Setting Up A Small Scale Chicken Operation

The Following 3 pictures are of the coup I built a few days ago from a kit. It holds 8 chickens.

Edited to add uploaded pictures instead of linked.

I plan to build a Salatin Style Meat bird tractor.

I'm ordering 8 Buff Orpington Egg-Layers, and a few Red Ranger Meat Birds. I'm also getting a heat lamp and bulb from the hatchery because the farm store is out of stock.

I've got 80 lbs of starter-grower feed* in a lidded plastic trash can, 5 lbs of mineral grit, 2 lbs of insect treats, 2 feeders, and a waterer (need another waterer for the chicken tractor).
*with probiotics, prebiotics, calcium, protein, vitamins, and non-gm grains.

It's a new adventure to be sure. The Egg layers are grandma's project and the meat birds are mine. We are building a brooder in the dining room (we don't often use the room and it can be closed off from the living area by a pocket door so the heat lamp is more efficient).

Those red rangers will probably do better in a semi-free range system vs a tractor.  Cornish Cross seems to thrive in a tractor more so than free ranging.  If you can I'd suggest an electric net fence with a tractor or other shelter for overnight or bad weather, but otherwise let them range throughout the net fenced area.

Andrew Mayflower wrote:Those red rangers will probably do better in a semi-free range system vs a tractor.  Cornish Cross seems to thrive in a tractor more so than free ranging.  If you can I'd suggest an electric net fence with a tractor or other shelter for overnight or bad weather, but otherwise let them range throughout the net fenced area.

I don't have the money for that. I still have to buy the plastic film for the greenhouse. And I'll be out of farm investment money until September after that. I also have to figure out a way to get the plastic film onto the greenhouse. It's a 15 ft tall 11.25 ft wide gothic arch type. I think if they get to be too crowded, I'll just chuck a few in the greenhouse when it's empty.

For some reason I can't see your pics, Ryan.

If you'd like to free range those Rangers, just open the coop door (once they're 2-3 months old) They don't generally get too far away for me. Feed them in the evening, in their tractor. They'll probably already be in there or nearby if you're close to sunset. We (strangely) don't get a lot of predator pressure here despite the many coyote songs all round, sometimes all day. 🤷‍♀️ Even if all you do is let them out when you're outside, that's a help. OTOH, the less exercise they get, the tenderer they'll be. The birds kept penned don't seem to be suffering as long as they get moved regularly. I don't like moving them only once a day though--not once they get much bigger. Too much pooping going on. I feel bad for them, walking and lounging on that. 🤢

Cindy Skillman wrote:For some reason I can't see your pics, Ryan.

If you'd like to free range those Rangers, just open the coop door (once they're 2-3 months old) They don't generally get too far away for me. Feed them in the evening, in their tractor. They'll probably already be in there or nearby if you're close to sunset. We (strangely) don't get a lot of predator pressure here despite the many coyote songs all round, sometimes all day. 🤷‍♀️ Even if all you do is let them out when you're outside, that's a help. OTOH, the less exercise they get, the tenderer they'll be. The birds kept penned don't seem to be suffering as long as they get moved regularly. I don't like moving them only once a day though--not once they get much bigger. Too much pooping going on. I feel bad for them, walking and lounging on that. 🤢

If he waits until they're 3 months old to let them range they won't range at all.  The Red Rangers should be slaughter weight by 11-13 weeks old.  CRX are slaughter weight in 6-8 weeks, Freedom Rangers (what I like to raise) 9-11 weeks.  Being broilers they'll be feathered out enough to range by probably 3-4 weeks, depending on weather.

You are right--I'm thinking weeks and saying months. Thanks for pointing that out.

No worries!  BTDT a few times myself