New to meaties...need some advice/guidance please.

[ddmiddle7]

Hello everyone,
My buddy owns a small farm and we are wanting to build a meat bird pen to raise as many meaties as we can. We need some ideas on different types of pens and feed/water systems that you all use for your meat birds. We can't really utilize a chicken tractor in the pasture as the cows would destroy the thing and possible kill or injury the birds inside. So we have an area on the side f the barn that we want to dedicate this project to. We have approximately a 8 x 20 ft area that we can build our pen in. I have attached a picture showing the area. The lattice in the picture will all be taken down soon. We were wondering if it would be possible to build a system that would keep them off the ground that could be moved easily to clean the droppings from under the cage. Is this logical?

Thanks for all your tips and advice!

Dereck

 

[AlishaT]

We tried containing our meat chickens tractors last year. I didn't like it. Now I don't think they're necessarily a bad idea. I just don't like them as their only means. This year I intend to section off an pasture for just the meat birds. I will utilize the tractors in the sense that I will shut them in them at night (to protect them from predators at night) but during the day I'm going to let them free range in said pasture. I'll move the tractors every few days or as needed. As far as watering systems. My plan for this year is to make waterers with food safe buckets (which you can usually buy at grocery stores...in the bakery department...for not that much money. It's cheaper than buying them new) and chicken water nipples (I bought a 50 pack of them on Amazon for like $16. I'm already using them for my new laying chicks) installed on the bottom. I'll suspend them on tripods out in the pasture (as well as make ones that go out of of a bucket on the outside of the tractor into pvc piping with the nipples installed in piping inside the tractors).

 

[LindaB220]

Hello everyone,
My buddy owns a small farm and we are wanting to build a meat bird pen to raise as many meaties as we can. We need some ideas on different types of pens and feed/water systems that you all use for your meat birds. We can't really utilize a chicken tractor in the pasture as the cows would destroy the thing and possible kill or injury the birds inside. So we have an area on the side f the barn that we want to dedicate this project to. We have approximately a 8 x 20 ft area that we can build our pen in. I have attached a picture showing the area. The lattice in the picture will all be taken down soon. We were wondering if it would be possible to build a system that would keep them off the ground that could be moved easily to clean the droppings from under the cage. Is this logical?

Thanks for all your tips and advice!

Dereck

If that's all you have to work with I'd advise a deep litter method. Start with about 3-4 inches of bedding. Everyday stir it a little or scoop away extra lot of poo and layer more bedding. Feed you meaties fermented feed. Look for the threads. It's cuts down on a lot of the stench. It's very doable and rewarding. If you can let them out to walk around that would be great. Really watch the feeding. After 2 weeks start a 12 hr on 12 hr off (maybe 7am to 7pm) and take away the food. Always lots of clean water. Don't let them sit or lay down to eat. Keep raising the pan so they will have to stand. Separate the water so they have to walk across the area for it. They don't have to be lumps. Good luck to you.

 

[offgridhermit]

How many birds are you planning to put in a 8x20 area? The floor of my coop is the ground, (desert sand), and I use straw and shavings on the dirt floor. Clean up goes into the compost pile, then the garden area.

Will you also have an attached run to your 8x20 coop area?