Which girls are which?

[lazy gardener]

My only recommendation, if I'm reading your original post correctly, is that you may be running your space a bit tight. Crowded birds are more prone to behavioral issues and disease. Once those behaviors start, it's practically impossible to stop them. Also, crowded birds are more prone to stress which makes them more susceptible to disease. Some diseases, once established in your flock or on your property are practically impossible to get rid of. The recommendation is 4 s.f./bird in the coop, and 10 s.f./bird in the run.

 

[apprentice]

In the 100 sq ft tractor how many 16 week old birds would fill it up?

 

[lazy gardener]

How often, realistically will it be moved?

 

[aart]

Wow that's a lot of good information, thank you.

Since that answers my first 2 questions I will let you all know what my plan is and maybe someone can tell me if it sounds right. I hope to eventually have my own incubator with a barred rock rooster already in the coop for some pure br eggs. I'd like to hatch maybe 35 or 40 chicks and house them in a 10x10 hoop house style tractor for 4 months. At the end of that cull the oldest hens in the coop, take the best looking hens from the hoop house and re-fill the coop up to 25 birds and slaughter those left in the hoop house.

Does this sound right? Any positive or negative ideas are greatly appreciated

Sure, you hatch a bunch, eat the cockerels and old hens and use the new pullets as replacement layers.

Every 2-3 years you bring in a new rooster with different blood lines.

 

[apprentice]

The tractor would be moved every day. I shouldn't get a replacement rooster from who I first got the birds from then I take it. Is ordering from one of the big places on the internet the best way to make sure I get new blood? And is 1 rooster enough for 15 birds?

 

[lazy gardener]

They would be very crowded in a 10 x 10. I would not want to put more than 15 - 20 birds in a tractor of that size. And 10 - 15 would be a more realistic amount for the comfort of the birds. Have you considered electronet? That would allow you to provide a 40 x 40 run, and you could have some A - frame structures in it for housing.

 

[apprentice]

Electronet? No I haven't, could I make up for lack of space with free ranging?

 

[lazy gardener]

In a sense, yes. But, young birds are much more vulnerable to predators. My recommendation is to start with about 1/2 as many birds as you are talking about having: 15 max. Then, after getting a handle on dealing with and culling a flock of that size, you could expand as you gain experience.

 

[donrae]

You can start with a rooster related to your hens, most folks can go a few generations before they have any issues. After that, don't buy a rooster chick, just check Craigslist in the spring and take someone's Oops rooster they got by mistake. Someone will be thrilled their pet will be going to a non-eating situation (at least not right away, anyway

)

I'd advise you to start smaller the first year. Things to think of are space and feed to grow out cockerels until around 5 months, butcher age for dual purpose birds. Then there's the actual butchering, and how many birds can you preserve? Are you freezing them, canning them, etc? Be sure you have enough freezer space, canning jars, etc. Smaller will allow you to work out any kinks in your production, and then in 2016 you can step up the production if you're so inclined.

 

[apprentice]

Me being more of the "pound per dollar" type and my wife being of the "pound of what?" type, smaller is probably the route we will take.

I don't see that there will be an issue in any culling, these are animals that provide food just like deer, fish and wild turkey. I don't see any emotional attachment being a problem either.

Extras go in vacuum sealed bags in the yet to be used (free from generous family) deep freeze, along with a few rounds of cornish cross birds in another hoop house. Big plans I know, a sustainable meat source is something that I'm willing to make sacrifices for