gets some $$$. I feel it's a fair exchange.

Another great video. Someday I'll be doing this! Thank you for breaking down the costs in the description.

Thank you we are trying this love your family especially your wife, she has the cutest and sweetest laughs learning a lot from y’all ❤

Really enjoyed this video! You did a great job without info overload. Thank you.

Excellent video, you all are inspiring people!

We raise and process our own chickens. We do the Cornish cross, but process at seven weeks. Works great for us. Two batches a year. We don’t do a crazy amount each time. But we also raise steers and pigs, they go to the processor though.

Great video!! Very informative and seeing the process from start to finish was a great idea.

I met you guys today at Don Wood Chevy in Logan Ohio! If everyone did a little farming/gardening wed be in a lot better shape!

You both have great talents. You seem to make a great team. Keep up the good work!

Our first set of broilers go to the butcher Wednesday! We haven't raised our own meat before, this video helped!

@morethanfarmers

11 күн бұрын

Congrats! Enjoy 😊

I love you guys EVERY TIME.

I can’t do broilers at my home, but I did order 4 pasture raised chicken broilers from a farm by me. I’m excited to have fresh chicken. I can’t wait to see how much better it will taste.

@morethanfarmers

10 күн бұрын

That’s great!

I just got a Thrive delivery today!! Love them!

I’ve been waiting for this video excitedly since you first talked about it yay! I will definitely save this for the future when I have my own space. Thank you so much!

@morethanfarmers

7 күн бұрын

Awesome!

Love your videos. Bless your sweet family.

Am addicted to you guys . Wishing you long life. From kenya

Thank you for this video! We will raise our own next year so this was helpful! For our freezers we have a thermometer in each and can see the temps on the display (we keep that on the kitchen counter) and then if it drops below a certain temp an alarm goes off. We bought it on Amazon and it’s worth it so save all our food!

@morethanfarmers

10 күн бұрын

Cool! We should definitely get one of those 😏

We use the poultry shrink wrap bags for whole chickens. You just dunk them in a pot of hot water to shrink wrap it. Our Freedom Rangers average close to 6 1/2 lbs each at 12 weeks old. Less than $3/lb.

@myurbangarden7695

9 күн бұрын

Your comment is helpful. Thank you

Great video Cody! You guys always impress. I love watching Michelle do all her cooking segments. I’m always starving when she’s done cooking. Yummy 😊

@morethanfarmers

10 күн бұрын

😁

What a nice life you have. Your place looks beautiful. You kids do such a great job.

Jason Roades put his chicken in a bag and then he twist the bag and put them in hot water in a bucket and it draws the air out then he ties them up and takes the air out so it is ready for the freezer

@5GreenAcres

8 күн бұрын

You mean Justin Rhodes? The bags you speak of are a special bag you order. They work great.

I am bringing my first chicks home tomorrow,so this video came at the right time. I can't wait to see them turn to food.

@morethanfarmers

10 күн бұрын

Awesome! Good luck!

Really interesting video! loved to see the whole process!

Thank you for sharing this with us ❤

Thanks for the cost breakdown. Not sure if you do this but you could add in the cost of things like bone meal if you do that too. Simple enough. Boil the bones for broth. Dry them and grind them into powder. Stuff is like $8/lb. May be able to do the same for feathers if your butcher keeps them.

Enjoyed watching the channel!

Great video, very informative. Thank you

Good video Codi! You explained it well. I like the wheel set up you have for the tractor -- I use logs...lol. It works! Have been thinking of building another tractor because although I made mine 3 foot tall and have 1/3 of the roof lift off, I still have to crawl in some times. Great info. I let my meat birds rest for a minimum of 4 hours in ice water before bagging and will sometimes put in the fridge for 24 - 36 hours for the bigger birds - gives them a chance to condition (similar to hanging beef). I may part mine out this year as it certainly has it's benefits I would imagine. Good job!

Great work. Love the wheel-lock setup on the chicken tractor.

Those loofahs are growing so big Michelle! (I saw them in the background.) :)

Thank you for sharing, we did our meat birds a few months ago. We did freedom rangers. Last year and my husband didn't care for the way they tasted. So yes we do the cornishX meat birds. They do eat Alot and grow fast. Our birds we did were on avg of 10lbs some were bigger as they were the roosters. Great video. Till next time God Bless.

So much work to put this video together! Thank You - so very informative🤎

Appreciate y'all for sharing 😊 maybe just make it a double door ? Love the crate idea just two doors for easier loading

This is so helpful--thank you. Now I just have to convince my husband.

