{"id":2991,"date":"2024-03-13T05:41:25","date_gmt":"2024-03-13T05:41:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/?p=2991"},"modified":"2024-03-13T05:43:38","modified_gmt":"2024-03-13T05:43:38","slug":"5-reasons-why-you-should-raise-meat-chickens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/5-reasons-why-you-should-raise-meat-chickens\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons Why You Should Raise Meat Chickens"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"2991\" class=\"elementor elementor-2991\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5fc7c4a6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5fc7c4a6\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-19c98043\" data-id=\"19c98043\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-42220612 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"42220612\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 30-04-2024 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Introduction <\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5af302a3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5af302a3\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b75b7d7\" data-id=\"b75b7d7\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-049feb8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"049feb8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 30-04-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>Have you ever sat down to a nice meal at home or at a restaurant and wondered, \u201cWho raised this bird? Was it a boy or girl? What was it fed? Where did it come from? What condition(s) was it living in?\u201d I often find myself going through a majority of these questions in my head every time I am presented with a decision to eat chicken at home or when eating out. When purchasing my own chicken products at the store I often wonder how much, or if any of the decisions we as consumers make within big box stores are actually making a difference or not.<\/p><p>Is my preference of organic cage free\/pasture raised chicken breasts really increasing the quality of life for the birds I am choosing to eat? I often wonder if the meat being sold under these various labels is actually as good as it sounds on paper. I frequently hear conventional ranchers and farmers allude that most of the differences in chicken at the store <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/future-perfect\/23724740\/tyson-chicken-free-range-humanewashing-investigation-animal-cruelty\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">differ very little in how they are raised<\/a>. I have also heard that most of the phrases and words associated with the free range movement are just buzzwords used to help persuade\/convince the consumer that the poultry they are eating are actually full of life and raised in a way which seems more \u201chumane\u201d in today\u2019s standards.<\/p><p>As I mentioned previously, many argue that the housing arrangements for many of these \u201ccage free\u201d or \u201cpasture raised\u201d chicken products we find in the store are actually not really much different than the conventional meat and birds that are commonly sold at supermarkets. This reestablishes my previous skepticism toward the greenwashing\/marketing movement leading me to associate terms like \u201cfree range\u201c with an equal or lesser quality of life for the bird, leading to an equal or lesser quality of meat\/chicken when compared to standard\/conventional chickens.<\/p><p>For those readers who know me personally or have been reading long enough to figure me out may have picked up on the fact that I like to get things from the source directly or do it myself. I have especially carried this trend with me when reevaluating my diet and the sources from which I gather my food. The gateway drug to this lifestyle\/mindset for me was fishing, gardening, and tasting the stark difference between homegrown produce and wild fish when compared to store bought produce and fish. I will always encourage everyone to take control of their food security\/source whenever possible for many reasons.<\/p><p>Continuing on this trend in 2024, I decided that this would be the year that I embarked on attempting to take greater control over the meat products that I intend on consuming this year. I recently purchased 4 Cornish Cross chicks to dip my toes in the water and give backyard chickens a try since it has been a dream of mine for many years while I was in school living in an apartment. 4 birds may not seem like much the average person, but when you consider the amount of food a single bird consumes from birth to slaughter and the potential amount of meat one can harvest from these birds is impressive. These birds are intended to grow very quick (within 8 weeks) and produce an economical amount of meat. In the future I would like to consider raising heritage varieties of meat birds, but I will stick with the hybrids for now.<\/p><p>Cornish cross are one of the most common chickens you can buy for the purpose of meat production. I purchased mine at a local feed store for about $3 a piece along with some pine shavings, organic chick feed and a water dish. There are more things to consider when raising chicks, but I will not go into that in this article. The purpose of this article is to give 5 reasons why you should raise meat chickens, as well as to exclaim the importance of raising your own chicken for meat to better connect with your food, ensure the quality of life for your food, raise fresh food in your backyard, set your own standards\/ethics, and potentially save money in the long run.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4562ba0b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4562ba0b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6faac58a\" data-id=\"6faac58a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-506383c4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"506383c4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 30-04-2024 *\/\n.elementor-column .elementor-spacer-inner{height:var(--spacer-size)}.e-con{--container-widget-width:100%}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer{width:var(--container-widget-width,var(--spacer-size));--align-self:var(--container-widget-align-self,initial);--flex-shrink:0}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container{height:100%;width:100%}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer{height:100%}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer>.elementor-spacer-inner,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer>.elementor-spacer-inner{height:var(--container-widget-height,var(--spacer-size))}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty{position:relative;min-height:22px;min-width:22px}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty .elementor-widget-empty-icon,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty .elementor-widget-empty-icon{position:absolute;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;margin:auto;padding:0;width:22px;height:22px}<\/style>\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2b38b4a7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2b38b4a7\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-61a81fcc\" data-id=\"61a81fcc\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-316e2bef elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"316e2bef\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">1.