Ben and Meg, just to quote you guys; "It was organic, non GMO and soy free" means that your birds were better fed than most Americans!!! From the industrious labour of yesterday, you both look fab. and I love how in touch with Mother earth your boys are. Real, real nature's children!!! Few and far between. Well done, all of you and great to see the male bonding with Art!! "Ducks suck to pluck" should go down in the annals of homesteading from Bri!! Leave it to them to explain the reality of homesteading. Love those guys.
Your boys are getting such an incredible education from their hero dad. Your little guy watches you like a hawk and so he is obviously wanting to follow in your footsteps. God Bless you guys, Meg, you are looking so good. I wish you the easiest birth.
As a city girl, I love learning about your homestead!! You guys are the epitome of how our Country was built! 59 birds into the freezer is a very BIG grocery haul🥰🥰!!
I really want to thank you guys I have been learning a lot from your family and friends and right now I’m stuck between mobile home or yurt lol Thank you
Oh, Ben, that was a sharp knife ! My hubby used to do that to test his knives for sharpness, too....and Meg, remember all the bone broth that you will be able to get out of all those birds !!!! Enjoy !
Marg, that was the part that made me cringe despite the fact I did my nurses training way back in the 1970's!!! Nothing else would disturb like that!! Despite that, I hope to order one of Ben's knives when he has the time to establish himself. I reckon they will be a collector's item in time, in Homesteading. Would love my grandchildren to appreciate and notice what they have missed.
Hey guys! Great job! From the research I’ve done, if you can find duck or geese, they run $9/#. So good job. I’m sticking to the Salatin style tractor. The wind in Oklahoma is too vicious for the Rhodes version. I am taking them all down to 18” high, though. Meat birds don’t need 2’ high spaces.
Bottom line they also gave you back income because of the land prep they provided which if you had to do buying compost, and the many other things required to do land prep. You would have paid significantly more out of pocket. Even if you only took $1.00 off the cost per bird or $.75 their cost compared to buying Organic, pasture-raised birds etc. I think you did pretty well. Thanks for the breakdown.
A hard day’s work shared with friends makes for a bountiful and ethical harvest. Also may I add you are getting mighty close to a silver play button!! 😉
Thanks for the great video and the numbers breakdown. Even if the birds were a bit more expensive...knowing where they came from and how they were produced is well worth it.
We wonder all the time of raising our food is really worth it...money wise food is so cheap...but if you add in all the ethics and all the other benefit you get from growing your own food...it really is priceless. 😊 love you guys! We will be processing in about a month!
I like how everyone has been getting together to harvest chickens lately. And filming different aspects of the same day. Watched art and bri earlier and now yalls vid. No disappoint at all. The NC homesteading RU-vid community is some of my favorite RU-vid videos to watch. Such a wholesome bunch of folks that help others in anyway they can. Kudos to y'all. I look forward to many more wonderful videos from y'all.
Agree completely. I don't watch the butchering, something I would have to really think about. I get attached. Love raising them for eggs but then they are pets. My goal is to get some mini Jerseys for milk, cheese, etc. Chickens for eggs, a few goats for cheese, soap, whatever and I'll keep buying my meat. My daughter says she would have no problem processing but we'll see. My garden is my price and not and I can't wait to move and get some more land to really grow everything (except Okra 😁).
No wonder you guys settled on NC. Such a GREAT community of life as it should be. Makes me want to move there! Seriously! Thank you for sharing your experiences ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
If you want a heavier meat bird if you're selling to make a living buy some speckled rice and cook it and add it to the chicken feed, it makes them heavier and cut down on feed cost. Try it.
Soak the feed and make sure they have grit - they will absorb nutrients better and need less too! Add the cooked rice and greens and forage - bigger birds for less! TFS~~
Rebecca Henkins soaked feed is a myth in fact Iv found soaked feed just means less water bowl consumption, see the food is designed to expand with water for instance a bird can eat 80grams of food so if 20% of that is water when it's soaked it means the bird is really only getting about 65gram of food, however the dry food bird will eat 80gram and therefore would grow quicker because it can absorb more nutrients, I do agree of you soak the feed in water it looks like there is more food but it doesn't work that way
Wow, 58 birds! I just love how your youngest son follows daddy all over the place, ready to help out with everything. That makes my heart smile.🥰 God bless you all.🤗🙏💖
Thank you so much for sharing your information. I would love to totally see the whole butchering process. Maybe in the future you could show that but put a huge disclaimer about what's to come for those who don't want to see. There's nothing like raising your own food whether it's meat or veggies/fruit! Congrats on a great accomplishment. I love watching all of your videos. You two are such a wonderful couple and family.
