This is the story of how we embarked on a journey to raise a year’s worth of chicken over a 3 month period at our #homestead . Inspired by our friends and #pasturedpoultry farmers Jeff and Michelle at @southamptonhomestead8747 we decide to raise and process 40 Ross birds on our farm.
#foodsecurity
Chapters
00:00 Meeting pastured chicken farmers
01:07 Day old Ross chicks. Our brooder set up.
03:05 Week old chicks: how we fed them and brooder update.
05:28 Putting the chicks out on pasture in their mobile house
07:38 Moving and feeding the chickens
08:56 Free ranging the chickens
10:05 Black cockatoos visit
10:43 8 week weigh in and increasing feed
12:55 15 weeks and ready to harvest
14:25 Our processing set up
16:56 Processing the birds
20:28 What we learnt
22:14 Total cost per bird
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FREE PROVISIONING GUIDE
Pascale has put together a FREE 40 page Provisioning Guide. The Guide explains and provides examples of how we can travel eating a variety of healthy and delicious meals for up to 6 months at a time on our tiny boat with no resupply. There has never been a better time to start learning how to increase the food storage potential of your home. I hope this guide will inspire you to make more informed long term provisioning choices for the future! For more information visit the Provisioning Page on our website ( www.freerangesailing.com/boat-provisioning ) or to grab a copy directly by clicking on the link below.
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Music Credits
Our theme tune (outro and/or intro song) Aquarium by TEVO. You can listen to his music here: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/4MAfa
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38 Comments
We had been raising broilers for many years. They grow fast, gain weight well and lay enough eggs. Also do not refuse to incubate eggs. But, you need to be careful. I noticed a lame chicken in the video. Due to large weight they can break legs when they jump from a roost or a hight point.
Best wishes from Irkutsk.
Love the animal side of your farming, love it all. Animals do have personality. Love it guys thx
Christmas for Jet with all those chicken heads 😀
I can't wait for the play by play when the baby shows up.
Troy: "So I went around to the local junk yard and found some old wheels, took this PVC tubing and a pallet and was able to rig up a small stroller. Now we didn't want the baby to hurt itself so I used twine instead of wire and we put a few fresh handfuls of this really nice hay our neighbor gave us so the baby would sleep better. Now we've tried to schedule feeding time so that the baby will sleep quietly through the night but that isn't working out as expected. If any of you have raised babies before please leave any suggestions in the comments below."
Hi Troy & Pascale, interesting to see the whole process from small chicks all the way through to being processed as meat. Wishing you all the best from the UK.
Someone might be able to help me here. When my Croatian mum cooked rabbit, it was the driest unnapealling meal I ever remember as a youngster, though mum was an amazingly great cook otherwise. When my German Aunt prepared rabbit though, my goodness, the moist pull apart tenderness. All I can recall from my Aunt is that white wine marination played a part in her process. On a side note, not too much rabbit in a human diet. They say it can be a demineraliser to the human body if consumed too frequently. Thanks for not shying away from the process without actually risking demonitization
this is how these people do the chicken butchering and as you'll see they've been doing it for a number of years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BhZ14fOztY
Easy to make chicken tractors for your meat birds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBbLTxA8TbA&t=128s
How about 6 months supply? I wouldn’t keep chickens in the freezer for much longer than 6 months
Many years ago, when I was in Morocco, there were a couple of guys selling meat chickens. They were live and killed them to order. The feathers were removed within seconds of killing them. One of the guys just stuck the chicken in the enclosed machine whilst holding onto its feet. I wish I had of asked how it worked. I have never seen better. Once he pulled it out, he passed it onto another guy who took the guts out washed it and bagged it. Handing it over to the customer. The whole process maybe took a minute.
Looking good you both but extra good Pascal and thanks to you both for an interesting VLOG
You've done it again. You never fail to impress. Humanely, professionally and skilfully executed, pun intended. Bon Appetite.
Thanks for sharing!
😃👍👍👍❤
Morrissey Rabbitry my Dad created our family hobby!
Showing at the rabbit shows was the main fun. And of course meat rabbits were grown and processed.
Over 1000 were counted one year.
This was is Tecumseh, Kansas, USA
So much has changed but you would do good to built a proper building to suit housing your breeding stock. For their comfort and safety. Big sturdy Wire cages that can be hung. The correct bottom wire is a must. I actually still have some cages my dad made in the 1970's Making collecting their manure easy. Best Wishes gathering all the information and thoughts on rabbits.
Excellent transition from boaties to farmie.. Proud of you guys keep going. Rob in South africa
Thanks for sharing!
Really interesting. I love keeping chickens but have never had a flock specifically for meat although I have killed off a number of my own for food. The flavour of a home grown chicken is so different from shop bought. Well done both.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM baconnnnnnnnnn, ok and some chicken too…………. now separate the chickens in their own free range area surrounded by electric fence netting so the pigs dont get them and bring down the cost to about $5 or less and trade the excess chickens for other stuff u need. U may need a bigger boat…. oooops i meant freezer.
Wow, that was good, amazing chicken friends, lots of food there, well done farmers, I would love to farm, thankyou
Big meaty rabbits? Flemish Giants but better still are the New Zealand Giants (name only but not from New Zealand). Big rabbits are easier to handle and much quieter than the small varieties. The pretty Rex Rabbit varieties are a nightmare in terms of behaviour. Be warned! Rabbits are an escape machine and they can bite severely. You'll know if a big male rabbit likes you – it will piss on you. Highly entertaining animals.
