Pastured Poultry Production - 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 01:51PM If you listened to Farmcast #2 and the interview with David Schafer of Featherman Equipment, you heard that we are going to a new pastured poultry production system in 2010. In a nutshell, we're moving away from using chicken tractors to confine the broilers and will instead allow them to free-range within a large netted area. They will spend their entire life (after brooding) on pasture in this one area. Now for the why and the how.
Why We're Moving Away from Chicken Tractors
;)
The chicken tractors popularized by Joel Salatin and used by so many pastured poultry producers are indeed so much better than the industrial alternative of 20,000-50,000 chickens being crammed into a poultry house, where they never feel the wind, never feel the sun, never taste the grass and wouldn't know a cricket or a grasshopper if it landed on their beak. If they had a beak, which has no doubt been snipped off. Chicken tractors allow the broilers to experience all of these things, resulting in, I believe, a MUCH healthier bird and more nutrient dense food for all of us. I think there's little doubt if you asked the chicken if it would rather be indoors or out on the grass in the chicken tractor, it would opt for the latter. But would it opt for something else if it could?
We believe it would. Its natural instincts would be to hunt for insects, eat grass, take dirt baths and roam where it pleases. Naturally, threats exist, so it would want the ability to escape from ground and aerial predators. In short, it would just want to be a chicken.
Our hens already enjoy this life, free-ranging behind the sheep and cows but with the protection of the ;)
eggmobile if they need or want it. It provides the best of all worlds, as they truly free-range and we almost NEVER have a fatality with a laying hen. So why not provide a similar model for broilers?
One benefit to the chicken tractor, in my opinion, is that allows great control to create and improve fertility wherever it is desired. Moving the chicken tractor over a 100 square feet piece of land allows the broilers to ingest all the forage they can while saturating the area with fertilizer for dense pasture to regrow. Of course, if you're wondering if the chickens have to lie down and sleep in that "fertilizer", the answer is yes, as they have no way to move out of the tractor and no place to roost.
I can't decide if the final reason we're moving away from the chicken tractors is aesthetics or simply that we don't believe it really mimics nature. But either way, Liz and I just want to see the chickens free-ranging and expressing themselves anyway they want to. We did a model similar to this in our first year of farming, but now as we enter our third year of pastured poultry, I think we have a much clearer sense of what works...for us.
Nature's Harmony Pastured Poultry Model
;)
Our model going forward is simple in concept. Basically we will create an area fenced in with portable electric netting that we get from Kencove. We size this area based on the amount of space the allotted number of birds will need for their entire life. We expect to hatch out 150-200 broilers per week on farm and will place two week's of birds together in one batch on pasture, so there will be anywhere from 300-400 broilers in a netted area. Last year we used about 25 chicken tractors similar to the one in the picture to the left. In the winter, we use many of these tractors to house breeder turkeys, with one Tom and 5-6 hens occupying each.
In our new system for raising broilers, we will put 4 or so of these tractors in each netted area, but we will remove the doors. This creates an opportunity for us to put roosting structures in one if the young broilers would like to roost, while hanging feeders and waterers in the others. As needed, we will move these tractors around the paddock, thereby not allowing any particular area to get "bombed out" and enticing the chickens to fertilizer areas we want.
Our chickens are slow growing French Label Rouge type birds, so they will spend 10-11 weeks on pasture AFTER three weeks in the brood house. This means that we will need 5-6 netted areas for our birds at any one time. The netting we get from Kencove is in 164' lengths, so we'll probably create a 164' square, for a;)
total area of about 27,000 SF, or just over 6/10 of an acre. Two batches of birds will spend their life there, and then we'll take down the netting and move it to a fresh area for the next batch.
One consideration we thought a lot about was how to catch the birds at processing time. But re-purposing the chicken tractors in this manner will make that relatively easy, as they'll be accustomed to going in for food, water and shelter. We can just place the doors back on at that time.
In the end, this system feels right for us. It definitely seems to mimic nature more closely, provides unrestricted access for the chickens to hunt and bath, is more aesthetically pleasing and still puts the fertility right where we want it.
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Reader Comments (22)
I am glad to hear about your new model. The chicken tractors were the only aspect of your farm that bothered me and it bothered me for the reasons that you have listed.
