Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[RedRidge]

 
Who are these people?  Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC)   Anyone ever heard of them?

Layers   Housing

Jan 20, 2014

News

US welfare organization revises Free Range standards

http://www.worldpoultry.net/Layers/...re-org-revises-Free-Range-standards-1447398W/

Non-profit entity that just wanted the labeling of "free range" to actually mean free range.  I don't necessarily disagree with their intentions.  But sometimes I question intentions of groups that want birds to be free ranged out of humane purposes.   I'm not sure I see much improvement in humane treatment by free ranging.  Sure the birds are open to outside air and grass and what not.  But a Coyote, Dog, Fox, Wolf, Hawk, Raccoon, Opossum, Mouse, Rat, Human with ill intention is not going to get into a production facility.  All you are doing is trading safety for space.

While I don't agree with more regs and standards as proposed in the original post, I also don't think you have to trade safety for space. Mine free range and rotate daily with no cover over head on 50 acres with heavy ground and air predation. But they have the protection of Italian Maremma. The hawks and Turkey vultures periodically taunt the Maremma but they aren't stupid enough to try to take a chicken.
Two different topics I suppose.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: While I don't agree with more regs and standards as proposed in the original post, I also don't think you have to trade safety for space. Mine free range and rotate daily with no cover over head on 50 acres with heavy ground and air predation. But they have the protection of Italian Maremma. The hawks and Turkey vultures periodically taunt the Maremma but they aren't stupid enough to try to take a chicken.
Two different topics I suppose.
WHen I had my maremma, he killed off any potenital predator including the skunk without getting skunked, the racoons, and the opposums. Sure wish he had not killed the skunk, I rather liked him/her.

THe coyote pass thru my property a lot. With the snow fall last night I can see the tracks-- fresh this morning. NO snow blown in the tracks yet. ANd a fox earlier. Good fencing is helpful, and hiding places when the young hawks fledge. We are a live and let live farm and that works for us. Many ways to manage and have have deterents for the predators.

ONe day last summer, I discovered that my old tom turkey had passed away during the day. I removed his body to outside the coop with the intention of burying him before sundown. That is our rule here. SIde tracked with evening chores and kids, I forgot and went to do the deed the next morning asap, and the body was already gone. A full size heritage turkey tom gone.Made a great meal for a coyote.Tha tincident is my evidence that despite fencing, the coyote are trekking thru anyway. OVerall, We live in balance with them, with few losses. We just try to make it harder for them to get our stock than find appropriate food in the woods. With the snow cover I expect them to come around more often now.

We keep the cats in at night.

 

[brahmabreeder]

Considering how some of our chickens act when we open the door to their run and they think we have something good to eat - they could trample us to death if we tripped and fell.

 

[MagicChicken]

Quote:
Thanks, I will try those tarp clips if I can find them here. Not sure I want to order them direct from Taiwan. Looks easier than pounding in grommets.

Home Depot sells a bag of assorted plastic clamps that hold up surprisingly well. They are mostly black with yellow bits where they grab, and they come in a net bag with 10-20 assorted size clamps. They were around $10/bag. I use the medium to large size clamps for tarps when I have something to clamp to. The largest ones are so strong I have trouble opening them. Once they are in place they hold up through our monsoon winds. I do check them every few days during storm season. Usually don't have to re-set them. They're in their second year of use and they haven't gotten brittle and shattered yet. Pretty good for plastic clamps in Arizona.

For my hoop coop I need grommets on two sides so I can tie the flaps out for ventilation or secure them down to the coop in heavy rains.

 

[juststruttin]

Thanks, I will try those tarp clips if I can find them here. Not sure I want to order them direct from Taiwan. Looks easier than pounding in grommets.

Home Depot sells a bag of assorted plastic clamps that hold up surprisingly well. They are mostly black with yellow bits where they grab, and they come in a net bag with 10-20 assorted size clamps. They were around $10/bag. I use the medium to large size clamps for tarps when I have something to clamp to. The largest ones are so strong I have trouble opening them. Once they are in place they hold up through our monsoon winds. I do check them every few days during storm season. Usually don't have to re-set them. They're in their second year of use and they haven't gotten brittle and shattered yet. Pretty good for plastic clamps in Arizona.

For my hoop coop I need grommets on two sides so I can tie the flaps out for ventilation or secure them down to the coop in heavy rains.

My local hardware store carries Progrip Shark Clips, they work well too. http://usaprogrip.com/products_detail.php?id=224

 

[RiddleMe]

 

 
I would give these a try.  http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of-4-multipurpose-tarp-clips-68014.html.

Can be used on any thickness of sheet material,  almost up to 1/4 inch.  We use all over the place.  Have used these on the pontoon and boat covers traveling down the freeway at 70 mph.  Won't come loose unless you release it.  Best part is they are reusable unlike grommets.

I have have two of these style clips; cheap from Walmart, more expensive from Ace. Neither one works at all, the first little breeze and they pop right off the plastic.

The 'dog bone' style works reasonably well, but in a long term wind storm I have had the work loose, especially is some other part gets loose and things really start flapping around.
http://www.grabbittool.com/EZG/ReadMoreInfoEZG.htm

This one, I have some of these, 7 years old, used every winter on my green house, they have NEVER come loose! In fact the plastic has ripped off with the the still attached to it.
http://orix.manufacturer.globalsour...tl/Plastic-fastener/1048129641/Tarp-Clips.htm

Thanks, I will try those tarp clips if I can find them here. Not sure I want to order them direct from Taiwan.  Looks easier than pounding in grommets.

Home Depot sells a bag of assorted plastic clamps that hold up surprisingly well.  They are mostly black with yellow bits where they grab, and they come in a net bag with 10-20 assorted size clamps.  They were around $10/bag.  I use the medium to large size clamps for tarps when I have something to clamp to.  The largest ones are so strong I have trouble opening them.  Once they are in place they hold up through our monsoon winds.  I do check them every few days during storm season.  Usually don't have to re-set them.  They're in their second year of use and they haven't gotten brittle and shattered yet.  Pretty good for plastic clamps in Arizona.

For my hoop coop I need grommets on two sides so I can tie the flaps out for ventilation or secure them down to the coop in heavy rains.

You can get something similar on Amazon, don't know how they compare quality-wise. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SOLELW/ref=gno_cart_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1VAOWZNDCV6C6

 

[Arielle]

When I was looking thru the NEPC 2014 SHow listing and having an interest in turkeys, I noticed that turkeys are listed as LF.

We don't discuss turkeys on this thread and I have often wondered why not? Perhaps turkeys are not large fowl, or that Bob hadnot meant to extend the LF title of this thread to include turkeys at the on set rather to start with LF chickens to get the thread rolling . . . .

It leads me to wonder who has turkeys . . .?

No response is a response in it self. lol

 

[bnjrob]

No response is a response in it self. lol

Ha ha. Eventually I want Naragansetts but not ready yet.

 

[BGMatt]

No response is a response in it self. lol

It's odd the show had them listed as Large Fowl, since they aren't considered that by the APA to the best of my knowledge. There is a separate turkey forum on here too. I've tried turkey's a couple times, Bronze, Bourbon Red and Royal Palms, just take too much space and kept getting eaten when tried to range them, so I stick with Chickens, Ducks and Geese. I do have a customer that has replaced his laying chicken flock with a flock of Bourbon Reds because they were outlaying most of his chickens, and for much longer..

 

[neopolitancrazy]

No response is a response in it self. lol

there is a Heritage & Exhibition Turkey Thread on BYC, perhaps that is what you seek.