My Self-Sufficient Journey: Raising Meat Birds (Broiler Chickens)

When I look back at the 2021 adventures I had, this was one I would have never thought I’d do. But it should be noted, it was probably the most rewarding. Here’s the video if you prefer content in that way:

These chickens mature in about 8 weeks, so this process is quite quick. I purchased 77 Color Yield chicks from Freedom Ranger Farms.

I also built a 10’x12′ chicken tractor to house my chickens for the 6 weeks they grew while in the woods/field to mature. I moved the “tractor” every other day or so to get them off their own poo and get them fresh forage to eat. I invested in a plucker (below) to help get feathers off, and I would recommend it for sure.


I vacuum sealed and froze 60 chickens after it was all said and done, and that should last me the year. I considered selling the chicken but don’t have the market at this time. My goal in this is to be more self-sufficient, and I knew I had no plans for be a vegetarian… so this was a skill I wanted to learn and experience first hand.

I discuss some of the other tools and techniques in the video, so check that out if you want to learn more. Thanks for being here!

Amy