2023-03-01
Our Freshman Fryers

March 1, 2023

Our Freshman Fryers

Our first batch of meat birds in 2023 arrived today. As with our chickens from last year, we ordered 50 Cornish Cross Chickens broilers, which will be ready to harvest in 8-10 weeks. After processing two batches we have determined that the sweet spot is 9 weeks, so that our Freshman Class of 2023 should be ready for harvesting the first week of May.

In addition to having two custom-built "chicken tractors" built that allow us to keep the birds out in the open air upon maturity, so that they can free-range help convert our desert sand and dirt into soil with organic elements likes straw and manure, we are also giving this batch a special brand of feed.

Our Special Organic Feed

In 2023, we will enhance the health of chickens by feeding a special blend using Joel Salatin’s recipe from his book Pastured Poultry Profit.

Our homemade recipe will include:

• Dried Corn (52%) – Corn is a good source of carbohydrates in chicken feed and one of the crops you could grow on your own. 

• Roasted Soybeans (29%) – Roasted soybeans smell like peanut butter and taste good. Soybeans are a great source of protein.

• Crimped Oats (11%) – It is recommended to crimp or roll your oats rather than grind them. Crimped oats are made by taking whole oats and partially flattening them. This damages the husk making them slightly easier to consume. Oats contain protein and carbohydrates but are also a good fiber source.

• Feed Grade Limestone or Aragonite (1%) – Aragonite is made from ground oyster shells and provides calcium to your chickens. 

• Fertrell Nutri-Balancer (3%) – Fertrell Nutri-Balancer is a natural source of all the vitamins and minerals that chickens need. 

• Fish Meal (3.5%) – Joel Salatin prefers the Sea-Lac fish meal because they process it with low heat, preserving the vitamins and minerals. Fish meal is an excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals.

• Kelp Meal (.5%) – Use a kelp meal grown in cold water and dried geothermally. This way of processing helps to preserve the minerals. Kelp meal contains over 60 minerals, including amino acids, calcium, sulfur, magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc and copper. 

• Fastrack Probiotic (1%) – Probiotics boost the immune system and promote good digestion. 

For more information, check out Mixing Your Own Chicken Feed on AbundantPermaculture.com. 

If you are interested in purchasing one of our chickens, please contact our Director of Farm Operations, Nina Listro at nina@chelenzofarms.com.