Broiler chicken farming - How to start raising broilers for meat

We made a big decision this year – to add broiler chicken farming to our activities at the farm! So far, it’s been a super fun experience and we can’t wait to have a freezer stacked full of homegrown chicken meat for the winter. If you’re considering raising meat chickens but are not sure where to start, this post is for you.

Raising broilers has been a very fun activity for us as a family. Aaron was able to get involved when they were tiny chicks, and helped with the watering and feeding. Micah designed & built two chicken tractors. And I was in charge of all the feeding and logistics. We are stoked to have a freezer full of home grown chicken meat for us to eat all winter long.

What are broiler chickens?

Broiler chickens are a specialized breed of poultry raised primarily for meat production. Unlike their counterparts, which are bred for egg-laying purposes, broilers are specifically developed to efficiently convert feed into muscle tissue, resulting in a rapid growth rate and high meat yield.

Typically, broiler chickens are ready for market within a relatively short span of time, usually between six to nine weeks from hatching. This accelerated growth is achieved through selective breeding and careful management of their environment, including controlled lighting, temperature, and nutrition. The goal is to maximize their growth potential while maintaining their overall health and welfare.

These birds are characterized by their robust, muscular bodies, which are well-suited for producing large quantities of tender, flavorful meat. They typically have white feathers, which make them easily distinguishable from other chicken varieties.

How are broilers different from layers?

Broiler chickens and layer chickens are two distinct breeds of poultry, each bred for specific purposes.

Broiler chickens are primarily raised for meat production. They have been selectively bred to efficiently convert feed into muscle tissue, resulting in rapid growth and high meat yield. These birds are typically ready for market in about six to twelve weeks after hatching, at which point they have reached an optimal weight for processing. Broilers are characterized by their robust, muscular bodies, with white feathers, and are well-suited for producing large quantities of tender, flavorful meat.

Layer chickens, on the other hand, are specifically bred for egg production. They are selected for their ability to lay a high number of eggs over an extended period. They do not reach the same level of muscular development as broilers, as their energy is directed toward egg production rather than muscle growth.

In terms of appearance, layers often have smaller, more slender bodies compared to broilers. They typically have a wider range of plumage colors and patterns, which can vary depending on the specific breed.

The differences between broiler and layer chickens extend beyond their physical characteristics. They also require different management practices, including specialized nutrition, housing, and environmental conditions. Broilers need controlled conditions to promote rapid growth, while layers require facilities that support their egg-laying capacity.

What you need to start broiler chicken farming

The amount of equipment you’ll need to acquire to start broiler chicken farming will depend on whether you already have chickens (such as layers) and basic equipment set up, or whether you’d be starting from scratch. The number of broilers you are looking to raise will also play an important role. We purchased 100-day-old chicks. While you will need to make an initial investment by purchasing equipment, you will see a return on this investment if you plan on keeping up with broiler farming for at least a few seasons.

For us, there were two distinct phases to our broiler chicken farming cycle:

a) small babies kept indoors and
b) larger birds kept outdoors.

1) Chick Phase

This is definitely not the right lingo, but what I call the cute first phase of a broiler chick’s life. It spans about 4 weeks from hatching. During this phase, your broiler chicks will go from small adorable yellow balls to slightly larger birds with white feathers. During this phase, we chose to keep our broilers indoors to be able to maintain the conditions & especially the temperature.

What you’ll need

1. Lodgings

At first, a large box or a small run will do (depending on the number of broiler chicks you have). We repurposed part of our horse barn for our little broiler chicks. We started off with a small enclosure, that we gradually expanded as the chicks got bigger. You can also purchase an enclosure, such as THIS ONE.

2. Heat Lamp

Keeping the area where you keep your broiler chickens warm is crucial during the first 4 weeks of age. You will need an external heat source, to help regulate the chick’s body temperature. We used a heat lamp with an infrared bulb, as well as this type of chick brooder heating plate. Given the outdoor temperatures were pretty high as it was summer, and we were keeping our chicks in a stone building, this was sufficient to maintain temperature during the first couple weeks. As the chicks grew & we expanded their run, we added in a second heat lamp.

3. Feeder

Any chicken feeder used for poultry farming will do. Pick a size based on how many chickens you have. You will probably need to purchase an additional one or two, as the chicken feed consumption goes up. Also, as the birds grow, they will need more space at the feeder to get access to food.

4. Waterer

Your chicks will need access to clean water at all times. Any type of waterer will do, once again make sure to pick one suitable for the total number of chickens you are raising. Bear in mind that their water consumption will increase as they grow. You will either have to buy another water container as they get bigger or start them off on a large one from the beginning.