Thank you so much for the breakdown of the cost of raising meat birds. I agree with getting a different kind of bird holder. I bet you will come up with a new kind of Mobil chicken holder. I’m thinking like a robo converting box. You guys did really good. So nice to see how far you guys are coming in the homestead. Please make a target or amazon wish list for the baby... we want to help xx
Love watching you guys! It's almost time for my move back to the farm and am looking forward to the final retirement (my second). You need to reduce your feed costs by planting feed patches of things like red clover, alfalfa, and buckwheat rather than specialty feeds. There are plenty of feed plants that'll give you healthy chickens. Of course, my world is not the same as yours in regards to choices. I eat any old chicken I can get LOL! But still, feed plots are totally organic, self-replicating (they can reseed themselves), near zero maintenance (except mowing time) and also serve other purposes, like buckwheat for flour and alfalfa for the other critters as well. Also, all 3 of these plus white clover and goldenrod are great for bees should you try that venture.
You guys are doing fantastic work. Thank you for sharing this information. It helps folks like us who are considering different types of livestock animals. Sometimes having the numbers helps to decide to shift resources in a different direction. Congratulations on a successful “harvest”.
I plucked a turkey once when I was youngster, after that every bird rather domestic or game for ever more was skinned feathers and all. Screw that plucking stuff.
So how long will thatv(59 birds) 264# of meat last... Knowing you'll eat other meats during the weeks. Just curious how many weeks of food you'll have.
I get my feed in Statesville at G & M milling (unmedicated starter) I forgot the price but its about half the price of Reedy Fork and I found its better than TSC (purina) or Southern States (Meat Bird) when it comes to Feed Conversion Ratio. For those who need to pinch pennies thats the best feed option in West Central NC.
Thank you so much for sharing your views and outcome with us. I so look forward to your videos. We are raising 70+ C-monsters ourselves and splitting the costs with good friends who have a child that needed major surgery this year. Community is so important. Blessings And as a 40+ year goat breeder, it is always awesome to sell to someone that that carries on our good name in the show rings. :-)
Hoping that child will no longer require costly surgery in the future. Are you aware that a lot of 'clued up' americans come to Europe where health facilities and surgery is mostly free? I feel that you are all being ripped off tremendously. The injustice of society doesn't help so this is a heads up. Head for the countries that are part of the European Union.
What a beautiful thing to share the cost, the work and all the bounty. Working together is awesome, I love Art and Bri...blessings to both families 🙏🏻💖
I remember "chicken harvest day" back when my grandpa had them...I HATED plucking those things!! But they were the BEST tasting chickens I've ever put in my mouth!! Blessings 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟☝️💝☝️💝☝️
So fun to watch! We've been butchering for years but next year will be the first year on our property and is so exciting but makes a little nervous too! Thanks for your positive outlook on all you do it always makes our day!
We just put in our Hugelkultur raised beds. We have 2 dozen or more meat birds at another Homesteaders Property. This reminds me of whats to come. That sharp Knife though. So everyone knows....HE KNOWS KNIVES! Our Permaculture Property is Bumping along in its infancy! LOVE ME SOME HOLLARS! HI MEG! Baby Bump!
That's definitely worth it for a clean eating well treated Bird. Like you said your spending alot on a small Bird and you have a large family to feed. All Boys buying tiny chickens for 20 .oo$ that's huge. Great Job ! JO JO IN VT 💕😄
Man I’m blessed. I get my non gmo feed from a local farmer for 15/bag and my birds for around 1.20 ea. I usually avg 7.00-8.00 per bird (depending on losses) with cost of bags and labels. The feed from the farm store smells like urine to me when compared to the feed I get from the farmer, it smells so good I want to eat it.
its worth it in the security of knowing how the birds were raised and fed. I just bought 2 whole chickens from WM and it cost 12.oo but its not organic, God knows where and how it was raised or what they were fed. Bless yall.
Don’t you have regulations on how animals are raised and feed in the us? I always hear this argument for growing your own animals, but to me living in Norway where the rules for growing food and raising animals are so strict , (that every cow even have to have its own mattress to sleep on if she’s in the barn during winter)( pet rabbits aren’t even allowed to be kept I cages) that’s so strange.. don’t get me wrong, my dream is to raise my own animals too, but I’m not very worried about the meat , dairy, eggs or vegetables I buy in the store. I know no gmo is allowed, milk with antibiotic residue can’t be sold. Meat containing a lot of fat is not sold . Egg laying chickens have to be free range. Pesticides are very restricted and so on.. so are additives to our processed food.
Excellent!!! Loved the video, and price break down. I can imagine all the equipment would add up in the beginning as well, then pay for itself in years to come with additional bird harvests. I was at Sprouts Natural Food store, a organic chicken would cost us $28.00 for a 5 pound bird. I passed on buying several because I felt it was a bit pricey at the time to buy 3 at once. Sending hugs to y'all.
