Broiler Adventure II

[Lambingfamily]

We went on a road trip for a couple of weeks but I have finally posted about our little meatballs again. They are now 8 weeks old. I will try and post some pics later today so check back on our blog page http://quadlfarmandhomeschool.blogspot.com/p/broiler-adventure-ii.html and scroll down to the bottom. You can view our new commercial plucker on this site as well. As always, comments and advise are always welcome!! Have a blessed weekend and Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there.

 

[Lambingfamily]

Kildare49,
I would love for you to explain your fermented feed process. I was experimenting with their feed and I think I put too much corn. I think I stunted their growth a bit so we went back to straight grower/finisher. It is just a bit pricey for this many birds.

 

[Lambingfamily]

I'm raising Cornish, so I feed them 24% game bird crumbles the first 3-4 weeks then I switch them to 20% for the rest of the time. The last couple of weeks I mix in some scratch.
I do a modified FF also. I found that soaking the crumbles makes a mush that clogs the holes on my bucket. I soak 1.5 pounds of scratch overnight in ACV/water and then in the morning I stir in 1.5 pounds of crumbles just enough to get it wet. Then I pull the bucket to drain. I spoon this into a PVC gutter mounted in the tractor.

Hmm, I may have to try this. How many birds do you have? We have done the math and right now it is costing us about $5.64 per bird. Next time we will definitely buy the feed in bulk.

 

[Jo Anne]

i have about 15 new cross x meat birds week 2 i am feeding them starter fermented also. thanks for the info, i had just posted a new thread how when to take them off the starter.
i like your tractor can you post a full picture that is my project this weekend to build them a tractor. thanks

 

[Jo Anne]

never mind i went to your blog..excellent by the way..

 

[Tabasco Jack]

Hmm, I may have to try this. How many birds do you have? We have done the math and right now it is costing us about $5.64 per bird. Next time we will definitely buy the feed in bulk.

Last year I did 2 batches of 26 each. I finished with 49 birds. Feed cost alone was $5.39 per bird. My total direct cost (cost of chicks, feed, bedding, misc.) came to $1.69 per pound of processed birds in the freezer.
I haven't finished this years cycle yet so I can't put a number to cost yet.

 

[Tabasco Jack]

i have about 15 new cross x meat birds week 2 i am feeding them starter fermented also. thanks for the info, i had just posted a new thread how when to take them off the starter.
i like your tractor can you post a full picture that is my project this weekend to build them a tractor. thanks

Sorry, i didn't check messages until this evening. It's been a really busy weekend here.
I put an article with photos and plans for the tractor at https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/tabasco-jacks-chicken-tractor
Last week I changed the wheels out to a better design. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/793526/chicken-tractor-wheels#post_11437595

PM me if you want a PDF of the construction plans.

 

[Lambingfamily]

Well it is week 9 and I have posted an update on our http://quadlfarmandhomeschool.blogspot.com/p/broiler-adventure-ii.html page. As always, comments and suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Lambingfamily]

Sorry, i didn't check messages until this evening. It's been a really busy weekend here.
I put an article with photos and plans for the tractor at https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/tabasco-jacks-chicken-tractor
Last week I changed the wheels out to a better design. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/793526/chicken-tractor-wheels#post_11437595

PM me if you want a PDF of the construction plans.

I really like the wheel idea vs. the dolly. I am trying to design something where I can move it in any direction without turning it around. We have already installed ihooks on all four sides so we can latch the pull handle to any of them. Yesterday evening, we drilled a couple of holes to insert a long bolt with a lawnmower wheel. The idea is to insert the bolt/wheel into each corner hole and pull as usual. It seemed to work great. We may make a few modifications to get the kinks out. If it proves to be time efficient, we will drill holes on all the corners so the tractor can be moved in any direction by simply by moving the wheels/handle around. I give an update and post pics once we work out all the kinks.

 

[Peruvian]

As for feed, I found a local farm/feed grower that blends it's own grower mash. It's non-certified organic since they don't want to bother with the USDA process of certification. I pay $28/100lbs. That's up a lot from just a few years ago when it was $21/100lbs.