Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[perchie.girl]

I found your post today and, although I am not anywhere near caught up, just had to comment. What a wonderful life journey! You and your family have such varied interests and experiences. I'll have to read a bit more later (if my dogs and chickens let me).

 

[kwhites634]

Yeah I am sure your probably right on the worms Oz.

What the heck am I gonna do with all these dang things..lol I guess I start looking for a pet store or bait shop to sell em to. I hear they are good for lizards and trout...

Take up fishing...they make great bait

 

[ozexpat]

Take up fishing...they make great bait

ok so this post through me, LOL

you are currently 18 months behind LOL - better get cracking

 

[ozexpat]

Welcome again thread newbies

Dodong spent the week replacing the plastic mesh on the coops with fishing net. Its about 4 x as durable.

the coops are swimming pools at the moment. we have had 8 inches of rain in 3 days. lots of flooding around us

the prototype chicken tractor is underway

 

[Sally Sunshine]

How many of those you makin oz? will you put tires on them?

I have these saved in my folder, if anyone knows where to give photo credit let me know please, I saved them years ago, still didnt make any. I need simplicity because I would like to dismantle for winter, oz wont dont need too.

I like these the best, because of predators here in the mnts







I have quickly become a fan of those rabbit pen J clips, wish I would have known about them sooner!

as I was bending wire for way too long

 

[ozexpat]

wow, bending wire is tough


we are making 8 tractors to start but will probably go to 18

the goal is to get chicks into them at 4 weeks.

weekly hatches of 120 chicks. of which 90 are sold by 4 weeks. by 14 weeks we will just have 6 or so.

tractors are 36 square feet,

at 4 weeks - 36 chicks/ tractor - 1 sq foot per bird - 4 tractors

at 8 weeks 18 chicks per tractor - 2 sq foot per bird - 6 tractors

at 14 weeks 12 birds per tractor - 3 sq foot per bird - 6 tractors

at 18 weeks 9 birds per tractor - 4 sq foot per bird - 2 tractors

The goal is to get our birds outside as early as possible, We will use the house yard for the tractors, moving them twice a week, It will be good for the birds and save on mowing, The nice thing there is that with our rain the grass recovers fast.

We can pull the 4+ weeks bird orders on a Friday, top them up with electolytes in a brooder - one brooder per order until Sunday at 10am and then box them in 30 minutes to ship.

This will decrease man power needs Sundays.

 

[ozexpat]

I just ended up on the forum page. We are going to hit half a million views by the end of the year on this little story

 

[perchie.girl]

congrats Oz....

Like the tractors.... Any way to make some out of Bamboo?

deb

 

[Sally Sunshine]

wow, bending wire is tough


we are making 8 tractors to start but will probably go to 18

the goal is to get chicks into them at 4 weeks.

weekly hatches of 120 chicks. of which 90 are sold by 4 weeks. by 14 weeks we will just have 6 or so.

tractors are 36 square feet,

at 4 weeks - 36 chicks/ tractor - 1 sq foot per bird - 4 tractors

at 8 weeks 18 chicks per tractor - 2 sq foot per bird - 6 tractors

at 14 weeks 12 birds per tractor - 3 sq foot per bird - 6 tractors

at 18 weeks 9 birds per tractor - 4 sq foot per bird - 2 tractors

The goal is to get our birds outside as early as possible, We will use the house yard for the tractors, moving them twice a week, It will be good for the birds and save on mowing, The nice thing there is that with our rain the grass recovers fast.

We can pull the 4+ weeks bird orders on a Friday, top them up with electolytes in a brooder - one brooder per order until Sunday at 10am and then box them in 30 minutes to ship.

This will decrease man power needs Sundays.

I am amazed at all you are doing on the land you have! I look at all the wasted space we own here! Hubs thinks we need more

 

[scottcaddy]

I just ended up on the forum page. We are going to hit half a million views by the end of the year on this little story

Is that ratio of posts to views about the same for most big threads?
Scott