Broiler slaughterings

[Hindsight]

Send quite a few to kosher trade.
Rabbi travels to York, a sample of birds are taken to him, so he can decide if the shed full have had a happy life.
For passover birds whole wheat is omited from the diet, milled wheat is ok

I had to read this twice. How amusing. Does he speak Chicken? How does he recognise a happy 1.5kg bird compared to an unhappy bird. Do the birds that are not selected have an opportunity to discuss matters with their representatives taken to see the man from God aka Rabbi.

Best wishes, sorry I could not resist. The lengths homo sapiens will go to sometimes

 

[chickens and wheat]

Customer is always right I guess.

28days with no birds is a long time, sheds washed fogged and resting.
Took the time to wash the feed bins out, repair some feed bin boots/augers.
Air vents repair next week, backup gas heaters will get a birthday also.

 

[Chickcatcher]

Customer is always right I guess.

28days with no birds is a long time, sheds washed fogged and resting.
Took the time to wash the feed bins out, repair some feed bin boots/augers.
Air vents repair next week, backup gas heaters will get a birthday also.

CARRIED AWAY I think but what else dose one do!

 

[chickens and wheat]

Repair jobs are infectious, went to change one feed track joiner, finished2 hours later 5 joiners 5 track pieces, 1 corner, new perchwire

 

[Chickcatcher]

Repair jobs are infectious, went to change one feed track joiner, finished2 hours later 5 joiners 5 track pieces, 1 corner, new perchwire

It really is, when you start How the Heck did it still work

 

[chickens and wheat]

Next job complete, hired hand heater still in some use despite biomass , much better winterwarm indirect heater not in much use in GSHP shed, so swap over time.
( ignore the merlo in background, I am, its in the dog house after throwing its oil over the floor - steering hose)

 

[Chickcatcher]

If your HH work are you getting rid of them? I know a home for them!
Merlo still the nicest machine in a broiler shed and my first choice out as well. is it a 32.6P L

 

[chickens and wheat]

merlo is 32.6 normal on smaller tyres, very good machine - until yesterday
Just one HH moved to replace the winterwarm, thru wall box was rotten over £200 for a new one so repaired instead. HH will only come on in first few days until GSHP alone is sufficient.

Winterwarm going in an older shed the only one with an undersized heat exchanger so biomass needs a little help, common sense leads me to think changing HH for a winterwarm makes sense, when the only costs are labour, tech screws and silcon.


put a good few reflective markers on the winterwarm as it protudes along way into an area used by night drivers

note the hole with a bung next to heater, cold fogger goes in there, spraying out into the warm air, so I can fumigate easily and safely.
this was last use of HH before I ripped it out

 

[Fogg]

Looking at the pristine blockwork I'm guessing you do your own mucking out?

 

[chickens and wheat]

Ha its not all like that, we did our own mucking out for years, but last 2 years has been contractor, the same guy washes the sheds so any complaints about mucking out quality refer back to himself.He uses a rotary brush on an avant so doesnt need to push at the walls at all.

My dad used to drive the bobcat but at 78 decided to retire, the price for a contractor was surprisingly cheap. and leaves me plenty of extra time to do the others jobs that all need doing at the same time

 

[chickens and wheat]

Just fogged sheds again and the winterwarm definatly has much more power and circulation then the HH, mixing the fog down the shed twice as fast, so expecting a marked improvement in heat spread.

 

[chickens and wheat]

27 days since last bird left, finally restocked.
Should be 14 days empty next time as 27 was unlucky timing, new plan is 21days for each farm until market levels.
Despite heavy maintance, chain feed still snapped in other shed on first fill

 

[hel123]

What would the normal cycle be from first chick in to last out and then how many days to restocking?

 

[shumungus]

38 day growing cycle, 14 day turnaround here.

 

[chickens and wheat]

normal for us would be 49 days growing, upto 14 days turnaround

now its 42-44 days then planned 21 days

 

[Chickcatcher]

Has been 49 day cycle since processor change 56 days now this batch will be 67 days. I don't mind longer turn arounds it all comes down to earnings. We work on p/SqMtr/Wk of total batch length. Where we need to be is 120p/SqMtr/Wk

 

[UKcakeman]

Blimey you guys have long turnarounds, will this reduce once the world goes back to some kind of normality?

 

[chickens and wheat]

10 days is common in normal times, as the birds often stay a few days longer than planned

 

[UKcakeman]

10 days is common in normal times, as the birds often stay a few days longer than planned

That’s still fairly long, ours is usually 7 days and on some occasions it may be 8. I’d love a 10 day turn around!

 

[chickens and wheat]

Ive done 5 day turnarounds before, not great practice long term