Many homestead chicken owners begin with the desire for those delicious farm-fresh eggs. With self-sufficient living as a goal, homesteaders may consider whether they should also raise chickens for meat. Laying hens and meat chickens are typically housed separately to accommodate their different needs, however dual-purpose chicken breeds may offer homesteaders more flexibility.
Let’s take a look at your options for raising chickens, the differences between breeds, and how to best house and care for them — whether your end game is eggs, meat, or both.
While it seems like a linear solution to raise chickens for eggs, then butcher the same chickens for meat, it’s not quite that simple. It’s often advised that homesteaders raise different chickens to serve their intended purpose. Laying hens and broiler chickens have different needs and life spans.
A third option, dual-purpose chickens, have been bred to produce the best quality of meat and eggs. They lay more eggs than a broiler, yet carry more meat than a layer hen. With the dual purpose option, homesteaders may opt to raise chickens for eggs and process the roosters after 6-9 months.
If you decide that raising chickens for eggs is best for your homestead, you’ll want to select chickens that have been bred specifically for laying eggs. These breeds tend to have a slighter build, since most of their energy goes toward laying eggs. On the other hand, if you’re looking to maximize the amount of meat per chicken, a broiler or dual breed may be a better selection. It’s a good idea to research the differences associated with various chicken breeds to decide which is best for you.
No matter which breed of chicken you choose and what you decide your primary intentions are for raising chickens, you will need a coop to keep them safe from elements and predators. If you do not go with a dual-breed and want to raise both layers and boilers, you’ll need two coops or a sealed wall to keep the breeds separated. If you don’t have ample space for this, free-ranging may be an option, however this is not ideal since it may be difficult to keep their food separated.
Choosing a dual-breed may solve this dilemma. As you decide what you want to do for your homestead, both free range or enclosed coop are viable options. One just might be a better fit for your space, goals, or preferences for eggs, meat, or both.
As you weigh the pros and cons of raising laying hens, meat chickens, dual-purpose — or even all of the above, it’s important to learn as much as you can about the needs of all three in order to make an informed decision. When it comes to homestead chickens, you’ll want to consider what’s best for your family’s needs. (Pro Tip: Estimating two chickens per person will provide your homestead roughly seven eggs per week, while you’ll need about 18 meat chickens per person.)
Whether or not you have any interest in raising meat chickens, our free download, The Beginner’s Guide to Homestead Chickens, is a handy resource to learn more about owning and raising egg-layers. It’s full of information about where to buy various chicken breeds and other tips for raising homestead chickens.
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