filthy broilers

[PatS]

Katy, what are the approximate dimensions of your pvc tractor? Is it 1" pvc? Can it be moved by one person? (Do you drag it or are there wheels we don't see on the back end?) And what is the bucket on the tripod? Thanks!

 

[TimG]

Quote:
Aren't you from Louisianna? How cold does it get ona regular basis?

 

[enola]

I raise broilers on wire, all the poop goes through the wire. Nice clean chickens to butcher!

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Quote:
Aren't you from Louisianna? How cold does it get ona regular basis?

Tim: the thermometer says its not very cold, but the wettness says quite another thing sometimes. When I picked up the chicks as day olds on Oct 28th, it was quite chilly for humans of this area. My kids had sweaters on. It was probably only low 50s, but we have since then gotten to 30 that I noticed....that was at 6:30am. No telling if it was slightly colder 2 hours before when I was still in bed.
We can need ACs while cooking lunch and by 9pm, light a heater. But really the thing about "on a regular basis?" Well its the surprises that can kill them.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

I'm pretty sure that tractor is 10X10, yes it's 1" and I (old and chubby) can drag it around with one hand.
No it's not predator proof, and yes it picks up and MOVES is the wind lol!
Mine were fine at 50 degrees with no light.

maybe it is 10X20 . .. I'll have to go measure in the morning. My daughter can put one together in an hour now. We have come to love PVC and Zip Ties! We bungie corded it down to auto wheels during the small winds.

The bucket is a nipple waterer that is usually suspended but couldn't be from the PVC so my husband built me the stand.

 

[TimG]

I think by the time they are 4 weeks old they should be able to handle being outside in the 40s. With some extra protection -- I've seen pictures of people using plastic storage bins with holes cut in the side, they just have to figure out to go inside -- they should be fine into the 30s. My point about "regular basis" was that if you get an unusually cold night forecast, you can do something special for them. But, chances are you'll get by just fine without any supplemental heat after the first few weeks, probably about the same time you'll be wanting to move them out of the structure you have now because they get it so dirty.

 

[TimG]

Quote:
You can fashion u-clips out of wire hangers that do a pretty good job of anchoring a pvc tractor. Not in real winds, of course, but pretty good. If you aren't interested in making your own, you can get similar in a building supply store, just look for pipe hangers, the kind plumbers use to carry copper pipe.

 

[PatS]

Do you think that the wire in a "U" shape that people use to hold down black plastic drip irrigation hose would work in decent winds? The wire is 6 or 7 inches long but not super heavy duty.

 

[BWKatz]

Here's my PVC forager. I only use it during the day so it's safe enough for me. However keep in mind that PVC gets very brittle in the cold....it doesn't have to be freezing.

 

[twister]

broilers are enormous poop machines and in MHO, i personally would never dream of trying to raise them in a permanant structure. the poop would be overwhelming not to mention flies! Down here in the south, heat is a huge factor for the broilers and people here lose many broilers bc of our climate- high heat and humidity. We raised in the fall for this reason ( Oct-Dec). We kept the 26 broilers in an 8x8x2 wooden tractor that could be moved daily or twice daily. Any day that was rainy, I put down shavings. the poop was managable that way-- read Joel Salatin--- much great advise and read everyone's opinion here and go w. what works best for you! 12 hrs feed and withdraw feed at night.

Cleanliness on process day: I found it very helpful to withdraw feed for 12 hrs prior to process. They were relatively poop free by that time.

Here is a partial shot of our tractor: we decided on a 1x1 wood and screws vs nails-- heavier than pvc---we were afraid winds would take the pvc off to alaska!!

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