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Welcome to the wonderful and rewarding experience of raising your own meat birds.
There is absolutely no comparison between the poultry you buy in the local supermarket and ones raised on a small local farm and sold at farm gate.
Raising meat birds requires very little effort for your return and can be achieved even on a small agricultural property, so it is perfect for the hobby or part time farmer.
Below are some hints, tricks and resources to help you get started.
- Chickens - Chicks take about 8 weeks to raise and be ready for production
- You can order your chicks, supplies, and feed from the companies listed below
- When your chicks arrive place them in a sectioned off smaller but well ventilated
section of your coop area for ease of heating
- You will need some heat lamps for the first couple of weeks as the chicks are
quite sensitive to cold and drafts
- Remove chicks one at a time from the transport box and dip each chicks beak in
the water feeder so they know where it is
- Provide a long enough feed trough so that all the chicks may eat at once
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Regulatory Associations
Chicken Marketing Board
For $20, a Small Lot Producers Permit issued by the Chicken Marketing Board allows the permit holder to grow up to 3,000 kilograms of chicken per year.
BC Turkey Growers
Anyone producing more than 25 turkeys falls under the BC Turkey Association’s jurisdiction, and may require a Direct Vendor Permit allowing the sale of turkey (for example: at Farmers market or Farm-Gate).
Flock Management
"The Modern American Free-Range System"
This site contains the complete list of resource materials available from Herman Chenoweth on his revolutionary free-range farm system.
Melvin L. Hamre
In his article, “The Small Flock for Poultry Meat,” Melvin L. Hamre suggests economic considerations, as well as good flock management practices.
Raising Chickens
This site by Don De Beyer is comprised of links to various poultry-producing resources.
CHICKEN FEED
This site outlines the benefits of Grass-Fed Chickens & Pastured Poultry.
Hatcheries and Supplies
Rossdown Farms Ltd
Rochester Hatchery
Miller Hatcheries
Buckerfields Ltd
Princess Auto
Surecrop Feeds
Brite Land
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