5. Bedding

This is up to your personal preference. We used a deep litter system, with wood chips. It is very important for the broilers to be kept dry during this stage of their life, so make sure to use enough bedding and clean out on a regular basis.

6. Feed

This is an area that I wish to do small changes in next time around. For this round of broiler chicks, we opted for pretty standard broiler feed. There are several different types, based on the age, and you gradually progress through them. We exclusively fed good quality store-bought feed the first 4 weeks, to prevent any health problems from occuring.

Extra Tips for the Chick Phase

keep continuous lighting on 24/7 during this phase. This can either be natural light or artificial. Having the lights on at all times will increase weight gain.
allow birds access to fresh water as well as feed 24/7. Once again, this will help with fast growth

2) Medium Size Phase

During this phase, we were preparing to move our chickens outside into two portable chicken tractors that Micah built. Ideally, we wanted to give our birds outdoor access as soon as possible. However, the outdoor temperatures took an unusual dip during those weeks. Our broilers did not have their feathers fully in yet, and so we opted to keep them indoors for a few extra weeks.

During this phase, we started introducing other types of food to their diet. This was partially because we wanted to gradually wean them off store-bought food, and include a more varied diet. We were able to obtain potatoes and grain at a comparably low cost when compared with the store-bought feed. This started to play a pretty important role: as the birds grow, their feed consumption increases exponentially. I would also give them kitchen scraps as well as any greenery I weeded from the garden.

What you’ll need

1. Next stage of your store-bought feeding system

2. Other forms of feed (optional)

We used potatoes and milled grain, as well as cornmeal, bread crumbs and garden scraps.

Everything else stayed the same for us, until the next phase of the broiler chicken farming process, when we moved our birds to our pasture-raised system.

3) Larger Bird Phase

This is when we loaded all our broilers up and moved them into our portable tractors out in the field – making them into free-range chickens! This step is optional, you could just finish your broilers indoors where you had them all along. However, you will see a dramatic increase in feed consumption, and space requirements. We moved ours when they were about 5 weeks old, and have noticed that our broilers started thriving once we moved them out into the fresh air and gained weight a lot faster.

What you’ll need

1. Chicken tractors

The size and design depend on the number of broiler chickens you’re raising, as well as personal preference and what you’re willing to build. We built two simple movable tractors that hold 50 birds each. We started off by moving them once per day. As the birds grew, we increased the number of moves up to 3 per day. Since moving the broiler chickens outdoors, we’ve seen a pretty large increase in body weight, as well as a decrease in the consumption of feed. They love grazing on the fresh grass! Added perk: we are fertilizing our field at the same time!

2. Bigger feeders & waterers

This is optional but helps you make fewer trips out to the tractors. You can either purchase larger feeders and waterers, or just simply get a second set that you will use inside the tractors. This is especially important if the weather is hot, and your birds are going through a lot of water each day. Make sure the size you pick still fits inside your chicken tractor.

3. Ample amounts of feed

Whether you’re choosing to continue with store-bought feed, converting your chickens to other forms of feed or doing a combo (like we are). Make sure you have enough of everything at hand. We started going through feed very fast as our broilers grew. If using store-bought feed, make sure to switch to the last step in the system you’re using, at least 7 days before slaughter.

Extra Tips for the Large Bird Phase

If you are farming a larger number of broiler chicken like we are, make sure to have enough square footage of tractor space prepared for them.
When you initially move them outdoors, keep them all together at first – especially if nighttime temperatures are a concern. As the birds get accustomed to life outdoors, separate out into as many tractors as you have.
The more often you move the tractors, the more grass the broilers will eat and the less feed you will need.
Be careful when opening and closing your tractors, and moving them each day. It’s easy for birds to get caught and injured.

4) Slaughter

I will leave this into a blog post of its own. First of all, we haven’t slaughtered our birds yet, and I only want to share my personal, first-hand experience. But we are also choosing to approach this year’s slaughtering in a very minimalist fashion, and seeing how we do without all the gadgets and equipment. We are about 2 weeks out from starting the process – check back with me over on IG to see how we’re doing!

Note on broiler chicken farming age

I have noticed that the opnions out there differ on when a broiler is ready for slaughter. We have also noticed, that although all our broilers are the exact same age, they differ in size quite significantly. Some people say broilers are ready at 7 weeks of age, others say 12 weeks is the ideal time. For us, we are going by each individual bird and their size. We feel that it will make the logistics of slaughtering easier too, if we divide them int bacthes, instead of slaughtering all at the same time. Doing that by picking out the largest birds first and allowing the smaller ones more time and space to gain weight feels like the most common sense thing to do in this scenario.