Chronicles of Raising Meat Birds - Modern Broilers, Heritage and Hybrids

[Parront]

I have some premier 1 with 3/4"plastic netting on the bottom, "shock or not" is the model...but it doesn't go high enough. Some chicks learn to jump up and through the larger sections.

They are little dinosaurs! They have all day to think of ways to get out and eat the rest of your yard.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

View attachment 2152424

Yeah, looks doable... Thanks for the pic! We might also make a smaller pen of plastic fencing within the larger electric fencing, until they get bigger. Do you do anything for hawk protection?

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

You might want to think twice about attaching any extra netting to your electric poultry net. I've tried it and it's very difficult to take up the fence and move it to a new location with a second net attached. If you don't have to move it ever, then you might be able to get away with it. I hate hate dealing with tangles in those things.

Yes, it was a pain to cover the guinea fencing - I can’t imagine moving it intact!

 

[FortCluck]

We are thinking about 4 mo? We will probably need to do in stages and may process any obnoxious cockerels early...

We have 20 weeks. I did 16 last time and it wasn’t enough meat. So I went to 20... I wanted to do 18, but my husband said to wait a few more weeks.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

They are little dinosaurs! They have all day to think of ways to get out and eat the rest of your yard.

Not too worried about what they would eat, but our last set of cockerels we were raising for meat managed to get eaten by a bobcat...

 

[Molpet]

Yeah, looks doable... Thanks for the pic! We might also make a smaller pen of plastic fencing within the larger electric fencing, until they get bigger. Do you do anything for hawk protection?

I have turkeys and used to have a dog that chased hawks until a month ago.

 

[Parront]

Not too worried about what they would eat, but our last set of cockerels we were raising for meat managed to get eaten by a bobcat...

The exact reason I am getting an electric fence for my next flock. Can not be encouaging the bobcats to hang around. Or the coyotes. Or raccoons. A bear was spotted on the other side of town from us a couple of weeks ago! At least it keeps people from letting their dogs run the neighborhood. That was the main chicken killer of my previous flock. New place here in the mountains, we have nesting Bald Eagles not to far away! I am studying up on how people are covering their runs to prevent the buffet before it begins. I have some hatchery chicks on the way to point out all the weaknesses. Then I am going to try some interesting Barred Hollands. I do not need a big cockerel to eat, and they are bigger than a Leghorn.

 

[Morrigan]

I can't say enough good things about electric fencing. If I didn't have electric fencing, I would have no chickens. We have an extremely high predator load here.

 

[Parront]

I can't say enough good things about electric fencing. If I didn't have electric fencing, I would have no chickens. We have an extremely high predator load here.

What kind do you use? I am looking at the movable chicken netting from Premier1.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

What kind do you use? I am looking at the movable chicken netting from Premier1.

That’s what I have. I’ve been happy with it so far, but would love to hear more about how you all handle aerial predators...