We're working on "The wall of brooders" I've been asking for. It's the missing link in my whole method, having spaces for chicks between 2 weeks and 8 weeks old.
We're starting with 6, each one 2ftx4ftx2ft at minimum, some are closer to 6 with the wall length. In my mind I had a 14ft section of barn wall filled with a 3 tier system. Husband nixed that and said "I'm not bending over to change water". So instead they're getting built inside of a "flex space" shed, all at one comfortable height, on 3 walls in a horseshoe shape.
I have 2 brooders in the hatch room, 50 total at a time can come out of there at 1 week old. When they're doing good on food/water they then get moved to the shed, on the left side. They'll stay there until 4 weeks, then they'll get split between the back wall brooders, sorted for gender at that time. Splitting them between the 2 bigger brooders gives them double the space, right when they need it.
3-4 more weeks to confirm gender. Then a sort day. Girls I want to keep for further grow out move to the barn spaces. (3 grow pens in the barn) Girls who aren't what I'm looking for (for my projects I have to sort for comb type and other features) go to a "sellable" pen. Boys go to rooster coop or pasture tractors.
If I hatch myself into a pickle I have back-up overflow space, with 6 brooders in the barn that aren't anywhere near as convenient as the new ones. Lot's of bending and they're not all close together.
Once all of that space is full, then the girls start dropping down to the floor of the brooder shed, where there is a pop door to a 1/8th acre run. I have to stop hatching once that last area is in use.
As soon as they hit 16 weeks old, we can start harvesting from Rooster coop. Last season rooster coop ran about 80 boys through it between Dec 2018-October this year.
I'm still working on the final details of my hatch calendar. I have to plan around the available space and likely percentages based off of last year's numbers.
Just need to get the doors built and installed, some finishing details and get the outlets in. We already added a new, bigger, air vent in the peak.
We're starting with 6, each one 2ftx4ftx2ft at minimum, some are closer to 6 with the wall length. In my mind I had a 14ft section of barn wall filled with a 3 tier system. Husband nixed that and said "I'm not bending over to change water". So instead they're getting built inside of a "flex space" shed, all at one comfortable height, on 3 walls in a horseshoe shape.
I have 2 brooders in the hatch room, 50 total at a time can come out of there at 1 week old. When they're doing good on food/water they then get moved to the shed, on the left side. They'll stay there until 4 weeks, then they'll get split between the back wall brooders, sorted for gender at that time. Splitting them between the 2 bigger brooders gives them double the space, right when they need it.
3-4 more weeks to confirm gender. Then a sort day. Girls I want to keep for further grow out move to the barn spaces. (3 grow pens in the barn) Girls who aren't what I'm looking for (for my projects I have to sort for comb type and other features) go to a "sellable" pen. Boys go to rooster coop or pasture tractors.
If I hatch myself into a pickle I have back-up overflow space, with 6 brooders in the barn that aren't anywhere near as convenient as the new ones. Lot's of bending and they're not all close together.
Once all of that space is full, then the girls start dropping down to the floor of the brooder shed, where there is a pop door to a 1/8th acre run. I have to stop hatching once that last area is in use.
As soon as they hit 16 weeks old, we can start harvesting from Rooster coop. Last season rooster coop ran about 80 boys through it between Dec 2018-October this year.
I'm still working on the final details of my hatch calendar. I have to plan around the available space and likely percentages based off of last year's numbers.
Just need to get the doors built and installed, some finishing details and get the outlets in. We already added a new, bigger, air vent in the peak.
Brilliant!!
