Salatin Pastured Poultry-type pen QUESTIONS-

[PotterWatch]

I'll see if I can get a picture today. Basically though, it is just connected with tubing. My husband drilled a hole that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the tubing down at the bottom of the bucket. The tubing is the forced/pulled through. Because the hole is just a little smaller than the tubing, it keeps a water-tight seal.

 

[MikeG]

These are great. Thanks. Am interested in stacking buckets as well.

I used an old tin gutter (10') running down one side and an additional feeder supplying 24/hr access. Good stuff albeit a little poop issue in the feeder.

I'm losing about one every 2-3 days and am not sure why. No apparent skeletal injuries-just lethargic one day and gone the next.

 

[naillikwj82]

Check the comb color. If you observe purple/blue combs your bird is have congestive heart issues, which is typical of 6-8 week old CX. You can process these for freezer camp before they expire. If you let them expire on thier own, you have lost time and the feed cost of that bird, cutting into your bottom line and increasing your overall per pound price. Haste makes waste.

 

[MikeG]

Thanks for that info!

I'll take a closer look on the next one...if there will be more. Had one cease in my hands yesterday. Symptoms- labored breathing, open beak, lethargic..and then spasms/death. When I scooped it up, attempted to give some water but it was too late. They do have 24/7 access to water/feed.

Started out with 75 and have lost 15 as of yesterday.

 

[Ilan-MN]

This is a fascinating thread. I am now raising my second batch of broilers following closely Salatin's methods. My first batch was difficult. I raised them in September-October (start of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere!). I don't think it was warm enough. There was only one frosty morning, but there were quite a few rainy days and only a handful of fine warm days. Lots of overcast weather with brief showers. [We get snow every 20-30 years where I live]

I started with 78 and on day 15 moved them outside. The weather forecast indicated some mild weather. It was OK, it turned out to be a 4 day period of low 60's, overcast and no wind at all.

On day 15 I had 74. Over the next 42 days I would lose one nearly every day, I also killed 2 by accident, when moving the enclosure, but we dressed them and ate them. The ones that died were very similar to what Mike G described. By day 55 we were down to 42. I processed 12 on that day and the rest on day 57. They were massive; they dressed out to 7-8 pounds. I had trouble killing a few as they would not go down the restraining cone far enough and had to slit their throats by holding them between my knees. I emailed the hatchery to confirm that I had purchased day-olds and the lady was adamant that they were indeed day-olds.

I am now raising my second batch. The weather has been warmer and dryer. I took them outside at day 15. It is now day 19, but today was wet and cold (high 50’s) and very windy. Although it was very warm from day 15-18, reaching 90 yesterday! I started out with 75 and one chick was killed accidentally after my daughter discovered that the brooder hatch is not connected to a hinge like the large outdoor enclosure. One more died on day 3. The second batch was sourced from a different hatchery. They were tiny in comparison, but a lot more energetic and nimble, but they have already put on lots of weight.

When I had the 42 just before slaughtering them in my 10ft x 10ft enclosure it looked like they were comfortable, but if I had 75 it would have been absolutely packed. It did not appear overstocked (with 42). I am worried that having 60 something (or close to 70) 6 or 7 week olds in the enclosure would mean that they can hardly move. I am also worried that they excrete so much manure that moving them once a day will not be enough but I am happy to move them twice to give them a cleaner environment (I have 15.5 acres!). In Salatin’s book “Pastured Poultry Profits” (PPP) he says he stocks his 10ft x 12 ft enclosure with 90 birds but on his web-site it says “about 75” see: http://www.polyfacefarms.com/2011/07/25/pastured-broilers/
See page 82-83 of PPP: (roughly quoting)

• For 120 sq ft enclosure:
• - Under 50 birds weight gain drops because they are running around too much.
• - Over 95 slaughter weight drops. Every individual over 90 takes a toll.
• - Between 65 and 85 we have not been able to detect a difference.

Can the difference in expected dressed weights, 4lb for Salatin versus 7-8 pounds I achieved, be accounted for by the lower stocking density?
Should I only buy 60 day-old chicks in order to get around 50-55 by week 8 instead of 75?
Or should I slaughter them at 6 weeks instead of 8 weeks?

We have eaten the chicken and have enjoyed it I couldn't tell much difference with normal store bought chicken, except for the roast which was slightly stronger flavoured. We have:

• Roasted it whole
• Cooked boneless pieces in a curry
• Minced it and made hamburger patties
• Minced it and made dumplings

(And tomorrow will make chicken soup with the leftover frames and bones.)

 

[Jared77]

Another option to ensure you have water tight seals is to use some aquarium sealant. Its a silicone that's safe for living animals, dries fast and is inexpensive to use. Id run a bead of that around both sides of the tubing coming out from the buckets just to be safe but thats just me.

Nice set up by the way.