Free range chickens for eggs following cattle.

[JezzaB76]

Hi there,

Is anyone farming free range chickens behind cattle in a grazing rotation system. Thinking about trying this with 500 hens. Any thoughts, pros/cons etc would be grateful to hear any helpful advice and where to source hens from in large numbers.

Many thanks.

 

[Pan mixer]

I had thought about it, there are some good videos from the States about it.

Completely put off by the need to be constantly moving cattle, moving water for cattle and hens, moving fences for cattle and hens and moving huts, long trips to collect eggs and shutting up at nights and opening early mornings.

I have other things that I would rather be doing, but then, I am rather mature and cynical.

 

[JezzaB76]

We are already well on the way in terms of paddock grazing cattle. Grassland we would use for chickens is split down, fenced and has water supplies to each block [emoji736] and we have a willing apprentice to move and collect eggs.

 

[henman]

unless the eggs were oganic and you retail the eggs your self I doubt there would be a margin

 

[JezzaB76]

unless the eggs were oganic and you retail the eggs your self I doubt there would be a margin

All eggs will be sold off the farm by ourselves. We have a campsite, farmshop/tearoom and we deliver beef boxes in which we will include eggs. Before we even start of looking elsewhere to sell eggs.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

@martian (sorry I keep tagging you in on stuff?)
@shortney

My daughter is doing it on small scale (40-50 hens). She says they eat much less food than when she's had them free range in the yard area. And the eggs are undoubtedly better, even than normal free range. She has regular customers who won't buy any other eggs.

We also have some pastured broilers following the cattle.

You'll need to keep them behind electric poultry netting imo, and shut them in a trailer or similar at night.

 

[t murrr]

All eggs will be sold off the farm by ourselves. We have a campsite, farmshop/tearoom and we deliver beef boxes in which we will include eggs. Before we even start of looking elsewhere to sell eggs.

Could you not buy a mc gregor polytunnel for the job think brand new 18 £ a bird by far the cheapest way of doing it and you have good accommodation for your hens in bad weather .There was a second hand one on donedeal a year ago 5000£ .On a different tread do you find your beef boxes go well or is it a mixed meat box .know of a guy starting this off but only beef (limousine) 11£A KG

 

[JezzaB76]

Could you not buy a mc gregor polytunnel for the job think brand new 18 £ a bird by far the cheapest way of doing it and you have good accommodation for your hens in bad weather .There was a second hand one on donedeal a year ago 5000£ .On a different tread do you find your beef boxes go well or is it a mixed meat box .know of a guy starting this off but only beef (limousine) 11£A KG

We are keen to use housing that we can move quickly and easily, which we think we have sourced.
Re. Beef boxes, obviously the current situation has meant sales have rocketed with demand going through the roof. Even before Covid19 our beef box business worked very well. A business which can be developed with other local producers getting involved so that we are delivering more than our beef boxes. At present we offer strawberries and raspberries, eggs will follow....

 

[martian]

Like @Poorbuthappy we've been playing around with pastured chickens behind cattle. It works really well, customers are practically fighting over the eggs, the chickens do really well on the system...but it is a fag moving the netting and now the fox has learnt their habits, we haven't got many chickens left. We borrowed a neighbours alpacas for a bit. They kept the foxes a bay, but it got too complicated keeping them away from the beasts.

We're trying to think of a hybrid system, maybe fox fencing a whole area (with no footpaths...people and dogs aren't that chicken friendly) and moving the hutches within that. Keeping them on the move saves food, spreads fertility and keeps disease down. Work in progress.

 

[Homesy]

Here you go lots of info and videos here
I'm sure someone could knock up something similar.here in the UK

Chicken Caravan

We make Moveable Chicken sheds called Chicken Caravans. The sheds are mobile and fully portable, we also provide advice to Australian and internationl farmer...

www.youtube.com

Chicken Caravan NSW - Chicken Caravan Chickens Manufacturer

Chicken Caravan Chickens are highly beneficial for farmland. Pastured Chicken Eggs are also a great source of income. The Chicken Caravan is more than just a chicken shed – it revolutionises the way you collect eggs.

chickencaravan.com

 

[BRBX]

Related but not , we have a chicken hut inside the calf rearing shed to keep flies at bay , do a fantastic job!

