Pastured Poultry

[Woolless]

Resurrected thread alert, but don't let anyone tell you chickens won't graze much.View attachment 980171View attachment 980172

Good trampling

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Good trampling

Yes, they do trample a fair bit too.

 

[Hilly]

Your eggs must be very good.

 

[Hilly]

Do you just drag that along each day ?

 

[Jonny B88]

Resurrected thread alert, but don't let anyone tell you chickens won't graze much.View attachment 980171View attachment 980172

It would be interesting to see your set up @Poorbuthappy !

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Your eggs must be very good.

Do you just drag that along each day ?

That's meat birds.
But, yes moved every day with Kubota, or tractor occasionally if its too wet for kubota to grip.
Daughter's layers are in polynets, with a trailer, and moved every other day.

Hope they appreciate the view

 

[Hilly]

That's meat birds.
But, yes moved every day with Kubota, or tractor occasionally if its too wet for kubota to grip.
Daughter's layers are in polynets, with a trailer, and moved every other day.View attachment 980193View attachment 980194
Hope they appreciate the view

Exellent , good to see small scale producers fighting back ! Good on ya

 

[Blaithin]

Resurrected thread alert, but don't let anyone tell you chickens won't graze much.View attachment 980171View attachment 980172

Who ever told you that Never seen a chicken run with birds on it full time?

Never timed it but I think the bounce back on chicken grazed stuff is quicker. Maybe because they do trample so much, also probably the poop. Either way the grass loves it.

Recently been given the idea of pet food. More in regards to rabbits but since I’m comfortable raising chickens I think they’d be a good option too. People will be picky about what they pay for themselves to eat, but if they’re buying raw for their pets they don’t seem to be. Processing could be easier, potentially not requiring licensing and just gut and pluck and grind up the entire bird. Unsure what sort of coverage a person would want though. Giving somebody’s $3k Fifi Salmonella because they don’t know how to handle meat could be a soul sucking experience

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Who ever told you that Never seen a chicken run with birds on it full time?

Never timed it but I think the bounce back on chicken grazed stuff is quicker. Maybe because they do trample so much, also probably the poop. Either way the grass loves it.

Recently been given the idea of pet food. More in regards to rabbits but since I’m comfortable raising chickens I think they’d be a good option too. People will be picky about what they pay for themselves to eat, but if they’re buying raw for their pets they don’t seem to be. Processing could be easier, potentially not requiring licensing and just gut and pluck and grind up the entire bird. Unsure what sort of coverage a person would want though. Giving somebody’s $3k Fifi Salmonella because they don’t know how to handle meat could be a soul sucking experience

Dog food regulations pretty tight here I understand.
I did hear of someone buying 1 of our expensive chickens to feed their dog though, which I thought was extravagant.

 

[Jonny B88]

That's meat birds.
But, yes moved every day with Kubota, or tractor occasionally if its too wet for kubota to grip.
Daughter's layers are in polynets, with a trailer, and moved every other day.View attachment 980193View attachment 980194
Hope they appreciate the view

How much meal feeding do they go through along with the grazing and scratching up insects?

 

[Poorbuthappy]

How much meal feeding do they go through along with the grazing and scratching up insects?

I feed ad lib.
Its my own mix which reduces intakes and growth rate compared to "commercial" free range, but thats not a big problem as slower growth can be a selling point.
Not a great advert that your cheap chicken only lives 5 weeks.

 

[Jonny B88]

I feed ad lib.
Its my own mix which reduces intakes and growth rate compared to "commercial" free range, but thats not a big problem as slower growth can be a selling point.
Not a great advert that your cheap chicken only lives 5 weeks.

How long would your birds be from birth to death? At the end of the day i guess you are looking for what they can do for the soil and grass aswell, the longer they are there, the more they can do! Are your daughters layers fed too?

 

[Poorbuthappy]

How long would your birds be from birth to death? At the end of the day i guess you are looking for what they can do for the soil and grass aswell, the longer they are there, the more they can do! Are your daughters layers fed too?

Currently 100 days plus, but will probably reduce that for some to get a bit more of a spread in weights. Still a lot of people only want a small chicken.
And to pick up on @Blaithin 's point, she's right, grass certainly bounces back quicker behind the chickens.
Soy free diet.
Layers are going to be trying soy free diet soon too. Daughter says they eat about half of what the ones she used to keep scratching round an enclosed weedy courtyard.