Lynda
Tim the new process sound s great. I was wondering about flight out of the paddocks. I know you have your perimeter fenced so it might not be an issue for you. For me it might be an issue. Will you clip their wings like you did the turkeys to limit the flight?
I wonder about predation by hawks? In an open setting like that, it seems like the chickens would be easy pickings for a hawk.
Michael - We won't clip their wings. We've been keeping our Poulet Rouge and White Rock breeders in with netting and flights haven't been a problem at all for us.
Dan - Hawks are the biggest concern. However, we have 5 livestock guardian dogs and will keep one or two close to the broilers for protection. The dogs chase away anything in the air well before it lands. We also have some white Embden geese that serve as good guard dogs, and we'll keep some of them with the chickens as well.
Really enjoyed your pod cast. You expanded on several subjects that were of interest to many of your followers. Thank you for taking the time'
I was wondering how many meat hens you keep for supplying you 150-200 fertile eggs a week? You mentioned that not having you buy chicks was a major savings that offset the added time it takes to get one these birds to market weight. Doesn't the cost of feed for the hens get extremely expensive?
Jim
Hi Jim,
We currently have about 60 Poulet Rouge hens and 15 roosters, and about 45 White Rock hens and about 20 Dark Cornish roosters. Too many roosters on both counts, but that's where we are now.
Yes, the cost to feed is expensive, no doubt about it. But it's the only model that feels sustainable to us, so it's the one we're committed to. But let's do some quick math...that many breeders would go through about a 50 pound bag of feed per day, or roughly $75/week depending on what feed you use and what you pay. If we were to get only 100 chicks per week, it's not only a significant savings, but the chicks don't have the travel stress. Granted, you have to overwinter the breeders, so the aim is to produce enough chicks during the growing season to offset that. It's definitely more of a "value" thing with us than an economic thing. If we were driven purely by how to make the fastest buck, we'd just pump out Cornish X every 7 weeks and collect the money. The market is screaming for more pastured poultry. There's just limits to the quantity and type that we'll provide.
Hope that helps. Thanks for writing.
Thanks for the great post. I'm new to your site, but have already found it quite inspiring.
So if the area alloted to a batch is enough for their entire life, I take it these won't be running behind sheep or cows? I'm not sure if this is a change from the way you did it with the tractors, but how much of a value do you think it is to have the chickens follow the larger animals?
I understand your decision and hope to move that direction myself. I very quickly discovered the limitations of the chicken tractors and have been looking for some other solutions. I've come to pretty much the same conclusion, but this gives me more confidence it moving away from the tractor model.
A quick question just a bit off topic, I'm just getting started figuring out a good pastured model for poultry for my farm. I've experimented with both the cornish cross and with some alternatives such as freedom rangers. I much preferred the rangers to the cornish, however in processing I found the rangers to be much more difficult to pluck. Even with the best efforts some dark quill tips still remain in the skin. Is this at all an issue for you?
Jesse - That's right, we use the hens in the eggmobile to sanitize behind the cows. The broilers have always been in a different section where they have access to fresh grass. We will have about 600-800 laying hens roaming behind the cows this year.
You're right that Cornish X are easier to process...they were DESIGNED that way. But, no, we don't have problems with the tips staying in the skin of our birds. You'll get the hang of it, and the scald water will be MUCH cleaner. While the Cornish X are easier to pick, I was always shocked at how dirty their bellies were. As they near processing age, they just lie around, and if they're in a chicken tractor, you know what they're lying in. Of course they were squeaky clean by the time we bagged them, but it still makes for messy scalding. By contrast, I was equally surprised at how clean the naked necks, Freedom Rangers, etc. were.
Tim,
Thanks for answering my question regarding yoiur meat hens.
Jesse,
I experimented with some black broilers over the summer and had exactly the same problem that you are having regarding the tips remaining in the skin. I assumed it was because of the black feathers. I can tell you that having the scalding water at 140 degrees really aids in the plucking process. Higher temps and the skin tears and lower and they just don't pluck.
Tim is set up perfectly with his on farm processing equipment!
HI Tim and Liz,
Your blog and now podcasts are delightfully honest and useful for a beginning or experienced farmer. Thanks.