I'm so impressed I will love to learn from you

Already roasted chicken at Costco $5 x 56 birds = $280 Ya can't beat that

Thanks for the video! I had only just started considered looking for a processor (the other videos out there are DIY), that seems like I can get buy off from the family on that much easier than doing it ourselves.

What a great video guys 🎉

Love the idea of the waterers and feed on boards!!! I do the cornish cross and follow the 12/12 rule of feeding. 12 hours (daytime) with feed. 12 hours off (night time) I am also going to harvest my birds when they are a 3 lb bird. I have found that 5-7 pounds makes for tougher meat. Store birds are only 3 lbs. You take your chickens in to get butchered? Come on guys!!! How do you know you are getting YOUR birds? My cornish cross are raised just like my layer hens. I have a solid coop/brooder with hardwire fence run for them. They don't just sit around and eat feed all day. They are eating bugs, grass and chasing each other when they find a bug. They all feather out really nice too. Just a helpful hint for anyone.

Awesome video! 😊

I close on my new place later this month, 3 acres in Preble Co, You have inspired me to try this next year. I can work on getting equipment over the winter

@morethanfarmers

11 күн бұрын

Awesome! Good luck!

Good video !

Michelle's closing line. 😂

Thanks for sharing

Michelle’s face when you were talking about poopy butt lmao 😂😂😂😂

@morethanfarmers

11 күн бұрын

Wondered who all would catch that 😂 It was because in the part of the video I cut off right before that I actually picked the “poopy stuff” off 😁

Cody thank you for doing a walk through on your mobile coop, that would be so much easier to move than what I have. We will be butchering 18 ourselves the end of the month. Giving 5 ea to 2 of my grown kids, but making them help butcher. My daughter said oh, that will be fun. I thought oh you have no idea. All by hand, no plucker

@morethanfarmers

10 күн бұрын

😂 that’s great!

Just subscribed looking forward to the videos. Thank you

@morethanfarmers

4 күн бұрын

Welcome here! 😊

Well, now that you have all that fertilized land, you could start growing your own chicken feed, like in the old days, you know, before the chicken feed stores were invented.. :) What's the worst case scenario? The wheat won't reach maturity come first frost? I think your layers will happily eat that.

Aw yeah!

Good luck ❤❤❤

You inspire me

I enjoy seeing how different people raise their meat birds! I'm literally uploading a video right now from our harvest this past weekend. We have been raising cornish cross but are interested in seeking a more heritage breed to raise also. We raised red Rangers once and found their meat to be fatty and they were small. I love these transport boxes you use for bringing the chicks to the tractor. Did you make these, Cody?

@morethanfarmers

7 күн бұрын

We’ve always loved the Rangers 😊 Yes, I made those.

Such an effecient farm. Yes, you have to do freezers in one thirds and you know it. ( just a few pieces of hard cardboard and signs would do). Also recommend canning some.

Dont usually comment. However ; one Why not home butcher especially when its for home consumption. Entire cost would be maybe 500 for a chicken plucker and somesort of makeshift outdoor slaughter station. Two; i do believe for whole chickens a good option is to "water seal" Bag, chicken, straw, submerge, tie. Done. (Maybe its something you have to purchase) Its not vacuum. But its as good or better than squeezed zip lock.

I love seeing this from start to finish. Sadly, we have an HOA and our yard is too visible to sneak them in. But I do know of at least 2 families that do, and I can sometimes get eggs from them. :)

@morethanfarmers

11 күн бұрын

That’s great 😁 That would totally be me! 😂

Luar biasa sekali anda bisa melakukan menjadi peternak Ayam dan Petani yang Hebat saudaraku👍🙏

We raise our own chicken also. We butcher and vac pack ourselves. Homegrown proteins are the best!

Great information..thanks. LOL at the end:P

just subscribed, hello from Burgundy France

@morethanfarmers

10 күн бұрын

Welcome here! 😊

Wow amazing deal on processing fees! I would take them in too at that price.

@5GreenAcres

8 күн бұрын

I have searched and replayed and have not heard of them talking about the cost of processing. My fear is...do you get your own meat?

@dig_grow_cook

8 күн бұрын

@@5GreenAcres he said they pay $2 a bird. If you are worried about mix ups you could ask what processes they have in place to prevent that from happening

@My-22-Cents

5 күн бұрын

@@5GreenAcresthat is a legitimate concern. Here in Australia, we process our own beef, lamb (I’d actually say more mutton), chickens and the odd pig. Before we moved where we currently are, we processed our own beef along with some friends and their beef for years. When we moved, he had to get his beef done at an abattoir and butcher. He always had jersey X done and they have a yellowish fat to them. The meat he got back was absolutely not his meat as the fat was white. We’d been doing this for 15+ years and this was the first time one of his had white fat? No he got the wrong meat.

