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Chicken School - A Dilemma

Posted at 12:37 PM on May 27, 2008 by Donna McClurkan (7 Comments)

Chicken School officially started two months ago with the arrival of our day-old chicks.

Carrie is teaching me how to raise two types of chickens. One is a hybrid called The Hubbard White Mountain Broiler, also known as the "Cornish Cross." As described in the hatchery brochure these meat birds are "quiet, fast-growing and make excellent roasters" - all reasons why this is the bird of choice for supermarkets and the fast food industry. To reach slaughtering size quickly, these birds are typically fed a high protein diet, the consequences of which are highlighted here.

The second breed we are raising is the Black Australorp, considered "dual purpose" (good egg layers and good to eat). Our chicks are just now starting to get the "intense beetle-green sheen" as described here, and they are beautiful, alert and curious. Everything about these black birds sharply contrasts with the meat birds. The difference in size is considerable as you can see in this photo, taken when both birds were 20 days old.
Also, the Australorps are skittish, and scatter quickly in response to the slightest noise or motion: "everything is an emergency!," according to Carrie. The broilers, on the other hand, are docile and slow moving. I worry about stepping on them.

Here is a more recent photo of both birds:

I struggle with the idea of raising the meat birds. These hybrids are no different than the birds raised for "big box" grocers and innumerable fast-food outlets. Am I perpetuating some of the bad aspects of the conventional food system? Don't my efforts conflict with Sy Montgomery's challenge in my first post back in January to "...vote with every meal...."?

For me, the way to reconcile this dilemma is by focusing on HOW we are raising these chickens. They are well cared for, with plenty of room to stretch and flap and walk around. They eat high-quality feed, lower in protein than what hybrids are fed commercially, to slow the rate at which they grow. They get lots of exercise, which keeps their legs strong. Now that it's warm enough, they are outside. They have access to clean water.

Our meat birds might be the same genetically, but I know their (approximate) 10-week-long lives will be much different than their industrial farm sisters' experience.

I think that counts for something.

Comments (7)

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You're doing great with those chickens. We don't raise chickens now, but when we did, we were interested in good egg production, good 'parenting skills,' and good meat. After some research and a couple of years of trial-and-error, we settled on Buff Orpingtons, a beautiful and calm (for a chicken) bird. We had a few other kinds, too, just to keep things interesting, but the Buffs were wonderful. Good luck!

Posted by Cher | May 30, 2008 4:52 PM

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Hi Cher - I will check on the Buff O's you recommend. Thanks for the suggestion!
Donna

Posted by Donna McClurkan | June 2, 2008 4:53 AM

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Donna,

I raised 10 cornish cross last year and noticed all of the problems mentioned. I kept one rooster
around as preditors had taken my first choice which was a white brama. Unfortunately, floppy, whose comb floped jauntily died of what I suspect was a heart attack at the premature age of about six months and tipping the scales at around forteen lbs. I ordered about 50 chicks of various breeds this spring but no cornish cross.
Many of the other breeds seem much smarter and more natural.

Posted by Mike L | June 2, 2008 8:44 PM

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Hi Mike - have you heard of Vantress X Cross? A friend recommended this kind of meat bird and describes them as "more spirited" than the Cornish X + they forage. In other words, they act like chickens.
Donna

Posted by Donna McClurkan | June 3, 2008 7:43 AM

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I live in El Reno, too, and was delighted to see one of our residents here. I have a small, organic veg garden my son-in-law dug for me - mainly for tomatoes.

Posted by Astrid Lee | June 3, 2008 12:41 PM

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I, too, am raising 6 Cornish Cross side-by-side with 9 dual-purpose chicks (6 Rhode Island Red, 3 Americauna), meant to be saved as layers, for the first time this year. The crosses quickly surpassed the layers, and I kept them separated until all were mature enough to go outside. Plastic storage bins in the garage, hauled into the sunshine during the day (when warm enough) worked pretty well. Now they are in a large outdoor pen, with plenty of room to wander around, but still tend to stick with their own kind. At 6 weeks, the crosses completely dwarf the layers.

The layers act "like real birds", or at least as I remember chickens as a child- curious, intelligent, and adventurous. They climb the branches I've put in their pen, and attack any greens and leaves I toss in immediately. On the other hand, the crosses tend to sit around and still want to eat from the baby chick feeder, so I had to switch their food allotments- the adult food goes in the chick feeder, the layer chick food in the big trough, and everyone is happy. To buy organic feed, though, I had to drive to Modesto Milling's mill (45 minutes away) and buy directly, because they are not distributed anywhere locally!

Best of luck with your brood, Sarah

Posted by Sarah | June 3, 2008 5:48 PM

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Astrid - thanks for your comment. Good luck with your garden!
Sarah - it sounds like you are experiencing exactly the same thing as we are with the layers vs. Cornish X's. You mention your organic feed challenges, and we have the same situation in terms of having to drive a long distance. Sadly, some of the mills are going out of business due to the increasingly out-of-reach costs for high quality feed. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.
Donna

Posted by Donna McClurkan | June 3, 2008 7:46 PM