The end of the road is here for your favorite feathered friends. 

The chicks are now eight weeks old. The harvest date is soon approaching.

They are now young adult birds. They are finished growing and are ready to fulfill their purpose of feeding my family.

The Past 8 Weeks

Eight short weeks ago, I picked up these little boogers from the post office. They were snug as bugs inside a shipping box.

I will admit, they were so cute when we first got them.

Over the past several weeks, the chicks grew and grew. They ate and ate.

They grew and ate until there was no room for them in their starter pen. So, we moved them to a larger tank.

That new tank did not hold them for long. The chicks continued to eat until we had to move them again.

Finally, after just four weeks the chicks were in their finishing pen. I started limit feeding them  to prevent health problems.

They rebelled. They killed two of their friends.

I also lost a chick due to poor leg circulation. Only one, though, thankfully.

3 Reasons I’m Ready to Harvest the Meat Birds

1. The birds are at their finishing points – There’s no way they will live much longer. This point in their life, they are in their prime condition. As they continue to live, the birds will develop heart conditions and leg circulation issues. They bigger they become, the more problems they will have with their health.There’s absolutely no way to keep them alive for much longer. They will die eventually on their own anyways.
2. I’m ready for fresh chicken – My freezer has been without chicken for months. I’m going through withdrawals.Stir fry. Chicken & rice. Chicken & noodles. Hot Wings.Yum! Stay tuned for some amazing chicken recipes.

   Follow my chicken recipe Pinterest board.

3. Fulfilling their purpose – Everyone and everything has a purpose. The purpose of these birds has always been to eat them when they are ready.That time is now.

   I never intended to become attached to the birds or to make them pets. They’ve always looked like chicken nuggets to me.

   It’s their purpose in life to feed my family. We will honor their service by harvesting them humanely.

They were made to feed us. 

There’s no turning back now. They’ve lived their life as full as a bird can live.

I’ve given them food, shelter and safety.

Now, they will give back to me and my family by feeding us nutritious protein.

~ Much Love ~