Freedom Rangers in Georgia - Spring 2012

[JacksFlock]

I've got mine ordered for May 5th, just curious, where do you guys get your nipple waterers? These are starting to sound like a must!

 

[bluere11e]

It's been an eventful week! On Sunday I couldn't stand it anymore and evicted them from the stock tank brooder in the sun room out to the old 4x8 foot chicken tractor. This was our first tractor construction attempt and DH is of the opinion that when in doubt, you should add more wood. It's made of 2x4's, hardware cloth, lots of plywood *and* has cedar trim (!!) and weighs a ton. And it doesn't have wheels. (This will become important later.)

Three weeks old:


Monday I moved the tractor (you have to shove a dolly under the back end, push it down, and wiggle it underneath so the handle will stay horizontal then pull from the front) and a few of them came out, but they went back in with their friends. Tuesday I did the same thing, and *more* of them came out, then more, then they made a break for the porch and hid underneath it! It looked like about *half* of them were gone. The porch is 12 feet deep and too short to crawl under so there was no way I could get them out. Later I noticed that they had moved just behind the stairs and gone to sleep and I was able to get half of the miscreants back with a fish net, but the rest went back under where I couldn't get them. I set up a cage with food and water and the brooder light and hoped they would go to it overnight, but no luck, they were still way under there this morning.

I moved the cage closer to where they were huddled up (and closer to the stairs they were behind earlier) but still no luck. Then I got another cage and put two chickens from the tractor in it, and placed it close to the cage with the food and water. THAT worked. In an hour I checked and the escapees were in the cage. I dropped the door shut and dumped everybody back in the tractor. Success!

Really, that was more excitement than I needed. I have all the materials to make a couple of 5x10 foot tractors out of 2x2 so it will be lighter (and have wheels!) so that is on the project list for this weekend. Of course those were _supposed_ to have been built _before_ the chicks arrived, but you know how that works... the project list is endless.

-Wendy

They don't seem to have the heft that the cornish x have, but I guess it takes them a few weeks more to get there than the Cornish X. Do they ever get the "bowling ball" figure?

 

[wsmoak]

They don't seem to have the heft that the cornish x have, but I guess it takes them a few weeks more to get there than the Cornish X. Do they ever get the "bowling ball" figure?

I don't know yet, this is my first time. These are supposed to be ready in 9-11 weeks (vs 7 weeks for the Cornish X) so they do grow a bit slower. I am also still learning how much they eat and they are probably a bit under-fed. I switched from the chick feeder which they would empty in a flash to a hanging one that I can fill up. (There's also a chance that the random chick chosen for the photo was one of the escapees who went without food for ~18 hours.)

I've got mine ordered for May 5th, just curious, where do you guys get your nipple waterers? These are starting to sound like a must!

I got mine from FarmTek: http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplie...ering_systems-ft1_hoses_nipples;pgwc1045.html

I don't think drilling holes in the bottom of a bucket is going to work for the tractor which is only 2' high. I'll have to do something with a reservoir, hose and PVC pipe. Meanwhile their one-gallon waterer placed on a thin concrete block is staying clean. I'll have to switch to something taller in another week or two.

-Wendy

 

[Buster52]

Do they ever get the "bowling ball" figure?

No.

 

[wsmoak]

I figured out a new way to move the old tractor. Putting short lengths of heavy duty 3/4" PVC pipe under the sides allows me to pull it to a new location. It rolls on top of the pipes and as one comes out the back, I move it to the front and keep going. Whew! After 24 hours they *really* need to be moved to fresh ground.

I'm happy to see them scratching and eating the grass and weeds instead of just sitting in front of the feeder.

We didn't get the new tractor finished but most of the parts are prepped. After trying to screw 2x2 boards together the old fashioned way (butt joint, screwed in from the end) we got a Kreg Jig to make pocket holes. Easy to use, and MUCH stronger. (Well, as strong as a butt joint is ever going to be, but I'm sure not breaking out the router to do fancier joints on a chicken tractor!!)

-Wendy

 

[Mrs. Mucket]

Quote:
Wendy,
We've used bucket/nipple feeders on our 24" and 30" tall tractors. Can't find a photo at the moment but here is a description:

Our tractors each have a removeable roof section at each end for easy maintenance, reaching for birds, etc. On one end section we cut out a hole sized so the bucket would just fit into down to the right height for chicks to drink from the nipples. It's kind of a trial and error measuring thing if the sides of the bucket are sloped. Then we made a couple of wood "frames" to support the lip of the bucket on the roof and raise it to different heights. So the bucket was at its lowest for chick height. Then we propped it up a little for the "adolescents" and finally raised it higher for the full grown birds. The bucket has to have some kind of a lip or extended pieces where the handle attaches.

Does that make sense at all? I know exactly what I mean to say but does it translate into a picture?

BTW we LOVE Freedom Rangers. This will be our third year raising them.

 

[wsmoak]

Yes, that makes sense. I thought about dropping the bucket through the roof, but I'm somewhat concerned about predators being able to remove the bucket and get inside. I'm sure something could be done to secure it though.

I found some hanging waterers that are working fine, I have them on chain so I can get the height just right and they haven't gotten dirty at all.

Four weeks old...


I weighed them this time, the one on the left is 2 lbs, and on the right is 1 lb 12 oz. (Rooster and hen, respectively, I think?)

They are almost finished with their second bag of Flock Raiser, so with 26 of them in there, each one has eaten almost 4 lbs of food so far. (Minus what they spilled and wasted in the brooder where it would sink under the shavings.) Does that sound about right?

-Wendy

 

[stone_family3]

Did they go through a bald stage like the Cornish Xs do? I'm thinking I like them way better then the Cornish Xs.

 

[loanwizard]

I haven't built my tractor yet but 125 chicks know how to use the buckets with nipples and the water is the cleanest any of my birds have ever gotten. I was thinking of mounting an overhead bracket, probably 2x4 with eyebolts to hang the buckets with rope tied off on a boat cleat. Of course 10 gallons of water adds 80 lbs to the tractor. I have some PV frames laying around but haven't figured how to attach the wire to it. Maybe zip ties? Got 2 weeks before they are 3 weeks and out of the brooder.

 

[loanwizard]

Of course I have considered truly free ranging them but my luck I would get them confused with my layers lol!