This week our shipment of Cornish Cross chicks arrived, marking the start of another meat bird season here on the farm. It is always a little loud, a little chaotic, and a clear reminder that spring work is officially underway.
We have been purchasing our birds from Schlect Hatchery for several years now. They are a small hatchery, and we have always had consistently good experiences with their birds and their reliability. This shipment arrived healthy, alert, and ready to get to work growing.
Unlike many setups, we brood our birds on pasture from day one. They start their lives outdoors with fresh air under a covered brooder, heat for warmth, and grass underfoot as soon as they are strong enough to explore it. It takes more attention and more daily checks, but we believe it gives them a better start and keeps us more connected to their care from the very beginning.
Over the next several weeks, these small chicks will do what Cornish Cross do best and grow quickly. In just over two months, they will be ready to be processed and will provide meat for our family. The timeline is short and the routine settles in fast.
Right now, they are finding the heat, learning where the feed and water are, and adjusting to their first nights outdoors. In a few weeks they will be rotated regularly across fresh grass as the season fully opens up.
It always starts the same way. A small group of fragile birds becomes one of the most tangible expressions of food security we have here. The work begins again.