What are your goals for raising meat chickens? Whether you are raising chickens for your own consumption or to sell, you should consider your end goals and budget. Producers living in city limits should contact their local government before purchasing chicks to understand the ordinances for owning chickens.
Terminology
Broilers or Fryers: A meat chicken weighing 4–6 pounds at 7 weeks (about one and a half months) of age.
Roasters: A meat chicken weighing 6–10 pounds at eight to 12 weeks (about 3 months) of age.
Straight run: Male and female chicks that have not been sexed prior to sale.
Cockerels and Pullets: Male and female chickens, respectively, that have not yet reached sexual maturity.
Dual-Purpose: Practical for both meat and egg production.
Best Breeds for Success
Cornish or Cornish Cross is the most common meat-chicken breed. This breed feathers rapidly, matures quickly, and requires a larger requirement of feed daily. Their genetics allow them to grow muscle in areas of marketable cuts. The range breed is a meat chicken that is a healthier, slower growing bird that tends to have flavorful meat.
A number of dual-purpose breeds are available:
- Australorps
- Buckeye
- Delawares
- Faverolles
- Jersey Giants
- Marans
More dual-purpose breeds are listed in the Ohio State University Chicken Breed Selection fact sheet (Schirtzinger & McDermott, 2017). Being dual-purpose breeds, they will grow slower and take longer to reach a marketable weight. Although dual-purpose breeds do not grow rapidly, they do produce a favorable carcass if raised for meat.
Tips for Purchasing Chicks
Chicks can be purchased from a local hatchery, an online hatchery, or from a local farm feed and supply business. Tips to keep in mind when purchasing chicks:
- Meat-type chickens are typically purchased as a straight run. Hatcheries also take special orders. Orders can be placed for just cockerels or pullets depending on where you are purchasing the chicks. Cockerels can be more expensive and tend to weigh slightly more than pullets at the time of processing.
- When ordering, consider having chicks vaccinated for coccidiosis and Marek’s disease. The coccidia vaccine will help protect the chick against four of the seven varieties of coccidiosis. If chicks are vaccinated for coccidia at the hatchery, make sure they are not fed medicated chick starter—it could inactivate the vaccine.
- Before purchasing chicks, make sure the seller is a reputable hatcher with proof of certification from the National Poultry Improvement Plan stating that at the time of the certification, the chicks were free from certain diseases, including pullorum. For questions about determining a reputable hatcher or for more information about NPIP, call your local extension office or visit the NPIP website (National Poultry Improvement Plan, n.d.).
- Once chicks are ordered or purchased, call to schedule a processing date. Not sure where to get your birds processed? Ohio 4-H has created a list of licensed poultry processing establishments in Ohio (Ohio Department of Agriculture, n.d.-b).
- Cornish cross broilers should be butchered at 6 to 8 weeks (about 2 months old). Slower-growing breeds should be butchered at 10 to 12 weeks (about 3 months old). At market weight, the birds will weigh approximately 6 pounds, and the carcass will dress between 2.5 and 3.5 pounds.
Planning Your Enterprise Budget
Budgeting is the building block for any successful business. It allows you to evaluate options, gauge risks, and provide input. By determining how much each bird costs to raise, including equipment, feed, and bedding, you will be able to price your product for profit. If you are looking to expand your already existing meat chicken operation into a larger enterprise, consider taking the farm financial management online course, “Farm On” (The Ohio State University, n.d.-b). This self-paced, on-demand, farm financial management course was created by the Ohio State University Extension, Farm Office team. The course complies with the regulations of the new Ohio House Bill 95, Beginning Farmer Tax Credit program (Ohio Department of Agriculture, n.d.-a), and it meets the borrower training requirements for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Loan Program (Farm Service Agency, n.d.).
Equipment
What equipment do you have and what do you still need? If you are going to include equipment costs in the final cost per bird, remember that your equipment will be used for several years. If a coop costs you $300 for six terminal birds but will be used for 10 years of production, the cost of that coop should be included in each year's bird cost. The same should be considered for feeders, waterers, and any other long-lasting equipment.
Housing/Brooding
You do not need a fancy setup to brood and raise broilers. When brooding, house chicks in a barn, mobile chicken coop, or similar structure.
Feed/Bedding
Prices vary depending on the type of feed/bedding you purchase and where you purchase it.
- Approximately $25 for a 50-pound bag of feed.
- Each bag of pine shavings costs approximately $5.
Feeders/Waterers
Numerous feeders and waterers can be used for raising chickens. You can use plastic or metal, freestanding or hanging, and buckets or feeding troughs. All of these work the same, and none of them are better than the others. The cost will vary depending on what material type and size is purchased.
