Have you heard of (A Salatin alternative)

[jaj121159]

Tom Delehanty of Pollo Real of New Mexico. Very good article in ACRES USA. Does anybody use his churts to pasture broilers?

 

[chickenforever24]

 

[jaj121159]

This guy has an alternative to Salatin type tractor. He uses a churt which is basically like a tent. Been in business a long time in New Mexico

 

[DenverBird]

I'm interested - can you provide any links or cut and paste the key info into a post?

-DB

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Here's the article I believe: http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/Feb11_Delehanty.pdf

Sure wish he had some clearer pictures of the churts and how he moves them.

 

[awesomefowl]

Thats interesting.

 

[Dogfish]

Read the article and visited his site. The materials are inexpensive and readily available. Requires welding, which may be a limitatin to those without a MIG or stick welder. Not sure about weight of the pens, or rigidity, but it would be easy to rig a few wheeled dollies to put under 4 sides of the pen, then roll it.

It would take about 200 feet of rebar for the two rings, and another 60 feet for the upright supports. I'm also assuming there are two or three pieces spanning the structure, so figure 300 feet altogether. Using Home Depot's price for 20' 3/8" rebar, 15 sticks would run $62.55. Add in tax, a roll of welding wire, and you are at $80. $10 for a tarp and you are at $90. Chicken wire is cheap, but vulnerable to attacks, so add on another $40 for rabbit/garden wire. $130 for each pen.

Two or three dollies, made for $20 each, and you are at $170 for one pen, but they are essentially bullet proof and infinitely repairable.

I have a new MIG welder. Might just have to try and put something like that together.

 

[hipeatall]

A.T. Hagan :

Here's the article I believe: http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/Feb11_Delehanty.pdf

Sure wish he had some clearer pictures of the churts and how he moves them.

Those churts are great... I agree, pictures and more info would be awesome.
Thanks for sharing this!​

 

[Bossroo]

Quote:
Consider some other things that would be required is sufficient flat, fertile and productive land that, more often than not, commands the highest price for the area.... if each "churt is 10' x 10' , so it needs to be moved once a day by 10'. So, 7 days/week x 10 weeks ( chicks are in a brooder for first 3 weeks)= 70 moves x 10' / move = 700 lineal feet . each additional churt will need an additional 2'-3 'space between each churt as a walking space as 2 people are needed to move them. That 10' space is now 12'-13' more per each set of churts. Times how many churts one needs to house the birds that are needed for one's operation. A system to transport feed and water from the feed storage area and water source to each churt daily. Also, a reliable and precise irrigation system is required to first perculate the chicken manure into the soil, keep the now moved chickens from getting wet and then, depending on soil types and growing conditions, periodic irrigation for the grass to keep growing before one can start at the original place all over again. Very akin to a factory's conveyor belt operating system. Then consider the harvesting of the chickens. One has to have a system to move them 700' then x +++ feet for each row, be it cary them by hand, 4 wheeler, pick up, tractor+ trailor or ??? to the slaughter area of one's farm or slaughter house, then cooling the carcasses, keeping whole or cutting into pieces and packaging, then freezing, storage and finally transportation to CSA location or farmer's market for sale. This depends on one's State and local laws/ ordinances. So, can this now be considered to be a smaller scale (by law, limited only by the number of chickens produced) factory farm?

 

[Buster52]

I had never heard of him, but here's a good article on this guy's system...

http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/casestudies/polloreal/gerard.shtml

Merits closer study.