How to Rock at Raising Chickens (Why You Aren’t as Good as You Think)
You know, we’ve got this raising chickens business down pat. I mean we’ve been doing it for what? Eight years? We rarely kill them anymore (when it isn’t on purpose that is.) And when one does die, we can typically find a way to blame a child for it. We usually get enough of the eggs before Egg Suck Dog finds them. And we usually break about even financially so that we raise our eggs just as cheap as we could buy them at the store (only healthier because of the varied diet our hens have.) That’s all there is to it, right? So what do I need to watch a video on chicken raising for?
How to Rock at Raising Chickens (Why You Aren’t as Good as You Think)
With the recommendation of a close homesteading friend of mine, I looked up Justin Rhodes at Abundance+ as well as Joel Salatin of Poly Face Farms (also featured on Abundance+). These men have a wealth of information for not just homesteading, but also how to make money from it. You may not be looking to go into business, but fact of the matter is that homesteading, particularly raising animals, cost money.
All that to say, that though I thought I had raising chickens down, there was so much I didn’t know! After watching Abundance+ (I may have even binged watched trying to take in as much as I could), I was learning so much.
On Abundance+, I found the Permaculture Chickens documentary. Let me tell you: The content is invaluable! This stuff is pure GOLD! Here is the trailer.
Justin ROCKS at raising chickens. And taught me that we aren’t as good at it as we thought. I wish I knew this stuff from the beginning and that’s why I’m so eager to tell you about how to get your hands on this material. If you’re just starting out new with chickens you will learn how to raise them well from day one. If you’re a seasoned pro, you will learn how to raise chickens better.
We can rock! Just like Justin!
Permaculture Chickens has solved so many problems that we’ve experienced (or will be experiencing) on our farm as we look for ways to reduce our feed bill, increase production, and put our flock to work. There are so many fantastic ideas in this film that I’ve never heard of before! (Maggot bucket! Genius!! Now THAT is Homestead Waste Management!)
I shared with you last year how we are cooping up our formerly-free-ranging flock this year and, I’ll be honest, I’ve worried night and day about what that would do to our feed bill. I knew we could put them to work, integrate some edible landscaping, etc. and still keep it down but I lacked a plan, I needed a blueprint and now I have one. And it is going to make all the difference in the world as to whether we have $1/dozen eggs or $5/dozen this year and whether or not our chickens are still as happy as they were in their former days of freedom.
Justin doesn’t just give you ideas either.
He gives you the nuts and bolts of how he integrates these systems on his farm so you’re not left with many questions about how to make it work on yours. And his enthusiasm and passion is not only contagious but makes you think it might be fun for your families to get together over a bowl of some of that Mint Vanilla Bean Ice Cream recipe (made with farm fresh yolks of course) that is shared in the film while your kids run around the backyard. Perhaps getting yelled at for chasing chickens.
He covers all of the topics you’ll ever need to know about raising chickens (broiler or layer) including:
•Supplies
•Getting Started (Check out my tips for choosing chicken breeds)
•Brooding
•Housing
•Breeding
•Butchering
•Reducing Your Feed Bill
•Making Compost
•Recipes and more!
Here’s what you’ll learn inside the videos…
- Everything Chickens can do for you (hint, hint… much more than eggs and meat).
- How to easily get started (in just one weekend).
- DIY mobile chicken coops.
- Cut feed costs 100%.
- How he can teach you EVERYTHING, you need to know about raising chickens (in one evening).
Plus, he’s offering these BONUSES:
- “Why Chickens” micro-documentary with Joel Salatin, Pat Foreman, and Lisa Steele.
- Access to the “Getting Started” chapter (15 minutes) of the movie, “Permaculture Chickens”.
- DIY mobile coop plans for a ChickShaw and Chicken Tractor.
- PDF action plan for cutting feed costs 100% with compost.
Along with this, I would recommend my Homestead Management Printables (Perfect for recording those dwindling feed costs and keeping track of how many eggs your gals are laying.)
Can’t I just watch the Abundant Permaculture vlogs?
That’s a great question! If you get to see the in’s and out’s of everyday life on his farm, you may be wondering if this is just going to be the same stuff you watch Justin do every day. We love watching the daily vlogs too! And while he may touch on these topics covered in Permaculture Chickens here and there, you’re just not going to find this kind of in-depth, step-by-step, information on their YouTube channel.
This documentary is for the YouTube fans too!
Sign up for Abundance+ HERE. Use the code: REFACRES and save 10%!
(Because feeding chickens is not free, it’s worth your time simply to get access to the strategies to throw your feed bill in the trash.)
Ultimately, Permaculture Chickens left me pondering how good animal husbandry is more than just keeping your chickens healthy and alive in a natural habitat, allowing them to be chickens, and then gathering in the harvest. Careful animal husbandry ought to also include thoughtful system integration and management. Sure that takes more planning and forethought at first but in the end not only will you have happier, productive chickens, but you’ll also reap the benefits from your new fluffy bottomed workforce.
This year, I’m going to ROCK raising chickens. Are you?
Last update on 2025-02-17 at 17:11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
I love this! Chickens aren't in the budget for us just yet, sadly I just got laid off so we'll have to wait until next year. But I love anything that'll help prepare us for when we can get them.