Letter Re: Advice on Raising Meat Chickens

Mr. Rawles:
I’m planning to raise up a big batch of chickens this Spring and Summer, just for meat. (I’m traveling next Fall, so I won’t be wintering over any laying hens.) I plan to butcher the whole flock in September. Is there anywhere I can get just roosters, for a reasonable price? Thx, – Pat B. in Arkansas

JWR Replies: Yes, I recommend Murray McMurray hatchery. They sell reasonably-priced chicks via mail order. They have umpteen breeds and ordering options available. You can select all roosters, and all heavy breeds, for example. We’ve been Murray McMurray customers since the early 1990s, and we’ve been very happy with their service. In our family, the Murray McMurray catalog is by far the most heavily-thumbed catalog at the ranch house. It is also the source of hours of dinner table debate each winter, as we decide what to order for the following Spring shipment.