- Feeders and waterers range from $25 to $50.
Purchasing Chicks
Costs vary depending on the location you purchase from, the breed you purchase, if you have your chicks sexed (determined to be male or female), or if you purchase them as straight run (bought not sexed—mix of male or female).
- Approximately $3.37 for each chick.
Processing Chickens
Cost will vary depending on how you want the meat processed (whole/quartered, etc.) and packaged.
- Approximately $5.50 to process each chicken.
Storage of Meat
Do you have enough freezer space? Do you need to purchase a freezer or rent freezer space?
- A 19-cubic-foot upright freezer costs approximately $1,200.
- Renting freezer space for one-month costs approximately $4,000.
Transportation to Sell the Product
Where will you sell your product?
- If meat is being transported for sale at another location, maintaining the correct temperature during transport through the time of sale is essential. Having a refrigerated truck/trailer that can hold the correct temperature over an extended period could be beneficial but is not necessary. Portable coolers, ice packs, and a thermometer will work to hold and monitor the temperature. Make sure a thermometer is available to check that your storage method keeps a constant temperature. Work with your local health department on proper transportation requirements.
Care
Brooding refers to the growing period of a chick. Brooding is an important time when raising chickens. Brooding occurs in the first five to six weeks of the chick’s life or until the chicken has feathered out and is able to maintain its body temperature. Brooding or using a brooder refers to the area/space where the chick is housed and kept at a proper temperature until it can maintain its own body temperature and live without a heat source. Follow approved guidelines on how to care for your brooding chicks:
- Be sure to sterilize your brooding area at least two weeks prior to getting chicks.
- Heat is the key for the first six weeks (about one and a half months) of a chick’s life. Brooding chicks is the best way to keep them warm. Start at 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit and decrease the temperature by 5 degrees each week. Test the temperature at 2 inches below the heating lamp’s bulb.
- Listen to your chicks and check their body language to determine if the temperature is right. If the chicks are panting, spread apart, and stretched, they are too hot. If the chicks are crowding together and making a lot of noise, they may need more heat.
Always check the surface temperature and structure of the heat lamp when you check on the chicks. Heat lamps can be a fire hazard in the barn or home. Be certain to clean dust and dander off heat lamps and keep them from having contact with the birds, bedding, or the structure, to prevent a fire.
New chicks will need to be shown how to eat and drink. After placing them in the brooding area, dip their beaks into the food and water, and then wait to make sure they start to eat and drink. Placing the feeders and waterers on the ground and then slowly raising them as the birds grow ensures that the birds can reach their food and water, and not contaminate them.
Wood shavings mixed with straw is the simplest bedding.
- Straw does not absorb well; therefore, always mix with wood shavings.
- Remove wet and caked litter from the floor as needed to keep the brooder dry and ensure the chickens are comfortable.
- If you are housing chicks on grass, move the structure to new grass every two to three days. Too much humidity or the smell of wet, dirty bedding irritates the birds and can rapidly lead to pneumonia or the growth of harmful bacteria.
If you are interested in increasing your knowledge on raising chickens and looking for more resources about caring for chickens, brooding, husbandry, nutrition housing, egg production, health, and biosecurity, consider taking the Backyard Poultry Certificate Course (Ohio State University Extension, n.d.-a).
Feeders and Waterers
When selecting feeders and waterers, keep in mind that broiler chicks grow quickly. As they grow, their feeding and watering space—and the size of their feeders and waterers—will need to increase to meet their needs.
Losing a small percentage of your flock early is common. The sudden death of a chick or chicken can be for various reasons. The Merck Veterinary Manual (n.d.) provides information on possible reasons for the sudden death of a chick or chicken. Always follow guidelines that support the health of chicks or chickens:
- Provide clean water daily!
- Place a platform under waterers (board, cement block, etc.) to keep water free of litter. Automatic waterers save time and are less of a mess.
- Gravity-fed water jugs are easy to use and come in assorted sizes.
- Apply clean bedding around waterers frequently to avoid ammonia buildup in the room. Add bedding as needed to keep chicks clean and dry.
- Plastic or metal feeders and waterers work efficiently. You can use hanging-type feeders and adjust the height as the chickens grow. These feeders are suspended from the ceiling or a hook in a chicken tractor. Using this type of feeder keeps the food cleaner.
- Provide 1 inch of feeder space per chick through their first four weeks of life. After four weeks, provide 3 inches of feeder space per bird. This may require the use of multiple feeders.
