Starr Farm Report: Chickens

White or Dark Meat?

These are the chickens at 4 weeks old.
Clean water is kept in the white container in the upper-right-hand corner.  

Actually the Starr Farm is not in the chicken business, but the Johnson's (my sister & her husband) are. Which is why it fit under this series. They've recently gotten into the broiler business and have had good luck. They get a few batches each spring/summer raise them until harvest and then sell the meat at the Shawano Farmer's Market held every Saturday.
This is new to me, so I'm learning as they go too! The baby chicks arrive when they're just a few days old, it take 8 weeks until the chickens are big enough for harvest. During that time they have access to food, water and even get a heat lamp when they're just babies. They're such cuties when they're little; soft yellow hair and a baby chripping noise. That wears off in a few weeks when they lose their baby hair and grow in white/grayish feathers. This year it was fun to watch Isaac's reaction to the babies. However, they had to keep a close eye on him, I guess it's pretty tempting for a 1 year old to want to squeeze the yellow fur balls!  

This video shows the chickens enjoying their dinner while under my watch. Besides having enough water, it's important for them to get feed so they are able to gain the right amount of weight.