Broiler Adventure II

[Tabasco Jack]

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.

Tractor 1.0 had a 1/2" bolt and I would lift the tractor and slide a bicycle wheel over the bolt on order to move it. By the end of the season, the bolt was bent enough for the wheels to rub against the sides of the tractor. At the start of this year's hatch I replaced the bolts and within a couple of months there were shot. That's when I saw the bicycle frame idea. Since your tractors don't have metal roofing on them, they might be light enough that the bolts may work.

When I was moving them this morning a couple of the birds went under the side to explore. Once I finished moving and started putting feed in, they were scurrying to crawl back under. Funny sight watching a chicken crawl.

 

[NikonD2xer]

Tractor 1.0 had a 1/2" bolt and I would lift the tractor and slide a bicycle wheel over the bolt on order to move it. By the end of the season, the bolt was bent enough for the wheels to rub against the sides of the tractor. At the start of this year's hatch I replaced the bolts and within a couple of months there were shot. That's when I saw the bicycle frame idea. Since your tractors don't have metal roofing on them, they might be light enough that the bolts may work.

When I was moving them this morning a couple of the birds went under the side to explore. Once I finished moving and started putting feed in, they were scurrying to crawl back under. Funny sight watching a chicken crawl.

You could get bolts that have a different grade and are harder.

here is a link that show the grading markings on bolts.

http://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/Materials-and-Grades/Bolt-Grade-Chart.aspx

 

[Tabasco Jack]

You could get bolts that have a different grade and are harder.

here is a link that show the grading markings on bolts.

http://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/Materials-and-Grades/Bolt-Grade-Chart.aspx

Yes, I know that. I was being cheap and trying to use what was available. Other than having to lift the front of my Tractor 2.0, the bicycle frames are working much better. Thanks for the info though.

 

[Lambingfamily]

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.

Wow! When we get settled in TX, we will have to look for a local feed store that does this

Well we have been away from the farm for a couple of weeks so I don't have much to add to our post about this adventure but I did add some new photos to http://quadlfarmandhomeschool.blogspot.com/p/broiler-adventure-ii.html

I cannot wait for us to start the processing of these little meatballs! Well they are not so little anymore

 

[Lambingfamily]

It's that time!!!!

A couple weeks later than planned but the birds look good. Remember, you need to scroll to the bottom of the page to see the latest post.
http://quadlfarmandhomeschool.blogspot.com/p/broiler-adventure-ii.html

As always, I would love for you to leave a comment with suggestions and or comments

Have a blessed day!

 

[Organic Acres]

Hi everybody.

I am growing three broilers as well, about what to feed them: I don't use commercial feed at all. I grow Wheat, corn, Barley and Oats on my field. I mix Barley, oats and wheat together and give them that "on demand" whole, and I take that same mix and add 15% corn and then run it thru my neighbour's grinder and put out a second feeder giving them the ground mix - this is more for the younger birds but they all eat it. I buy bulk ground oyster shells, which even the rooster and the young birds eat, and for protein I let them range on pasture and on the field where they dig up worms and eat insects. In the winter I will probably give them a protein supplement though.

The eggs that I get from my layers giving them this diet are the most fantastic thing I have ever seen. They are deeply coloured, very flavorful and frankly they are totally awesome. Everybody I know lines up around the block wanting some of them.

my broilers are now around 8 or 9 weeks old, and are a bit bigger than my adult layers. I'll process them today but I am wworried that I might have waited too long and the meat might be tough. Remember that they free range on pasture so they spend all their time running around chasing bugs and digging stuff.

Other than age, how can I know when to slaughter them? Different broilers grow at different speeds under different conditions, so you can't just use age. Is there some other way to know when to slaughter them?

these ones were raised by a broody hen, not in a brooder.

 

[Lambingfamily]

Quote: There are definitely others on this site that are much more knowledgeable than me but this is our experience. The meat is going to be naturally firmer just because of the exercise the broilers get. Being penned up in a cage doesn't allow for much muscle toning. However, with that being said, that doesn't mean your broiler meat will always be tough. We always let our broilers rest after processing for 3 days in the refrigerator or ice chest before cooking or packaging. As with anything that dies or is killed, rigamortise sets in. The three days allows the muscles to relax and hence gives you a much tenderer meat.

I think the age is used as a general rule of thumb to follow, however, just with any animal or children for that matter, broilers grow at different rates. If the broilers are hatched from eggs of young hens, the chicks will be smaller and take longer to grow and on the flip side, if they are hatched from older layers then the chicks will be bigger and will reach processing size much quicker. And then of course, their diet has a lot to do with their growth as well. Bottom line is, when you are satisfied with their size, that is when it is time to process, as long as they are healthy and happy at that point.

I hope this helps. I am sure I will be corrected if I have misspoken. That is what I love about this site. There is a wealth of knowledge to be learned from my fellow chicken lovers.

PS.....We finished processing our 130 or so broilers for the season. All weighed in between 4-5 lbs, which is the perfect size for our family. For those that followed us on our blog, I will try to post some processing photos and our new packaging. The month of August has just been crazily filled with out of town guests for 4 solid weeks.

Have a blessed day everyone!!!

 

[Organic Acres]

Thanks for the answer and advice, Lambingfamily. I went out to the pasture today and captured one of the broilers (which took quite an effort, they have very little contact with humans so are quite wild now), and I was not satisfied with her feel or her body weight. It just didn't feel like she was heavy or stocky enough to be worth taking her life, even though she is bigger than my biggest layer. My neighbor told me that they will never be large and bulky like the store bought chickens, because they are outside running around whereas the store bought ones are fed super high protein diets and have no room to move. Thus, my broilers will have much more toned muscles and a lower body fat percentage, as you pointed out above. Probably this is not a good thing if you want to raise tender and tasty meat, though.

Anyhow, I didn't harvest them today, thinking that maybe they are too young. What I will do is set up a mobile fence that is 25 foot by 25 foot, around a tree so they have shade and protection from the hawks, and will herd them in there each morning when they come out of the coop. Also, I will start giving them some organic soybean meal in their feed. They are currently around 8 weeks old, maybe 9. So I will leave them in this smaller area for two weeks with the higher protein, hopefully they will fatten up and spend less time running. Until today they have been on the field and adjoining main pasture, which together is around 160 feet by 250 feet of open ground (with trees and grass).

Despite my best efforts to the contrary, I've grown quite fond of them so I'm not prepared to execute them unless I'm sure that they are fat and tender enough that my kids will actually eat them. If they came out tough and skinny my kids would probably not eat them, and then I would be really upset.

I'll also remember to age them 3 days as suggested, I didn't know that this was necessary. Good that I didn't chop them today, or I'd be processing them now instead of reading this thread!