What to Feed
A 22%, start-to-finish, meat-bird blend can be used to feed birds for the first six to eight weeks of their life.
- High-energy broiler feeds can lead to leg problems and breast blisters. To prevent these issues, only feed birds during the day.
- Heat stresses chickens. Avoid feeding when temperatures are above 85–90 F.
- Circulate the air with a fan on extremely hot days.
Housing
Providing proper and sanitary shelter is very important to ensure adequate growth of broilers. No matter what type of housing is used, make sure it is big enough to accommodate the birds as they grow. The bigger the birds, the more space they need. At maturity, each bird needs approximately 2 square feet of space.
Brooding Requirements
| Age of Chick | Temperature (degrees Fahrenheit) | Floor Space (square feet per bird) | Feeder Space (inches per bird) | Water Space (inches per chick) |
| Week 0–1 | 91–95 F | 1/4 | 1 | 1/2 |
| 1–2 | 90–85 F | 1/4 | 1 | 1/2 |
| 2–3 | 85–80 F | 1/2 | 1–1 1/2 | 1/2 |
| 4–5 | 80–75 F | 3/4 | 2 | 1/2 |
| 5–6 | 70 F–Room Temperature | 1 | 2 | 3/4 |
When transitioning from brooder to coop/grow-out pen, keep the temperature as close to 70 F as possible. This helps the birds acclimate to their new environment.
Watch the birds in the brooder to help determine if they are hot or cold. Hot birds will pant, drink excess water, and stay on the outside of the brooder away from the heating source. If they are cold, they will huddle together underneath the heating source and breathe with an open mouth. Happy birds chirp, drink, eat, and move around freely.
Broilers can be kept in cages or in cage-free facilities. In a cage-free facility, the birds move around freely in either pens or an open floor plan. No matter what type of facility houses the birds, they must have access to an adequate amount of fresh, clean water and feed.
Prevention of Disease
Biosecurity and sanitation are important in poultry production. Below are several starting points, but the Dynamics of Poultry Diseases fact sheet (Landim de Barros & McDermott, 2022) offers more strategies.
- Clean the waterers every day by rinsing with water and scrubbing if needed. Remove litter or foreign objects from the feeders and waterers.
- Avoid letting visitors and pets in the pen with your chickens.
- As the producer, be certain that the footwear worn in the chicken pen is not worn into other poultry facilities.
- Keep chickens isolated from other poultry, migratory waterfowl, and any other avian species.
- Wash your hands and arms before and after interacting with the birds or their equipment.
- Clean the pen/bedding as needed to avoid wet spots, piles, and dirty litter.
- Clean the equipment regularly.
- Disinfect the equipment between each new flock and try to avoid using the same equipment that is used with the other animals and poultry on your farm.
Additional Resources
- Raising chickens for meat
- Breed spotlight: Freedom ranger chickens
- Brooding and space requirements for poultry
- Dynamics of poultry disease – What can be done to prevent diseases?
- Ohio Poultry Association
References
Farm Service Agency. (n.d.). Beginning farmers and ranchers loans. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
fsa.usda.gov/resources/beginning-farmers-and-ranchers-loans
Landim de Barros, T., & McDermott, T. (2022). Dynamics of poultry disease – What can be done to prevent disease? [Fact sheet] Animal Sciences; College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences; The Ohio State University.
bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/u.osu.edu/dist/3/28706/files/2023/01/Poultry-Diseases-Factsheet-AS-P-3-22.pdf
Merck Veterinary Manual. (n.d.). Veterinary topics. Merck & Co., Inc.
merckvetmanual.com/veterinary-topics
National Poultry Improvement Plan. (n.d.).
poultryimprovement.org
Ohio Department of Agriculture (n.d.-a). Beginning farmer tax credit program.
agri.ohio.gov/programs/farmland-preservation-office/Beginning-Farmer-Tax-Credit-Program/Beginning-Farmer-Tax-Credit
Ohio Department of Agriculture. (n.d.-b). Licensed Poultry Processing Establishments in Ohio.
Schirtzinger, S., & McDermott, T. (2017). Chicken breed selection [Fact sheet]. Ohioline. Ohio State University Extension.
ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-60
The Ohio State University. (n.d.-a). Backyard poultry certificate course.
cfaesosu.catalog.instructure.com/courses/backyard-poultry-certificate-course
The Ohio State University. (n.d.-b). Farm on: OSU farm financial management course.
cfaesosu.catalog.instructure.com/courses/farm-on-osu-farm-financial-management-course-w25