Love you guys! "Found" you a few weeks ago through Roots and Refuge and went back to the first videos on YT of y'all's and just recently caught up to current times. Love your content. Love your family and the inspiration your provide! Keep up the awesome job.
These chickens are too expensive. I can get a chicken at Walmart for $5 to 6. Who pays $15 + for a chicken! We are a retired couple and your numbers don't make sense for seniors. And then there is the abnormalities of these meat birds. You can feel good about eating organic chickens, but at the price of very unhealthy birds (heart, bones, etc.). There is a bit of hypocrisy here.
Thank you for the warning. I think y'all live a beautiful life. It's so cool watching little bits of life on your farm. It's so nice to see your kids learning so many things that will carry them to better way of working and producing healthy clean food. I myself am vegan. I became a vegan two-and-a-half years ago. I'm 5 foot 2 and I was 307 lb I was as big around as I am tall that long ago. I have three different terminal illnesses that I have to take care of but I also had a list of things that I no longer have by being a vegan. I don't have high cholesterol anymore I don't have a fatty liver my thyroid completely balanced I am not a type 2 diabetic anymore and I don't have to take medications for any of that stuff or the high blood pressure that I had either. it's proof that the food we consume from the stores and the shops in the way they raise chickens and cows and all that stuff is pure and poisons the body. Veganism was the way from me to go because I already had issues with meats. I know a lot of people don't care for vegans because the whole "they cry when you kill them and all that kind of stuff. I believe you do what you need to do to be completely healthy and if your lifestyle is a pure way of eating then you know you're doing it right because you're healthy. It's awesome that your animals are healthy. Y'all don't give them antibiotics and steroids and all that stuff that they do in the circuit of selling and buying in the stores. I guess you could say I'm one of the open-minded vegans because it doesn't bother me to watch what you guys do when you do your butchering. But I do appreciate the warning at the beginning. I live in a rental but watching y'all Art and Bri, Justin Rhodes, and a couple of other homesteader's I now have a container garden on my little patio. Thanks for teaching me how to garden.
We like our John Suscovich so far! We've modified it for laying birds so we haven't tried with meat birds and idk if it's thin enough to fit on your slopes though
What a satisfying feeling to know the meat is covered for the most part, til Meg is walking around with another Happy Hollar on her hip. I sincerely wish for your new baby to be as smart and charming as Wilder; that would be the mountain of whipped cream on the sundae 🍨
It would be great if you had a good crop of milo in a year or two to cut down feed cost. I know you're going to have your hands full with the new baby and growing boys. ❤️ Stay safe, y'all
You all did such a great job this year! I have loved watching everything you all are doing. It's been wonderful watching your journey ever since you came through my area in your travels through the pacific nw
I've thought about having an extra chicken tractor to separate some out when the are 5 to 6 weeks.. I was feeling pretty bad about how crowded my meat birds were the last few weeks.. Mine ended up being from 6 to 8.6 lbs after processing.. They were huge..so I'm def gonna do an extra tractor for my next batch
Wow wonderful love that y'all got a great harvest on y'all's bird's and nothing like a good bird you rised and love seeing the wonderful community coming together ❤️ Thanks for sharing God Bless sweet friend's ❤️ ❤️❤️
Congrats guys for getting another milestone done in your own home ! It's enjoyable to see the progress and lessons learned as you keep on your inspiring journey. Thanks for keeping it real and humane 🙂
The duck feathers have value, you could take that in to consideration for the next cull. Then there is duck l'orange....oh wow...yummy! You do have a freezer for 59 birds?
This is as interesting as the Living Traditions Homestead video on the Meat birds! You will have to check out their Nerdy Pig math! On how to weigh a pig by measuring them! They made some nice hog panel chicken coops recently. My meat birds are coming in August. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. GOD bless
Ben, I love your problem solving ease, and your boys are learning first hand from you. Great things in their future. Meg, you are so sweet and looking wonderful! Love you all!! Great show of the process!
I am a full-time follower of your Family.I love watching your growth .I raised Muscovy Ducks 35 years ago and the first time I harvested them my timing was out. Pin Feathers are my most detested part in processing. If you get a chance check out Lumnah Acres. They have just harvested their meat birds. Stay safe. Love your Family. By the way was it a slip of the tongue when you said about the cooling in the room for 4 Boys or did I miss that announcement?
Check out lumnah acres outdoor kitchen video. What did you think of that plucker, plz give an honest review. I’m thinking about getting one but have seen 50/50 reviews.
Awesome guys! Those prices are totally reasonable. We have a similar problem with the terrain of our property and the chicken tractors not sitting flush to the ground. That’s why we build two small (3.5’x6.5’) tractors so I could easily manage placement around obstacles and uneven ground. Each one holds 12-15 birds and it was super light but still protective.