\tConnection to Your Food<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-40b56438 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"40b56438\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-66 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7e39b716\" data-id=\"7e39b716\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4f633c6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4f633c6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>It is a surreal experience to connect with your food for the first time. On one hand it can be a rewarding experience to put in a sum of energy and effort initially and then reap the rewards later in time, especially when it comes to things like vegetable gardening. I am sure that everyone knows that raising livestock and vegetable produce are not the same; it is easily assumed that raising livestock with the intention of butchering it at some point down the line is not for the faint of heart. The entire process is bittersweet as you still receive the rewarding experience associated with having an abundance of food and the delayed gratification from all of your work, but on the other hand you have been forced to interact and care for these animals to ensure that they would make it to their day of slaughter.<\/p><p>For me that seems like the hardest hurdle to overcome. I personally view humans and animals as equal and do view the taking of a life as a relatively sacred act and not something that should be done with disrespect or hatred. It is our duty to ensure a quick death to the animals which we have decided to raise. When the roles are reversed and Mother Nature is demanding that I leave the keys to my leased body, I hope to experience a quick and relatively painless release from this life.<\/p><p>A direct connection to our food means a direct connection to the cycle of life. It reminds us not only of our own looming mortality, but the beauty of life at all stages. It makes you appreciate what I consider to be the \u201creal world\u201d and forget about all of the things that humans have made up over time. The human story has always revolved around looking for food or raising food in some way shape or form. I see it as though it is in our DNA to carry on such a legacy and do whatever we can to maintain such a sacred connection to the Earth and its natural processes. \u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-66f33538\" data-id=\"66f33538\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9101c41 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"9101c41\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 30-04-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chick2-768x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-2996\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chick2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chick2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chick2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chick2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chick2-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chick2.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4c5a182b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4c5a182b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-53cccd74\" data-id=\"53cccd74\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-694f203 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"694f203\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6d1ba237 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"6d1ba237\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-377c5eeb\" data-id=\"377c5eeb\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1b9bb324 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1b9bb324\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">2.\tBetter Quality of Life<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-efedda2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"efedda2\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-51613cef\" data-id=\"51613cef\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2289e25 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2289e25\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>One perk with being in control of your own food is that YOU get to call the shots. You get to decide if you wish to treat your livestock with hormones or antibiotics. You get to decide if you wish to feed your livestock scraps from the garden or only premade food. You get to decide if your chicks will get to forage outside of their coop every day or if they will be allotted an area of space within a chicken run. This may seem overwhelming to some who have never considered all of the choices that were made for them for many years, but I assure you it is not complex.<\/p><p>Typically, backyard chickens live a much better life than many of the chickens within the industrial farming industry leading to a better quality of life for the chicken overall. This helps make it feel better in the end of things when butchering as it is nice to know that he chicken lived better than a lot of chickens that are currently in subpar living standards.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-16b48d01 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"16b48d01\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-65cd1e30\" data-id=\"65cd1e30\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46275130 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"46275130\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-67f078cc elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"67f078cc\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3c75d6c0\" data-id=\"3c75d6c0\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-23dd6e86 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"23dd6e86\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">3.\tFresh Meat <\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-230f25ea elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"230f25ea\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2bef6981\" data-id=\"2bef6981\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ef2442e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ef2442e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>With the greater quality of life of your chicken comes a better tasting chicken. We all know the saying, \u201cyou are what you eat\u201d but many don\u2019t really consider what that means in its fullest extent. The saying applies not only to the nutrition of the food that you consume, but the overall health of the animal and its potential impact on you. We all prefer to eat animals that are somewhat fatty\/lean, robust, and lively. These are all indicators that the animal was very good health and does not carry any obvious illness or pathogen. Animals living in poor conditions are more prone to pests like mites and infections, some of which can impact us.<\/p><p>Beyond the physical conditions and their impacts on the quality of the meat that we consume, being able to harvest, pluck, and clean\/butcher a chicken in the same day and get it stored in the freezer or canned preserves the quality immensely. It is well known that the best quality is the day you harvest the animal, but the next best option is to vacuum seal\/freeze it or pressure can it soon after harvest. All of these options do great jobs at preserving the flavor, texture, and nutrients within the meat. \u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1ae932ce elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1ae932ce\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2e20e05b\" data-id=\"2e20e05b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4d1453e5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"4d1453e5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2637b280 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2637b280\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1e43dae7\" data-id=\"1e43dae7\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-530e4890 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"530e4890\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">4.