Chicken Tractor

if it rains do you need to tarp the whole thing or are the birds smart enough to go to the tarped end? from what i’ve read the cornish cross birds grow like crazy. guess all the do is eat , crap, and grow. supposedly only 8 weeks from start to finish.

This looks great and rather fancy with the plexy. This is a great size for 60.

If you are dressing this flock in early July (8 weeks after May 4th), one thing to remember is that these birds cannot take the heat. I have had cornish crosses with ice water and all the shade that they want just up and die right before butchering because of extreme heat. Once they are big enough and if it gets hot out you may want to increase the ventilation on the shaded side. Two ways that come to mind is to remove the ply wood and or plexy and use wire to allow air to flow, and/or move the tarp so that it is ~18″ above ground level and situate the tractor to catch a good cross breeze. Sometimes we found tarps inadequate at providing enough shade and ended up using shade cloth as well, but yours looks to be of a high grade and should do just fine.

Your set up looks good as it is for your chicks when they are younger and will want a place to get out of a breeze, just be flexible and adjust your set up as needed.

Good Luck,

Erika

Jim:

I don’t think hardware cloth is necessary. If you keep them in the brooder for a week or 10 days, they will be big enough so the chicken wire will contain them. Here is the net I have from Kencove http://www.kencove.com/fence/Electric+Net+Fencing_detail_NSPCG.php

I don’t know what you have for an energizer for your horses, but it might power the poultry net without a problem. Aim for 3500 volts minimum, 4000 to 5000 is ideal. On the link with the net fence, they mention .25 joules / net, I would go .5 joules minimum. I would call Kencove and see what they recommend. If you invest in an energizer, I suggest buying twice the output you think you need. I have a 48 joule engergizer and I max it out regularly.

George

The problem with those predators, weasels especially, is they go under the house not through it. Even if you are on totally flat ground (a rarity on my farm), they can still burrow. I have also had rats eat started chicks. If you don’t have a lot of those critters around you, you should be fine, but you never know.

Good luck.

George

Mink, that has been my experience. I usually give them a week of heat (more or less) and keep them in the brooder for a couple of more days. I try to wean them from the heat as quickly as possible, turning the lamp off during the day provided the temperature is not below 70 (this is after they are a couple of days old). They grow so fast that you are usually faced with enlarging your brooder or getting them outside. I usally opt for the latter.

George