 

[Blaithin]

Thought about raising your own black soldier larva or meal worms?

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Thought about raising your own black soldier larva or meal worms?

Yes, looked into it. The commercial set ups look too expensive atm, and I think we're a bit beyond a few trays in the garage numbers wise.
Really wanted it to work , but chatting to a local guy producing small scale for pet food, and then a start up company offering a complete system, I feel we fall between being too big for basic DIY, and too small for commercial system.
Will look again sometime.

 

[Jonny B88]

Currently 100 days plus, but will probably reduce that for some to get a bit more of a spread in weights. Still a lot of people only want a small chicken.
And to pick up on @Blaithin 's point, she's right, grass certainly bounces back quicker behind the chickens.
Soy free diet.
Layers are going to be trying soy free diet soon too. Daughter says they eat about half of what the ones she used to keep scratching round an enclosed weedy courtyard.

I suppose thats a handy thing to have its not like cattle whereby you want a certain fat cover, chicken is chicken regardless of size…to a point im sure. Excellent stuff thank you.

 

[James691]

Yes you can home slaughter but if your looking to sell then you'll need to speak to environmental health in the council, who will put you off the idea?.
There is a threshold number, something like 2500 or it could be 10,000 rings a bell over which you need ministry vet involved.

When you’re classed as a small-scale supplier​

You’re classed as a small-scale supplier if all of these apply:

• you slaughter less than 10,000 birds, rabbits or hares per year on your farm
• you supply the birds, rabbits or hares directly to the final consumer or to local shops
• you supply meat within your own county and the adjoining counties (or no further than 50 kilometres from your county’s border)

You still count as a small-scale, local supplier even if you sell poultry to the whole of the UK in the 2 weeks before Christmas, Easter and Michaelmas (usually in late September).

On-farm slaughter of more than 10,000 birds​

You’re also classed as a small-scale supplier if you slaughter more than 10,000 birds on your farm and you’re a member of an assurance scheme approved by the Food Standards Agency and you either:

• dry pluck by hand
• slaughter for fewer than 40 days per year

 

[PaulNix]

Yes, looked into it. The commercial set ups look too expensive atm, and I think we're a bit beyond a few trays in the garage numbers wise.
Really wanted it to work , but chatting to a local guy producing small scale for pet food, and then a start up company offering a complete system, I feel we fall between being too big for basic DIY, and too small for commercial system.
Will look again sometime.

Completely new to me and does look interesting, would/could the Meal worms or Black Soldier larva be fed on the guts/waste from processing the Broilers ?

Any chance of seeing a picture of the laying setup ? The boss's small group of layers need a piece of a field apparently so an idea of something to base a very small scale setup would be interesting.

 

[James691]

There is a youtube video with Richard Perkins, working in Scandinavia on a pasture system and he tends to be very detailed on the time management value of things. He looked into the system for his chickens and came to the conclusion that the amount of area needed for the worms, added to the time required to produce them was a negative outcome financially, even as a top-up food system.

Perhaps an easier way, but less productive, was the maggot bucket system? Justin Rhodes video.

Taking the entrails etc and placing them in a bucket that hangs from the inside of the chicken tractor. Holes are drilled on the base of the bucket so the maggots crawl out and down to the waiting chickens. This has the minimal cost of a bucket and some crap and almost zero time management. Plus still gets the protein treat boost to the chickens. I'm not sure about the risk factor of rotting meat for pathogenicity, perhaps the same could be done with manure base in the bucket?

 

[Woolless]

There is a youtube video with Richard Perkins, working in Scandinavia on a pasture system and he tends to be very detailed on the time management value of things. He looked into the system for his chickens and came to the conclusion that the amount of area needed for the worms, added to the time required to produce them was a negative outcome financially, even as a top-up food system.

Perhaps an easier way, but less productive, was the maggot bucket system? Justin Rhodes video.

Taking the entrails etc and placing them in a bucket that hangs from the inside of the chicken tractor. Holes are drilled on the base of the bucket so the maggots crawl out and down to the waiting chickens. This has the minimal cost of a bucket and some crap and almost zero time management. Plus still gets the protein treat boost to the chickens. I'm not sure about the risk factor of rotting meat for pathogenicity, perhaps the same could be done with manure base in the bucket?

Bet those eggs have a rich flavour!