That's a question we have gotten quite often, and we wanted to share the many factors that went into our decision with you.
We want:
- Our boys to know the hard work that goes into growing your own food and to be able to taste the deliciousness when fruits and vegetables and meats are super fresh.
- To use it as an opportunity for learning and to teach the boys how plants grow and what it takes to raise animals.
- Our boys to understand what it means when you choose to eat meat. We want them to know there is more to it than just grabbing a chicken or a turkey from the freezer at the grocery store. At 3 and 5, we are keeping it super simple right now, but we want them to realize that if you choose to be an omnivore, it requires raising other living things for the purpose of eating them.
- To know what we are eating, how it was grown or raised, and what it has been fed or treated with. Avoiding GMO's and non-essential chemicals is a huge reason for this.
- To be more self-sufficent and be able to rely on ourselves for a large portion of our food.
- And, let's be honest - a huge reason for growing and raising our own food is cost savings. We have two growing boys, who love to eat....and, as they get older, I'm sure that isn't going to change! They already, at 3 and 5, can easily eat as much (or more) than me...we are soooo doomed when they are teenagers!
So, that's why we chose to raise meat chickens....but why cornish cross? Well, they are one of the most widely available meat chickens and from everything we'd read the best choice for our first year. After our first experience with them, we definitely learned a few things along the way:
Pros
- Grow quickly (super quickly actually...we got them right around July 4 and they were processed the weekend of Labor Day).
- Tasty! The boys agree!
Cons
- They are not smart. Seriously. I know not every animal can be the brightest, but they are really lacking in the intelligence department. I mean, they were terrified when we gave them yummy treats like our other chickens (what chicken in it's right mind would run away from watermelon or lettuce?!?)
- They eat so. much. food. Our birds had the ability to forage on grass, but did they? No, of course not (see number 1).
- Poop. They poop. A lot. I know, I know...chickens do that, right? Yeah, well...think of how much any normal living being should defecate and multiply that by about 1,000 and then you're close. Almost. Apparently, that's what happens when you eat so much...
- They are predisposed to cardiac failure, ascites and other health issues. We lost 2 overall out of 15....a 13% loss. We hear average is about 30% loss, so not too bad.
So, would we raise them again? The jury is still out... We will definitely raise meat chickens again, but whether or not we will raise cornish cross is still up in the air.