He goes in the shed, comes out with a child.........keeping them in the shed, now ? :D :D :D :D I love the heart felt farming yous do, and raising your animals. Yous are the best homesteaders ( and one other homestead ). I am planning me escape from the city life and I want to be a good human to the animals I raise, yous are teaching me an honest, caring way to raise animals on a farm/stead.
I feel you on some of the smaller weights. I went 12 weeks on CC. I was almost embarrassed taking them to the processor LOL. Weights were from 2.14 - 2.84 lbs. They were fed millet, oats & BOS. I'm thinking I'll need to tweak the feed
We processed ours a couple weeks ago. We did Red Rangers and they were an average of 4-5 lbs after processing. We processed ours at 10 weeks. Good job guys. Whole foods was just selling their organic chickens for $24.00 for a chicken. It was about 3 1/2 to 4 lbs. I do not know if it was soy free feed like yours and ours.
Awesome, you guys just thrill me with all you have been doing and getting accomplished. I can imagine the fulfilling feeling eating off the land totally. You are almost there with that step as well. Long strides since you left the west coast. Absolutely fantastic! The house is getting done and baby will be here right after that ...... (hopefully not before).............LOL I am so excited for you all. Another adventure to be sure. Stay healthy and happy and enjoy the journey and the destination is beyond belief indeed. So so happy for all of you and your hard work is sure paying off. I remember back when you landed there and said "what have we done'.......or close to that. BUT YOU DID IT! Look at where you are now! Love it!!! Blessings
I am 67 years old and live in East Texas. I am so proud of you and your family. I admire what you are doing. Every skill that you have will help you become sustainable. I am an avid fan. God bless you.
That's awesome you had the opportunity to grow your own chicken meat especially through this virus where it is got very expensive here in Pennsylvania. Your channel deserves a hundred thousand subscribers tonight. Have a great evening.
Would love to see more of the process too - you need a second channel like other RU-vidrs where you can put things that might be less appealing to some viewers so it won't affect your main channel!
$20.00 a bird is not bad when you factor in the exercise, the bone broth and lets not forget the priceless friends and fellowship you received, I think you came out ahead.
Glad your uploading more lately. Look forward to your videos. Great information and fun to watch. Im naming some pea fowl after you in my next episode of planet zoo... Keep up the great work Ben and Meg
I ask myself this question every time at the end of the six hours or so for me to process my birds. Answer: HECK YEAH! Seriously, though, beyond all the other stuff going on in the world that make it a good idea, there's just something empowering in growing your own food and harvesting it, whether that is filling a basket with picked fruit and vegetables or filling a freezer after processing an animal/s.
I've heard muscovey ducks are the best for meat. We used to have them when I was growing up but they just roamed the farm so it was actually cheap meat. My mother used to smoke them and it was so good! Haven't had a roast duck in years,
From your beginning scene, I thought you were setting up an outdoor movie screen for the family!! Guess I shouldn’t count my chickens before they hatch!!!
A quick national per lb. price check on google....(I think y'all did GREAT.) Price List Pasture-Raised Chicken Whole $ 4.99 per pound Whole cut-up $ 5.25 per pound Boneless/Skinless Breast $14.99 per pound Bone-in Breast $11.99 per pound
I love the way that your family is living!! Your boys are learning so much helping with the animals! Every kid should know quite a bit of what your kids do everyday!!! That's a lot of birds for your family !!! Great Video!
Ben and Meg, this is how much the chicken we buy they are pasture raised added hormones and are antibiotic free. Nice job on your birds Pasture Raised Chicken, poultry Whole Chicken - 4 Lbs. $35.80 Whole Duck (5 Lbs) $64.50
I have tried 539,738😂😂😂 times to watch this and Everytime you guys start discussing really crucial information...all I hear is momma. If I hear momma one more time 😬😬😬. I mean it's only 20 minutes. 🤫🤫🤫
Thanks for the recipe Meg. 👍👏👏 Love the videos, love what you're doing. Ben, get that trailer finished, then relax, just like Meg should do during labor 😄, sorry, but it really works. Went from 6-0 in a half hour! All the best you 7. (I bet it's another boy)
Walmart ducks are $25 - $30 each. But they barely weigh 3 pounds. My kids & grandkids like duck 10X more than turkey. I roast them in the grill/smoker for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Is your due date the same or has it changed? Mine was changed 3 times, and still wrong, LOL.
Ducks: day 49 or 90 (a day either way won't make a huge difference). They will pluck MUCH easier. As for why, hard to make decent $$ on chickens. Ducks will sell at around $2.00 per pound more...
