Community Input For Meat Bird Production

[alachickenman]

So in a little while I'll be getting an order of chicks in the mail. I really was only interested in starting out with a small layer flock. But because of the order limits from where I want to get my birds, I have to order more than I'd get otherwise. So with these extras I'm going to raise some meat birds. They aren't any crosses, I'm just buying an assortment of Orpingtons. And I'd like to raise them as minimally as possible. I have this idea in my head (after the birds are ready to begin foraging) to just put up a square pen, fencing in the meat birds. Something I can move when need be. I'll try to put up a simple shelter to house around 15 birds. They're all large breeds so I'm hoping a 4ft fence will be enough to keep them in. I live in the deep south, so cold sure won't be an issue. They'll mostly just need protection from the rain and sun.

What problems am I not foreseeing?
What type of shelter could I create cheaply for them?


Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks everyone!

Paul

 

[wsmoak]

[...] They'll mostly just need protection from the rain and sun.

What problems am I not foreseeing?
What type of shelter could I create cheaply for them?

Many of us keep meat birds in "chicken tractors" which are essentially bottomless boxes made of wood (2x2's), wire mesh, and metal roofing sheets. Like so: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10803470@N00/7046116841/in/set-72157624717530707

As for what you're not considering... what about predators? Do you have snakes, skunks, opossums, coyotes or neighborhood dogs to worry about?

-Wendy

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I've seen some really clever looking hoop tractors made from PVC pipe, covered with chicken wire or better yet, hardware cloth and then partly covered with a tarp. Howevever, as the poster above stated, don't underestimate the predators in your area. I made a combination wood and PVC pipe tractor for my meat birds last summer, but it was moved daily by an old mini-van that had been converted to a mobile coop. The growing chickens had the security of the minivan at night when they were the most vulnerable. Even then, I lost four one night when something pushed in the wire covering I had over an open window.

 

[alachickenman]

Thank you both so much for your input! I really only gave much thought to predators from the air. I'll put some more thought into predators on the ground. And I'll see if I can't think of a way to let the birds roost somehow. But I've heard this can cause problems with meat birds...

 

[Mikedero]

Thank you both so much for your input! I really only gave much thought to predators from the air. I'll put some more thought into predators on the ground. And I'll see if I can't think of a way to let the birds roost somehow. But I've heard this can cause problems with meat birds...

But you are not getting the cornish X, the other birds will roost. just because your raising them for meat does not turn them into that kind of bird. a tractor mentioned above works great and that is what I use.

 

[makingshift]

I made a chicken tractor out of scavenged materials to house my meat birds. I've had two layer hens in it for the last few weeks and it has been great. The meat birds are still chicks so they won't move into it until later. My tractor is exactly as Hummingbird Hollow described above. I wrote a blog post about it, including photos. Here is one of them: