Going Organic on Table-eggs and Broilers

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Welcome to byc!! Glad you could join the Flock! Let me know if you need anything! Beautiful dogs!

 

[Blue Tiger]

Treatment is verboten, but vaccination is OK?

To my current understanding yes. Cocci can be just as problematic as predators, especially with Cornish.

 

[aart]

To my current understanding yes. Cocci can be just as problematic as predators, especially with Cornish.

Lots of loopholes in 'Organic', and little regulation.
Cornish X meat birds?

 

[Blue Tiger]

Lots of loopholes in 'Organic', and little regulation.
Cornish X meat birds?

We will be conferring with a "certifier" a lot. I am not a fan of Cornish X. Partner is pushing for those. I would not be against using regular Cornish.

 

[Mrs. K]

You get better meat, IMO with the cornish cross, and for a lot less money, a concern in business.

As for a organic laying flock, what you need is a sharp knife, and the moment anything is sick, it is culled. However, I really have never had too much sickness in my birds. Maybe just lucky, maybe no other chickens in miles.

Good luck

 

[Blue Tiger]

It has been a while since last posting. We harvest the first round of Cornish X some time ago. We did little more than shake down the indoor approach over hemp as a bedding. We are getting ready to compare multiple types of bedding and will be rearing birds through harvest indoors on that bedding. Cornish X will be used for that as well but we still plan to use a slower growing stock next year. Based on first run, we now have a model for rearing about 500 birds per batch where roughly 6 batches will be raised at 1 month intervals. Poopy will get deeper as we scale up. Feces loaded hemp is being directed towards a blue berry crop. Will be really interesting to see how that works out.

The speckled sussex are getting close to point of lay. Need to train them to roost clear of nests which will be cool to show.

 

[Blue Tiger]

Looks like we are going to be using a different dog breed. Pups originally planned may be used for something else, at least one will be. I would like to use two breeds where one is a little smaller are more biddable. Dog can be used to show another way to use dogs to defend poultry. Bigger dog on outside all the time and smaller able to get in where chickens actual located.

Dogs eating chicken feed a problem, even for dogs.

 

[aart]

Based on first run, we now have a model for rearing about 500 birds per batch where roughly 6 batches will be raised at 1 month intervals.

That's a LOT of birds!!
How/where will you process and sell them all?

 

[Blue Tiger]

That's a LOT of birds!!
How/where will you process and sell them all?

Shady Maple Farms C near Versailes, Missouri can handle more than 500 broilers in a day to process in compliance with USDA rules and regulations. The majority a local school will purchase. A freezer is needed to hold what is harvested June to late August. The school will use most if not all they get each Wednesday which is also Soul Food Day. The frying part could be left out.