 

[britt]

We Use a McGregor house for about 200 hens. It stays in the same handy paddock by the buildings, but we move it once a month.
They are fenced in with flexinet to protect from foxs and give fresh ground each move.
If the ground gets very wet it may be much longer in one place as the tractor would make too much mess.
It's a pain moving the fence each time.
Water is a pipe over the ground so that it can follow the hut across the field, great until a good frost ! We also have electric to it for lights in winter and the fence energiser.
They do eat a lot of grass and the eggs are much better than just cereal fed hens (not something that I would have believed until we did it).
You can get automatic door closers to avoid having to shut them up at night. Don't let them out too early in the morning as they go out, get dirty feet and then make the nest boxs dirty, then you get dirty eggs. Let them out when you go to feed and collect the eggs, after midday if it's raining.
If you go for a McGegor have the floor fully slatted.
POL pullets are rarer than their own teeth at the moment, but I would imagine that will correct itself soon.

 

[JezzaB76]

Like @Poorbuthappy we've been playing around with pastured chickens behind cattle. It works really well, customers are practically fighting over the eggs, the chickens do really well on the system...but it is a fag moving the netting and now the fox has learnt their habits, we haven't got many chickens left. We borrowed a neighbours alpacas for a bit. They kept the foxes a bay, but it got too complicated keeping them away from the beasts.

We're trying to think of a hybrid system, maybe fox fencing a whole area (with no footpaths...people and dogs aren't that chicken friendly) and moving the hutches within that. Keeping them on the move saves food, spreads fertility and keeps disease down. Work in progress.

That’s great thank you. We are considering Alpacas too.

 

[JezzaB76]

Here you go lots of info and videos here
I'm sure someone could knock up something similar.here in the UK

Chicken Caravan

We make Moveable Chicken sheds called Chicken Caravans. The sheds are mobile and fully portable, we also provide advice to Australian and internationl farmer...

www.youtube.com

Chicken Caravan NSW - Chicken Caravan Chickens Manufacturer

Chicken Caravan Chickens are highly beneficial for farmland. Pastured Chicken Eggs are also a great source of income. The Chicken Caravan is more than just a chicken shed – it revolutionises the way you collect eggs.

chickencaravan.com

Thank you.

 

[90hp farming]

Another vote for mcGreegor here. But you do need a level field to operate the shed. Being in Norfolk you probably are flat but then with a farm named Eves Hill...………..

 

[som farmer]

till the fox found ours, we had 'mixed' breeds, so different coloured eggs, only a few doz a week, but they were talked about, and popular ! When we did beef boxes, we actually used fr bulls, nice colour meat, NO need to hang, to mature. nice and lean, cut carcass evenly into 8 boxes, roughly 100/110 lbs a box, sold well, till the last recession, pretty well stopped over night !

 

[caveman]

A few of these made from scrap laying around. Fit a nesting box or two on the side. Jobs good. Why spend £thousands to buy a bit of work?

 

[caveman]

Or

 

[Poorbuthappy]

A few of these made from scrap laying around. Fit a nesting box or two on the side. Jobs good. Why spend £thousands to buy a bit of work?

Only thing is adult hens like to roost, and that is design for broilers who sleep on the floor.

I'd go for something like this for small numbers

Edit: your second video more like it?

 

[caveman]

Only thing is adult hens like to roost, and that is design for broilers who sleep on the floor.

I'd go for something like this for small numbers

Edit: your second video more like it?

Fair comment.
But maybe the first tractor wouldn't be too much heavier to shift if a few feet taller to accommodate perches?