1. I'm interested in your livestock guardian dogs. Live nearby. Have visited your farm about two years ago.
Am going to raise up some heritage turkeys this year -maybe 20. If I use the electric netting model as you are changing to for your pastured poultry, should I consider a livestock guardian dog to live within the netting area?
2. Could I mix in some pastured poultry throughout the months of raising the turkeys? I'm going to try the naked neck chicken or similar breed. Have raised 25 cornish cross this past fall.
At the moment, I'm simply raising food for my family and gifting some to friends. So my numbers are much smaller than yours. 25 broilers at a time maybe once in late spring and again in early fall.
lisa d.
Lisa,
If you leave a message on the farm phone, we can address those questions on the next farmcast.
I love my French birds, they produce well and live alongside my white rocks without any problems. I was wondering if your flock was safe from hawks and the like as you have a lot of land there. Just my thoughts. I like to have at least 3 chicken coops running at once. I have a big one that's heated for the winter and well protected by dogs, I have no problems so far this year.
Where did you find your naked neck french broiler types? Are they a Hubbard line? I've only found one hatchery with naked neck broilers but they did not look like yours. I've been looking for a good source to split an order with a local CSA who is very interested in cornish x alternatives. We're just learning about all this too. Thanks for the reference to Kencove. They seem to have a good product at a better price than some others for movable netting.
Sadie,
Try S & G Poultry
Nice to hear that you are moving or have moved away from the dreadfully uncomfortable, industrial type tractors. Your flock will love you back! It's a great article. I'd love a guard dog for my flock but sheesh...they're so un pc where I live y'know?
What types of chicken breeds would you recommend for a meat bird? We'd like to order now to have a flock going when the grass comes on in a few weeks.
Love what you're doing. Keep it up!
Thanks :)
Rashel,
This and your question about the beef breed would be a good question for the farm phone if you want it answered on the podcast.
Tim and Liz,
I'm curious how this change is going for you. We made the change from tractors to netting last year and found that we like to use both depending on the season's givings of weather, pasture changes etc.
First, we found that the broilers at pasture age were small enough to walk through the 3.5 inch netting squares (we use the exact same type from Kencove). They only get zapped on their beaks/feet as the current does not penetrate the feathers or quills, which the manufacturer acknowledges.(Our adjustment for this is to put them on pasture in tractors until age 5 weeks and then to the netting when they want to bulk up at that 6-8 week mark).
Second, we learned that the birds gained more by the sitting around that they love. Of course, we use those lazy Cornish broilers who only want to eat and lay about, so needing that large of a range space was a waste on them. They forage their little hearts out, but they are not inclined to walk across the pasture for it. In that same way, the netting and tractor both provided times they sat in their own poop. (Our adjustment for this was to walk throught the free-range area when we were in the area to get them to move about more - it seemed wierd to have to use the same 'walking practice' that confinement houses use to get the birds to move, but we have never had any leg problems with our broilers).
Third, the netting does not prevent aerial predators like owls and hawks from swooping down into the night time tractors unless you close their door. And, a neighboring dog can jump the height of the fence and kill a whole group for fun in an hour. (Our remedy for this was to use our tractors elevated on bricks - we could lower them at night if needed and could convert back to tractor at moments notice if a dog in the area went bionic on us).
Fourth, flexibility. We love the flexibility that you mentioned of using the tractors and netting for dual purposes.
I'd love to here how it's going and glean from anything you've learned.
Broiler Mama - We'll do a quick blog post update on this. Thanks for following-up.
Tim and Liz,
I'm wondering if you have had anyone from our northern world try and comment on the open floor style? We moved to the system you are using two years ago but found a couple of things:
The birds had to be locked up at night due to severe owl and skunk issues. The owls just fly in and have a ball; the skunks were digging under and doing more damage than any 10 owls.
More importantly though has been the fact that leaving the chickens to the ground was killing them. Our temps up here are such that we have wicked heavy dew (as in it looks as though it rained all night) and the birds were getting sick from being wet and cold at night. I raise the Freedom Rangers who are otherwise very healthy birds, but this wet issue really has thrown me. I put flooring down and have the issue of feces buildup. If I could get trailer decking that might be the solution. I'm wondering how much use you have seen with roosts? I know you raise the Naked Neck and they are similar. I have never seen much roosting in these FRs, what is your thought?
Cynthia