100 Broilers and Fermented Feed Project

[aoxa]

Thanks. That looks kinda small or is it my eyesight?

Actually doesn't look too small for a tractor. I've seen much worse. I'd stick with 50 though, not 75

 

[Beekissed]

I'd just invest in a electric poultry fence and a solar charger and dispense with the hassle of tractoring a bunch of pooping birds and having to build tractors. Let them birds range!

I've seen Salatins tractors up close and personal and there is never enough room in them, no matter the age of the birds...they are all standing on poopy grass and can't get away from it...one would have to move it constantly to keep this from happening.

 

[Arielle]

Ok, so how big of a chicken tractor would I need to build for 50 broilers in 1 tractor and 49 broilers in another tractor? - Estimating their future size and weight at 8 weeks. I would like to build something that is too big right now but will be perfect at 7 - 8 weeks old.

Quote: TRy interlibrary loan for his books. His stuff is not on line as he makes money from the sales of his books and lectures.

Pastured CHickensby JOel Saladin is the title to look for--- I many have morphed the name but I do think that is the one. He explains the size of tractors.

As for contruction, smaller is better. THe longer the spans the more material to support. THe heavier the tractor. Do you have a tractor to move the tractor?? Some designs use a dolly they are so light wt.



POst 12001

 

[LindaB220]

Ok, I have a crazy question.

How do you move a chicken tractor without running over the chickens and do they know to move along as you are moving it? Or do you just move the chicken tractor and put them in after it's moved?

I saw a thread the other day a guy bought one of those long floaty things (about 6') and attached it to the back side. It bumps the chickens without hurting them. Neat!!

 

[foreverlearning]

I saw a thread the other day a guy bought one of those long floaty things (about 6') and attached it to the back side. It bumps the chickens without hurting them. Neat!!

Sounds like a good idea, but I wonder if the chickens will try to eat it. I hear about chickens eating styrofoam and meaties are not the smartest of the bunch.

 

[BCMaraniac]

I saw a thread the other day a guy bought one of those long floaty things (about 6') and attached it to the back side. It bumps the chickens without hurting them. Neat!!

Are you talking about the noodles that you buy for a swimming pool that float?

 

[LindaB220]

Are you talking about the noodles that you buy for a swimming pool that float?

yes

 

[kuntrygirl]

Good morning everyone. I wasn't on yesterday because I was busy in the yard. Just an update on the broilers.

They are doing great. I put them outside at 1:00 PM. I made a make shift pen. They did pretty good . I didn't see them eating any grass. They were walking and running around trying to fly. Boy, that was kinda funny. The temps were in the 60's but the sun was directly on them, so they were not cold. I only put their water outside in hopes they would eat some grass. They were outside until 3: 30 pm when I saw them huddled up and I knew they were cold. Well, that was the end of their outside adventure. So, I put them back in their brooder inside. They were hungry because they were running to their feeders.

I weighed one and it weighed 14.0 ounces. Almost 1 pound at a little over 2 weeks old. Friday made 2 weeks. If any of the broilers make 1 lb this week, then I am looking at starting to process in the next few weeks if they get to 3 lbs.

The chicken plucker is halfway built. The wooden stand has been made. The 55 gallon barrel has been cut and the plucker fingers have been inserted. The base with the fingers has been made as well. We will be installing the motor and the shaft. It should be ready today. I will try it out on a duck. I have a few that I have to process. We had an assistant that was an onlooker as the plucker was being built.

Here is Princess, my white pea fowl. I was moving peas around yesterday and I left the pen open and she walked out. She is tame and she ain't going nowhere, so I let her stay out all day and she chose to come and sit by us on the trailer to check out what we were doing. She said there all day long and didn't budge.

The temps today will be 62 and the sun is already out. I will feed the broilers outside today. Since moving 1 of the pea hen and pea cocks, that frees up a kennel pen. I think I will be able to put the broilers in there. I'm not sure how big it is but I will measure it and post to let you all know the measurements they will be in.

I think that is about it. I'm on my way out to try to move the broilers this morning. I will check back in later on.

 

[Beekissed]

I'm curious as to why you would butcher at such low weights? A bird at 10 lbs live weight may yield a 5-6 lb bird, so a 3 lb live weight bird is going to yield you some bones with a tiny layer of meat on them..and more guts than meat.

 

[kuntrygirl]

 
On the FF I started using a double bucket system. Two 5 gal buckets as my cornish were eating a lot.  

Use one bucke and refill at end of day. Next morning, use second bucket, and refill.  THe longer it ferments the more good bacteria in the mix.  Also I use braggs to get it started. IT is more expensive than another brand , Heinz possibly, but the Braggs seems to be stronger and bubbles sooner. THere is no regulation on the number of colony forming units that I know of. SO it is up to the producers apparently. 

I feed the mash and toss scratch at another time.

I also started FF using alfalfa cubes for my horses-- they loved it. THe birds were not too intersted though.

Does Heinz make sell a raw ACV?
I've never seen it but they might.
It doesn't have to be organic (Braggs) but it must be raw or it will do nothing for the FF.  Pasteurized ACV has had all the goodies killed.

Thanks for the responses.


I"m thinking I'm going to go broke trying to feed 100 broilers when they get to be around 6 weeks. Depending on the weights, I may try to process some early.


What do you all think is a good weight to process? I know the live weight will be different than the dressed weight? So, if a broiler weighs (say for example - live weight is X lbs and X ounces, then you can expect their dressed weight to be around a guesstimate of X lbs and X ounces.)

I usually process as many as half at 3 1/2 to 4 weeks as game hens.

Guestimate is a little over half.
A 4 lb. broiler will be a little under 3 eviscerated. 6 lb. will be a little over 4 lbs.
A 1.5 lb. game hen will be about a pound processed.

I'm curious as to why you would butcher at such low weights?  A bird at 10 lbs live weight may yield a 5-6 lb bird, so a 3 lb live weight bird is going to yield you some bones with a tiny layer of meat on them..and more guts than meat. 

I had posted a few posts back inquiring about live weight vs/processed weight. I'm a single person home, so most of the birds I want to process need to be at a greatly smaller weight than the average broiler who is processed at 8 weeks. For my freezer, I will want a bird that is no more than 3 or 4 lbs. So, to get that, I will need to process sooner. I think I may have confused everyone when I said 3 lbs weights in my posts that I posted earlier today. I meant to say that in a few weeks when I process they will be 3 lbs (processed weight). I won't process them when they are 3 lbs live. I want to yield 3 lbs after processing. For those people that of course want the big 8 lber, of course, I will process at 8 weeks.

I cook small meals so a smaller broiler would be prefect for me. I don't want to waste any meals with a larger size broiler.

Sorry for any confusion on those weights.