I love your videos. 🇰🇪

💚

Any advice on finding a place to process them? Would love to do this on our half acre but unsure about processing them ourselves with limited space and equipment. Thanks for the super informative video as always!!

@jenniferm3572

11 күн бұрын

Watch videos and you can do it. The best way to learn is to jump in and get’er done. A good skill to have if raising your own. It’s how we did it and so glad we did 👍👍

@marthabowser501

11 күн бұрын

Ask the kids that show meat birds at your county fair...that's how we found ours....years ago....and they are still in business.

@Just-Nikki

11 күн бұрын

If you have a farmers market near you, ask the vendors selling chicken where they get it done. Also a local butcher shop could possibly point you in the right direction. Ask deer hunters that you know.

Did you buy the Non-GMO chicks? I am raising my very first batch of pastured chicks this year and I bought the Non-GMO rainbow rangers. They’re currently 6 weeks old, and it’s been a great experience thus far! I’ve heard such great things about pastured chicken, I just had to try it myself. I am very excited for our first pastured chicken meal!!

@morethanfarmers

10 күн бұрын

I didn’t get the non-gmo ones. Good job!.. that really is exciting!

The word organic gets thrown on everything and I agree, non gmo is the most important aspect.

Wow $2! That’s fantastic! We pay $5.50 !

Salam dari peternak Ayam Indonesia🇮🇩 saudaraku🙏👍

Great content guys. Now we need to know about the running you do Cody. I am training for the BFC this year. Do you run races? I am planning out my homestead with hiking trails, so I can continue trail workouts.

@morethanfarmers

11 күн бұрын

Thanks! I run a few races a year.. my favorites are OCRs and trail runs. I ran a Savage Race a week ago and I’m running a Spartan Super in a week 😊 I did a 50k last fall.. it was brutal! The terrain was crazy.. it was mostly hiking straight up and down. I wish I had enough space for a good trail on my property.. it’s just too small for anything that wouldn’t get boring right away. Our closest real trails are half an hour away too 😕

@TheArkansasDiamondMiner

11 күн бұрын

@@morethanfarmers awesome!

When you said that it made you happy to give these chickens a good life...change my mind about this a lot. Also in lots of homesteading videos I watch they do the processing, it can sometimes make you feel like your not doing it right if you dont do every single thing. Thank you for sharing the investment you have made into "doing what works for your family"❤❤❤ love from the West Coast of Canada

@morethanfarmers

10 күн бұрын

That’s so good to hear.. thank you for sharing! That’s exactly what I had hoped to get across.

We have 60 of the same birds scheduled to arrive in August so this video was perfect! It's our first time raising meat birds, but we have had chickens for a year. I'm thrilled to raise our own chicken!! Any ideas on how to find non GMO feed? (I don't have FB).

@morethanfarmers

10 күн бұрын

That’s awesome! Good luck 😊 One of our local feed stores carries it, and another one carries the same brand but they don’t stock the non-GMO stuff.. They said they can get it in though. So if you are in an area with a feed store that carries Kalmbach feed, they should be able to get it in for you. I actually get mine from an Amish guy that is a dealer for another company, but it’s not nearly as popular.

❤❤❤

Watch justin Rodges harvest&bag&freeze chickens

You really wow me with all your multitasking, creative recipes and then out to do some haying! You are truly a Renaissance Lady!

This actually looks doable. Do they sleep in the metal rolling thing at night? The thing I like is that they don’t take long. Perfect for me who gets a ton of snow up here. I love it!

@morethanfarmers

11 күн бұрын

Yes they do 😊

Hi, where did you get the chicken processed we are getting chicken sometime this summer yet!!!we had to butcher them ourselves 😅😅

I order 10 from tractor supply. They use hatcheries I can’t remember the name now. They were delivered to my door which I didn’t expect! Out of the 10… 8 survived. I gave them some homeopathic medicine and electrolytes mixed with egg yolk and they still died. I have 8 now and they are just fine! I love them so much! I now have 16 chickens total.

Did you ever post a breakdown of the cost?

@morethanfarmers

7 күн бұрын

Yes, it’s in the video description.

❤

I love how you guys don't sweat the small stuff... but keep a close eye on the important stuff. Ziplocs are fine. Temperature is the important investment!

Really liked this video. 😊 beekeeping next?

@morethanfarmers

11 күн бұрын

I don’t feel qualified enough for that one 😉

@melissagoodwin2602

10 күн бұрын

@@morethanfarmers understand