Housing questions

[CrazedGirl]

Let me set the scene first:
We live on a hill in Carroll County Maryland. We have a coop w/ a premier poultry netting run for our laying hens.

I want to get broilers, probably a Cornish cross, this year. I do not want them with my laying hens.

I was looking at a fairly open system- one more poultry netting( that we can cover with garden netting to keep the fox at bay), and an open tractor for cover where we can also keep food/water on top. They will be able to go under this flat topped “tractor” for cover from the elements. The netting will keep them confined but still allow access to grass and we can move them around some.

I have attached a picture for reference- this one was made by Justin Rhodes. Ours would be smaller as we would not have as many birds about 20 to make up for any deaths that will occur.

Does anyone have any recommendations? I’m looking for ideas to provide them proper cover while maintaining mobility for future uses.

 

[Geena]

Let me set the scene first:
We live on a hill in Carroll County Maryland. We have a coop w/ a premier poultry netting run for our laying hens.

I want to get broilers, probably a Cornish cross, this year. I do not want them with my laying hens.

I was looking at a fairly open system- one more poultry netting( that we can cover with garden netting to keep the fox at bay), and an open tractor for cover where we can also keep food/water on top. They will be able to go under this flat topped “tractor” for cover from the elements. The netting will keep them confined but still allow access to grass and we can move them around some.

I have attached a picture for reference- this one was made by Justin Rhodes. Ours would be smaller as we would not have as many birds about 20 to make up for any deaths that will occur. View attachment 1634897

Does anyone have any recommendations? I’m looking for ideas to provide them proper cover while maintaining mobility for future uses.

I live in Frederick county so we're neighbors. I'm not familiar with that sort of tractor, but it looks like a pretty good setup. I assume it lifts up as they grow?
Did you mean store food and water on top or actually put the feeders up there? Because when they are smaller they might have a hard time finding it, and when they are bigger they probably won't be able to get up there.
Do you plan to brood them under the tractor or elsewhere?
I fixed my fox problem with fencing and dogs. Now when my grow outs are little, hawks are the biggest threat. They don't bother the bigger birds, but every year I lose several young ones. The netting overhead should help with that.

 

[CrazedGirl]

I live in Frederick county so we're neighbors. I'm not familiar with that sort of tractor, but it looks like a pretty good setup. I assume it lifts up as they grow?
Did you mean store food and water on top or actually put the feeders up there? Because when they are smaller they might have a hard time finding it, and when they are bigger they probably won't be able to get up there.
Do you plan to brood them under the tractor or elsewhere?
I fixed my fox problem with fencing and dogs. Now when my grow outs are little, hawks are the biggest threat. They don't bother the bigger birds, but every year I lose several young ones. The netting overhead should help with that.

Hi neighbor!

I just mean by keeping a bucket of food/water on it; but, then I realized they won’t be too far from out main set up and I can suck up the walk. I figured until they are around 3-4 weeks old (I know they grow fast!) I’ll keep them in a smaller brooder with heat lamp before moving them outside like any other chicken.

I just have to plan accordingly bc I want broilers and more layers and turkeys.. this is getting out of control according to my husband

 

[Geena]

LOL, I hear ya. I have to constantly keep myself in check. I'd like to get some quail and guineas and peafowl... maybe one day. I do have a few heritage turkeys. Let me know this spring if you want some turkey hatching eggs. I always have extras and would be happy to give you some.

 

[iwltfum]

From what I've seen that set up can work ok, but the real advantage of it is being able to move the fence enclosure from spot to spot in a pasture or some other grassed area. If you don't keep up on moving the fence it could cause problems with the amount of poop that meat birds produce. They will get messy way faster than laying hens and will be healthier the more you can keep them off their own poop.

We didn't like the type of hybrid-freerange type of set up you're describing just because, for us, it was alot of extra work compared to chicken tractors. It was just easier to build enclosed pasture pens (ie chicken tractors) and move them daily. For a small flock of meat birds, it could work, but, for us, the idea was to give them just enough grass to be able to eat grass at-will 24/7, but not more than that so that they wouldn't be moving around all the time and become tough. We've also found that if the enclosure is too big, the birds will usually congregate around a certain area (usually the shaded cover first and then the areas surrounding the food and water) and soil that one area but neglect the other areas. A smaller area and more movement more evenly distributes the waste and, in turn, keeps the birds healthier.

 

[CrazedGirl]

LOL, I hear ya. I have to constantly keep myself in check. I'd like to get some quail and guineas and peafowl... maybe one day. I do have a few heritage turkeys. Let me know this spring if you want some turkey hatching eggs. I always have extras and would be happy to give you some.

What kind of turkeys? -fingers crossed for bourbon reds-

From what I've seen that set up can work ok, but the real advantage of it is being able to move the fence enclosure from spot to spot in a pasture or some other grassed area. If you don't keep up on moving the fence it could cause problems with the amount of poop that meat birds produce. They will get messy way faster than laying hens and will be healthier the more you can keep them off their own poop.

We didn't like the type of hybrid-freerange type of set up you're describing just because, for us, it was alot of extra work compared to chicken tractors. It was just easier to build enclosed pasture pens (ie chicken tractors) and move them daily. For a small flock of meat birds, it could work, but, for us, the idea was to give them just enough grass to be able to eat grass at-will 24/7, but not more than that so that they wouldn't be moving around all the time and become tough. We've also found that if the enclosure is too big, the birds will usually congregate around a certain area (usually the shaded cover first and then the areas surrounding the food and water) and soil that one area but neglect the other areas. A smaller area and more movement more evenly distributes the waste and, in turn, keeps the birds healthier.

My concern with the chicken tractors is the ability to move them by myself, and not pulling out the lawn mower. If I could find one used I’d be all for it. I don’t want to spend a small fortune on it either.

 

[RoosterML]

With a low set up as you show the main down fall is you will not be able to see under when you are moving it. This will most likely cause you to run over or injure some chicks. I do not like low chicken tractors for that reason.

 

[Geena]

What kind of turkeys? -fingers crossed for bourbon reds-

No, sorry, I don't have any Bourbon Reds.