Thanks!
Just curious. What's the going price for a broiler chick in Australia?
👍👍
You should freeze a few solo cups of water and place a few coins on top, if your freezer ever glitches the coins will sink. It can save some confusion later. Thanks for the video!
I'm so happy to see that the chicken experiment worked out to your satisfaction. The chicken pluck-er is the only way to go. When I was raising meat chickens, which I no longer do, I was keeping 150 chickens average at a time. I have hand plucked a chicken from time to time but when you are doing a bunch of them doing it by hand is just not fun. You two are doing a great job on your farm. Keep it up. P.S. I think rabbits will be easier, though they are highly sought after by predators like any hungry neighboring foxes and eagles. They are also very tasty and heart healthy. Can't wait to see those episodes.
Thanks
It’s was so funny that the chook got your finger. Maybe he or her heard you about putting it under the knife . 😂😂😂
Another fantastic video, thank you both 🙂 I'll just pop this recipe here, which is my recipe for Chicken Liver Pate … it's delicious (especially with free range chicken livers!) but bear in mind that undercooked (i.e. pink) chicken livers can harbour listeria, so I always cook/fry them until cooked through (i.e. until grey and cooked completely through all of the liver), which leads to a grey coloured pate (though still delicious, promise!) rather than a pink pate. Listeria is particularly dangerous for pregnant mothers-to-be, hence me popping in this warning to you …
Behr's Luxury Chicken Liver Pate
*Ingredients*:
400g chicken livers, de-veined and sinew removed (but don't stress about the odd bit of core that gets in, especially if it's fat – the fat is flavourful)
250g butter, about 50-100 for the cooking and maybe 150g+ for the melting and sealing the ramekins at the end
2 medium banana shallots, finely chopped, or maybe 6 small, round shallots … but banana shallots are miles easier and less hassle to peel & prep
3 generous sprigs thyme, leaves only (no stalks) – you want lots of thyme leaves in there as chicken livers love fresh thyme so if you fancy more or it's weak thyme then use more
1/2 tsp Mace (can use nutmeg but Mace is better)
8-10 Juniper berries, lightly crushed
Optional: 1 tablespoon (or more if you like) pickled green soft peppercorns, left whole
2 cloves garlic, crushed (this is very much to taste – I don't like too much garlic in my pate so often drop this to 1 clove)
Brandy … 50 to 100 mls (but make sure you boil off the alcohol in the pan)
Salt & Pepper
Melted Butter for topping (see above)
*Method*:
1. Fry the shallots & garlic in a pan with butter until lightly sweated and just starting to brown – remove and put in a food processor
2. Fry the chicken livers and juniper berries in more butter (put the livers in first then add the juniper berries), also add to the processor – (fry thoroughly until completely cooked through, although this will give a grey rather than pink pate – see above)
3. Deglaze pan with a generous slosh of brandy (I use anywhere from 50 – 100 mls, then boil off the alcohol in the pan), add the lot to the processor
4. Season with salt, pepper, mace (or nutmeg), then process until completely smooth, then add pickled green peppercorns if using (don't process them leave them whole for little peppery explosions of flavour)
5. Spoon into ramekins, top with melted clarified butter so they're sealed, then chill thoroughly and if possible wait a day/overnight for the flavours to develop fully … can be frozen once sealed into ramekins and lasts a fair while, or up to a week or more in a fridge if left sealed … you may need more butter than listed to top, depending … do not have any of the pate poking through the butter layer as it can allow the pate to spoil so smooth the top with a spoon or small palette knife to make it flat and spoon or pour on a generous layer of butter … for this reason you don't want to overfill the ramekins so make sure you leave room for the butter topping
It's a simple recipe but, having tried dozens, it's the one I keep coming back to … you can add softened butter to the pate when processing to make it less rich tasting but I love it the way it is … hope you try it and enjoy it 🙂
Wow, I've got some catching up to do. I followed your sailing journey's from the beginning round to when you left Tassie for back home in the west. Look at you two, happy as..,😃👍❤️ and practicing what you promote, free range healthy living. Congrats on the new arrival, so happy for the both of you.
Regs
Chris
SE QLD.
There is a lot to be said about knowing where your food comes from. I will be interested in what you learn about four legged chickens in the future (rabbits).
IDIOTS. You do NOT do this to CHICKENS.
You guys have put a lot of hard work in and now you will have a comfy winter and survive on the fruits of your labor. That has to be very satisfying. BTW, I'm assuming you didn't name those chickens.
@FreeRangeLiving Hi, meant to tell ya this previous – If not aware, research Black Soldier Fly>Larvae breeding. Minimal requirement, done right it's potentially endless supply of high protein feed. Can also be a cash income selling to locals, including fishing bait. Microgreens also good for income, local cafes/restaurants go through heaps.
raise ducks also. then more eggs and meat
Newbie ❤
Great video, thanks for the updates
You guys are so amazing, you are good at everything you do! I lived the same “mentality” for years, owned a home, lived frugally, was living the dream and doing it well. Now I have sold my home and bought a 38 foot Morgan sailboat and I hope to do as well at sailing as I did with raising kids and building a comfortable mountain home. Now I am not so confident or knowledgeable about ocean sailing but here goes! If it doesn’t pan out I will buy a small farm to retire on. I really appreciate your adventurous videos and I can tell you they help make me mor courageous in my pursuits! Thank you, best to you!