\tMore Ethical <\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-23aea3cb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"23aea3cb\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4e1877b3\" data-id=\"4e1877b3\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4831363 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"4831363\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chick1-768x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-2997\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chick1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chick1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chick1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chick1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chick1-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chick1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-66 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-47b81905\" data-id=\"47b81905\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5593871 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5593871\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Now it should be clearer than ever. If you wish to get the highest quality meat or you and your family then you should be raising your own meat! When you do things yourself and have a direct incentive to take the time and care about the little things, we as humans tend to put more emphasis on its importance. If you take the time to build a connection with your food and raise it to the ethics\/standards that you see fit, I can assure you that you will be amazed at the difference in quality and taste that comes from raising your own small flock.<\/p><p>If one is going to continue to eat meat and not be vegetarian or vegan then I strongly encourage them to butcher their own chicken. It is important to understand the sacrifice that an animal must make in order for one to keep living otherwise the animal died for nothing. Once you have made this connection it will be hard for you to throw away a plate of scraps or food because you are too full or didn\u2019t really enjoy the dish. You will understand all that it took for the chicken to be where it is today and appreciate it. Every animal deserves respect, even in death.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2d07593a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2d07593a\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6c279b2\" data-id=\"6c279b2\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5e023bc elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"5e023bc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7c64b87c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7c64b87c\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-451cb0a3\" data-id=\"451cb0a3\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7076504d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7076504d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">5.\tCan Help Save Money <\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-69a3ae1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"69a3ae1\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3388b5bb\" data-id=\"3388b5bb\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-189d86d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"189d86d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>To me raising your own food is so much more fulfilling in other ways than just economical. I did the math this year and estimated roughly that one can raise many pounds of chicken meat on relatively little amounts of feed. If you are considering raising chickens organically then it will cost more per pound, but when compared to the prices at the store you will still be saving money over time if you continue to raise birds in batches year after year. It is even possible to cut costs by growing some of your own chicken feed\/supplements with things like dent corn, sorghum or other grains and allowing for birds to naturally forage if they are free range or in a tractor set up.<\/p><p>Once you get a good method down you could consider raising extra and selling them to friends\/family who may want more locally grown livestock from a source that they can trust. The hardest part of the process besides butchering is allocating a sum of money to the initial investment of things like birds, coops, and all other costs of operation. \u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7c05615e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7c05615e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-382723bf\" data-id=\"382723bf\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d669ebc elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"6d669ebc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2585a7c8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2585a7c8\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3bdc3ffa\" data-id=\"3bdc3ffa\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-78bf2de3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"78bf2de3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Conclusion <\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-40e7518d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"40e7518d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1ce179d5\" data-id=\"1ce179d5\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b126da1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b126da1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Raising chickens for meat should be a requirement for all people who eat meat. It can help people reestablish a lost connection with their food and potentially increase the wellbeing for livestock overall in the end. There are many benefits to raising meat bird varieties as I have shown above, but encourage you to look up some videos if you are interested. So far it has been an interesting process for myself and I am excited to see what happens in the future with the breed I have chosen. I hope that this article has inspired some of you to look more deeply into what you can do for your food supply and maybe cast a different light on the idea as a whole.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-691a6540 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"691a6540\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3d080ff9\" data-id=\"3d080ff9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c3a1236 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"2c3a1236\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction Have you ever sat down to a nice meal at home or at a restaurant and wondered, \u201cWho raised this bird? Was it a boy or girl? What was it fed? Where did it come from? What condition(s) was it living in?\u201d I often find myself going through a majority of these questions in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6,11],"tags":[100,36,101,102],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chick3.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2991"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2991"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2991\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3010,"href":"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2991\/revisions\/3010"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flintandfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}