So this is the new set-up for the chickens. This photo shows them outside their tent. We move the tent often so they have clean grass. The feeders are outside so they have to go out to get food. The waterer is that green PVC pipe, cut in half and suspended from what looks like a sawhorse; there's a float that causes the water to turn on when the level is below a certain point. This keeps the water clean, fresh, and cool for the chickens to drink.
What looks like netting around them is actually a movable, flexible fence. It does resemble snow fence but has a few metal filaments in it so it can be electrified. This keeps the chickens safe from predators.
And the last photo is a full-grown chicken. They should weigh about 4-5 lbs. after 7 weeks. Our sales are "farm-gate" only, whole chickens only, and the cost is $3.25/lb. Give us a call if you're interested.
Remember how cute they were here. Hard to believe that was 6 short weeks ago.
Within a few weeks they looked like this. See the little feathers on this chick's wingtips. Those pop out only a few days after the chicks arrive.
Several weekends ago, on a (hot!) Sunday afternoon, Daniel, Aaron and I transferred the chickens from the upstairs of barn, where you saw their nice warm set-up, outside to the pasture where the chickens could live on pasture.
Aaron caught the chicks and put them in crates, Daniel hoisted the full crates onto the 4-wheeler and hauled them out into the field and put them on the ground inside the fence then I unloaded each crate while he went back to repeat this process. Thirteen more times. Three hundred chickens.
After they were all moved and shooed into their tent--it really was a hot afternoon--we organized their feeders and waterer. Aaron had already moved the tent, which looks like a carport on skis, mowed around the tent so he could set up the fence which will keep predators out; the grass must be short in order to get the fence low enough so nothing can get under it and also so that the taller grass doesn't cause the electric fence to short.
More new arrivals on the farm. 300 of them, to be exact.
The meat chickens came today. As you can see by the photos, they come in boxes in the mail. The postmaster in Kinsman called a few minutes after 7AM to say they were down there and driving him crazy! We ran right down to pick them up.
There were 2 boxes, each box divided into quarters; they are crowded but that helps them stay warm enough. The peeps are shipped the day they hatch; the chicks are still digesting their yolk sacs which provide them enough nourishment to survive for 72 hours. Luckily for us, we live close enough to the hatchery that our chicks arrive the next day, so are usually in good shape.
We had their new home already warmed up. The brooder is a hood-shaped affair that we’ve seen called an Ohio brooder or a hover brooder; it’s up off the ground a few inches so the chicks can run under if they’re cold and run back out when they’re warm enough. We have it hung from the ceiling on chains so it can be raised easily. You can’t believe how fast the little chicks grow!
The big circle around the brooder contains the peeps. We like the circle set-up because if the peeps get too cold from a draft or frightened by a shadow (meat chickens are very fussy!) they will all run to a corner, pile up on top of each other and smother the ones on the bottom. With a circular brooder there are no corners to hide in.
The waterers are automatic; they’re actually sitting up on a silverware divider with a piece of screen over top so the chicks can hop up, hang on, and get a drink out of the dish.
As you can see, they get right to the eating and drinking, which is a good thing. They’re busy skittering around, chirping loudly if they don’t like something and were very quiet and content under their brooder when I checked on them before bed last night.
sawhorse; there's a float that causes the water to turn on when the level is below a certain point. This keeps the water clean, fresh, and cool for the chickens to drink.
.JPG)