Chickens, Chickens, Chickens

The Great Spring Chicken Caper: Dodging the Heat, Meeting the Cold

Gerri and Kelsey had one goal this year: avoid the annual 100°F chicken butchering marathon that is August on the farm. The plan? Raise the chickens in spring and send them off to Shiloh for professional processing. Simple. Smart. Foolproof. (Or so we thought.)

Right from the start, we noticed spring chickens come with their own set of surprises. Without the usual heat stress of summer, these birds thrived—so much so that they grew faster and bigger than any batch we’ve ever raised. They were out of the brooder and into the outdoor trailer in record time, which was great until we remembered: spring nights can still drop to freezing temperatures. In July, that’s never a problem. In April? A new puzzle.

The week of processing brought its own curveball. On Monday afternoon, Kelsey got a call: could we bring the chickens a day early? Actually, yes! That change fit perfectly between our chicken duties and our upcoming New York trip. (And it spared Kelsey, Evan, and baby Sutton from managing the entire flock solo—a win for all involved.)

Loading day went off with only minor comedic moments. Kevin and Jenny kindly loaned us chicken crates, gave some seasoned advice, and provided a few good laughs as we wrangled birds that, frankly, weighed as much as small turkeys. One look at the processor’s invoice said it all: “Facility comments: They were a little big.” A little? We had birds dressed out at over nine pounds.

On May 23, Gerri and Kelsey headed off to Shiloh to pick up the processed chickens. They jammed every cooler they could find into Jack and Marsha’s Yukon, ready for whatever was thrown their way. Except… everything was already frozen in tidy boxes. The coolers? Entirely unnecessary, though they did make the perfect throne for baby Sutton’s car ride. We also picked up a new chicken waterer because, why not?

The best part? We got home, unloaded the meat with minimal fuss, and—thanks to this whole adventure—two deep freezers got cleaned out in May, which is definitely not on our usual spring agenda. Oh, and if you’re keeping track: yes, we did make two trips to Shiloh in one day.

To cap it all off, Bob made his first-ever visit to the Planktown Market and came back declaring it a must-see. We’re guessing Friday farm errands will now conveniently pass through Planktown more often.

Interested in a chicken (or part of one)? Check out the Farm Shop—we’ve got birds big enough to impress at your next dinner!