Will this work?

[C Dohrer]

As far I know it is a government thing. They are worried about the bird flu. This is the explanation I got from my BIL who raises chickens. I guess we also have to register with possibly the state that we have birds of any type.

“That is a government thing there worried about the bird flu. BUT if there from a clean place. You could go longer. Two years is about Max you want to keep them anyways. You need to register that you have birds.”

I’m going to look more into that. I’ll see what I can find out about the NPIP as mentioned a little further up the thread.

 

[C Dohrer]

I'll do a separate post for this. We all have our favorite breeds and sometimes that can influence our suggestions. Another really big problem is that not every hen of the same breed lays the same so there are differences in individuals. You need to have enough of a breed for breed averages to mean much. You could get really lucky or unlucky in your individuals when you only have a few.

Even worse different flocks of the same breed can have different traits. If the person selecting which birds get to breed selects based on egg laying ability then in a few generations that flock can lay above breed averages. If they do not select for egg laying ability, in a few generations they can lay less. Hatchery birds tend to lay equal or above breed averages because they are in the business of hatching eggs so they want the hens to lay well.

Still, breeds do have traits. That's about the best you can go by and hope they match up. You might try going through these breed selectors and see which ones they think might be good for you.

Breed Selectors

http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/which-breed-is-right-for-me.aspx

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chick_selector.html

Another approach would be to go through Henderson's Breed Chart and see what traits they think the breed tends to have, then go to Feathersite to see what the chickens look like. This can be addicting, I may not be doing you any favors. One problem with this chart is that it is a breed chart. There are several crosses not on here that might work well for you, like Comets. Those are sex-linked chickens made by crossing colors or patterns so you can tell which are male or female at hatch. That can be really handy if you don't want any males. Of course if you accidentally get males you can eat those mistakes.

Henderson’s Breed Chart

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

Feathersite

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html#Chickens

A HUGE Thank You for these links. I’ve checked two of them out already. These are amazing!

 

[Hokum Coco]

Do we really only need one setup for the both of them?

In a perfect world you could keep them under the same roof but not in the same room with separate runs and feeding stations. I have set it up in my coop where they did have the same water in device on a common wall.

 

[aart]

As far I know it is a government thing. They are worried about the bird flu. This is the explanation I got from my BIL who raises chickens. I guess we also have to register with possibly the state that we have birds of any type.

“That is a government thing there worried about the bird flu. BUT if there from a clean place. You could go longer. Two years is about Max you want to keep them anyways. You need to register that you have birds.”

I’m going to look more into that. I’ll see what I can find out about the NPIP as mentioned a little further up the thread.

Would definitely like to learn more details about this...could be new 'rules' since AI has spread. Registration may be defined by how many birds you have(many poultry laws are) and if/where you are selling birds/eggs/meat.

Sounds like the NPIP inspection. It is technically done by a vet.

AFAIK... NPIP testing can be done by anyone who wants to learn and buy the supplies, and is usually the only test is for Pullorum in most states. It's a National program(started long ago) but state 'rules' seem to vary. I believe @Texas Kiki has researched NPIP pretty extensively, or could at least point you in the right direction for info.

 

[Kiki]

Would definitely like to learn more details about this...could be new 'rules' since AI has spread. Registration may be defined by how many birds you have(many poultry laws are) and if/where you are selling birds/eggs/meat.

AFAIK... NPIP testing can be done by anyone who wants to learn and buy the supplies, and is usually the only test is for Pullorum in most states. It's a National program(started long ago) but state 'rules' seem to vary. I believe @Texas Kiki has researched NPIP pretty extensively, or could at least point you in the right direction for info.

True each state has different rules.
I'll be back asap will Wisconsin's rules.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

OK, I know it's a bit early but my head is spinning right now. Correct me if I missed something but, I'm reading that you have two acres of usable land and you have goats and pigs and you want to add 50+ chickens. What are your plans for all that poo? I have 6 chickens - 5 pullets that produce over 2 dozen eggs per week (can't wait for them to slow down. LOL). If you are raising your own veggies you have to keep all but the goat poo away from your crops until it is safe to use - and that takes quite some time. I have enough poo to juggle with my 6 birds, I can't imagine the aromatic, mountain of poo you must be collecting. Just saying!

 

[Ridgerunner]

As far I know it is a government thing. They are worried about the bird flu. This is the explanation I got from my BIL who raises chickens. I guess we also have to register with possibly the state that we have birds of any type.

“That is a government thing there worried about the bird flu. BUT if there from a clean place. You could go longer. Two years is about Max you want to keep them anyways. You need to register that you have birds.”

I’m going to look more into that. I’ll see what I can find out about the NPIP as mentioned a little further up the thread.

A good place to start to get information is your county extension office. Each state has its own rules so you need to talk to someone local about all of this. Each county, township, city , or even HMO can have their own rules but with all those animals I'd guess you are in the county so you don't have to worry about town or HMO.

The rules will be different if you are selling meat or eggs or baby chicks. If you are keeping them for yourself there probably aren't many if any rules in the county but check anyway. How much meat or how many eggs you will be selling might kick you into a different category. If you are crossing state lines the other state may have different rules. It could be different if you are selling to a restaurant versus individuals, or in a farmer's market.

@aart in Arkansas it was fairly easy to become a certified NPIP inspector, I have not checked here. You had to go to a class to learn how to to the testing. I think that class was offered twice a year. Other states have different requirements and cover different tests. Maybe what tests are requires influences how hard it it to become a certified NPIP inspector in that state.

