Last year we raised a couple dozen 'meat chickens.' It was fun, interesting, and a great experience.It cost us about $13 per bird to raise them, not including the equipment (feeders, coop, etc) we had to build or buy.
This year we are trying something different. A "manure-less" option...
We bought 6 rotissery chickens from Costco - $4.99 each. Already killed, cleaned, cooked, and still warm.
We removed all the meat, packed it in jars, and made broth from the remains.Those 6 birds filled 11 Quart jars. We got another 6 + quarts of broth.
Economically this worked out to be about 25% less expensive than the cost of raising our Cornish-Cross birds.
We also decided to test out our new "reusable" canning lids with the chicken, because the meat is greasy and "worst case" testing for the lids.These reusable lids are great - check them out at http://reusablecanninglids.com
The jars all sealed well. They are about 2-3X more expensive than regular (one-time use) lids, and should pay off over the next few years.No risk of inflation with these...
The chicken turned out fantastic. Definitely the best way to put up alot of meat for the winter. No mess or effort in having to raise (and butcher) the birds.