@C Dohrer NPIP (National Poultry Improvement Plan) was set up as a voluntary program (States could join if they wanted to and 48 have) to mainly stop Pullorum, a disease that was pretty prevalent and was causing a lot of damage to the poultry industry. It is a government program that worked, now Pullorum is pretty rare. Many states have added other diseases to the testing requirements but not all states have the same. NPIP generally only comes into play if you are selling across state lines or maybe hatching eggs or maybe showing birds. The rules of the state where you are selling are the ones that apply. It's certainly worth asking your extension office about NPIP and whether you need it. I believe in knowing what the rules are so you know what you are working with.

I believe you said earlier you are planning on selling meat. This is where I'd expect them to have rules regarding handling and cleanliness and possible regular inspections if you are doing the butchering. Selling meat is probably your biggest hurdle and some of that could be how much you are selling and where.

It's all doable, you just have to figure out how to make it work for you. Good luck!

 

[rjohns39]

Folks have done a nice job discussing layers here, so I'll focus on your meat birds. An 8X8X2 tractor can house 40 meat birds and if you're successful that will be about 240 pounds of meat. A 4' feed trough and a bell waterer along with a solar energizer and some hot wires around the base of your tractor will help ensure you get to eat your birds. If you want more on tractor design I'd be happy to share, as my design has evolved as the predators have taught me where the weak spots were.

With an 8x8 tractor, you'll need to move it 35-40 times (every day and twice a day near the end) assuming you brood the birds for 3 weeks. Those 35-40 squares won't be usable for meat birds again for about 3 months. So plan out your grass. The better forage (grass and legumes) you have the better your conversion rate will be. Best I've done so far is about 3.5:1 That's 3.5 pounds of feed for every pound of finished meat. I raise my cx on an 18% protein feed from start to finish. Those with really well developed pastures are getting a 2:1 conversion rate.

Processing birds is a lot of work and then you need to be able to chill and rest them for 24-48 hours before freezing. I have professional processing equipment and our team of four can do up to about 300 in an 8 hour day, but I'll be sore for a weak after. I prefer to do 40 or so at a time, easier on my body and easier to store for resting. If you want to do cut ups, it takes practice, but I can part a bird in about 3 minutes (assuming I'm well rested after processing). Gizzards are a PITA to clean and have to be well chilled before attempting.

After vacuum packing my cut up birds, we take the feet, carcass and necks and make stock, which get's canned and stored in the pantry. My 160 qt stock pot can handle about 34-35 carcasses and pairs of feet and will give me about 90 quarts of stock, as well as some nice chicken fat (usually a quart or two). I run two pressure canners which hold 14 quarts each. Why so big, well it takes the same amount of work to make 6 quarts of stock and I don't have to store the carcass, necks and feet in the freezer.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Folks have done a nice job discussing layers here, so I'll focus on your meat birds. An 8X8X2 tractor can house 40 meat birds and if you're successful that will be about 240 pounds of meat. A 4' feed trough and a bell waterer along with a solar energizer and some hot wires around the base of your tractor will help ensure you get to eat your birds. If you want more on tractor design I'd be happy to share, as my design has evolved as the predators have taught me where the weak spots were.

With an 8x8 tractor, you'll need to move it 35-40 times (every day and twice a day near the end) assuming you brood the birds for 3 weeks. Those 35-40 squares won't be usable for meat birds again for about 3 months. So plan out your grass. The better forage (grass and legumes) you have the better your conversion rate will be. Best I've done so far is about 3.5:1 That's 3.5 pounds of feed for every pound of finished meat. I raise my cx on an 18% protein feed from start to finish. Those with really well developed pastures are getting a 2:1 conversion rate.

Processing birds is a lot of work and then you need to be able to chill and rest them for 24-48 hours before freezing. I have professional processing equipment and our team of four can do up to about 300 in an 8 hour day, but I'll be sore for a weak after. I prefer to do 40 or so at a time, easier on my body and easier to store for resting. If you want to do cut ups, it takes practice, but I can part a bird in about 3 minutes (assuming I'm well rested after processing). Gizzards are a PITA to clean and have to be well chilled before attempting.

After vacuum packing my cut up birds, we take the feet, carcass and necks and make stock, which get's canned and stored in the pantry. My 160 qt stock pot can handle about 34-35 carcasses and pairs of feet and will give me about 90 quarts of stock, as well as some nice chicken fat (usually a quart or two). I run two pressure canners which hold 14 quarts each. Why so big, well it takes the same amount of work to make 6 quarts of stock and I don't have to store the carcass, necks and feet in the freezer.

Great post, informative. I do wish you would include waste disposal techniques. Animal waste from farms can create serious environmental damage if not done properly.

 

[springvalley123]

You'll definitely need to keep the meat birds separate, they grow way too fast and will hurt the others. Meat birds get 24% starter grower, and the regular dual purpose or egg layers get 20% starter grower also. Some people have to withdraw the food from the meat birds overnight also, I did that. As for tractor, etc, consider that you'll need to enter it to catch the birds for processing, or how to access for cleaning (in case it is too heavy to move daily), and how to get the food and water in/out as part of the design. For docile birds, the amberlinks I have are very easy to catch, as are the sapphire gems, they're known for being egg laying machines. THey don't sex by color, so you won't know if you have cockerels mixed in with pullets until they crow, get hackles, etc. Only bad think for amberlink or any other ISA brown, should you change your minds on breeds, is they are supposed to get cancer at around age 2, that could be a problem for the kids. Best of luck, I'm excited for you!