Growing Rosebank Farms Chickens
At any given time on the farm, we will have at least three batches of chickens on the go. As I write this, we have 200 Mistral Gris (the little black fuzzballs) in the small barn, 200 turkeys in the large barn and 200 6-week-old chickens out in the field.
My typical morning consists of having breakfast and two cups of coffee (Some folks might be capable of putting on their clothes and looking after animals without coffee but I do not wake up very well and I don’t function without coffee) and then heading out to do the chores. We always start off with the newest batch. I go in the barn, do a quick visual check to make sure everything is alright and then I fill up the feeders. The waterers are next. They are taken outside and cleaned, filled with fresh water and returned to the barn. As the chicks get older they are introduced to the automatic waterers and I will tip the automatic waterers out and give them a quick clean every day as well. As well, as the chicks get older, their relationship with the outside changes. When they are really small all of the doors are closed and the chicks huddle under infrared heaters. When they get bigger – about two weeks - I will open a door and put a screen up so that the tiny animals can see outside. Once the birds are large enough that they cannot squeeze through the fences in the yard we let them outside. When they are comfortable going outside I start moving water and feed outside. Soon every morning is a chicken stampede and nothing makes me happier than to see an empty barn and all of the animals outside behaving like chickens.
So, every morning the same chores are repeated for all the batches. Extra work is required for the chickens out in the field. Barrels of feed are taken from the feed bin and placed inside the fenced enclosures. The birds in the field have automatic waterers as well as fillable waters but the waterers need to be cleaned daily to prevent a build-up of algae. Every few days the waterers are taken down to the wash stand and pressure washed. I move the houses every day. First the birds have to be chased or herded out of the houses and then each house is moved forward one house length. As the birds go inside to sleep at night, this moving of the houses allows us to manage the application of manure. Every few days, the fenced enclosures are moved and so the birds always have access to fresh grass and the manure application provided by the chickens, is managed. When the weather is hot, the fenced enclosures are in and around trees which adds to the complexity. If I cannot get the chickens under trees, fog nozzles will be placed between the prevailing sun and the birds, although trees are preferable. If the weather looks like rain, all the work is still done, but the feeders are all placed under the cover provided by the mobile houses. We manage the grazing of the horses with electric fences and we attempt to follow the progress of the horses with the chickens. The chickens like grass but they like short sweet grass and not really tall, tough grass.
Many things keep us busy for the rest of the day. Whether its filling barrels with feed, washing dirty equipment, mowing the lawn or fixing equipment there is always something to do. Today, I will change the oil in the tractor and then fix the driver’s door handle on the delivery van. The chickens are checked in the mid afternoon. In the evening the small chickens will get locked into their barns or shelters but the bigger birds are left free so to prevent piling, crowding and manure build up.
People often ask me about predator issues that we must face. As the birds outside are in a fenced area protected by nothing more than a plastic fence that may, or may not be electrified, there is certainly a potential for us to lose animals. It’s a cost /benefit thing – we could spend thousands on a 6’ of 8’ high fence or train the dogs to keep an eye on the chickens. The dogs certainly are a deterrent. We do know that in the past we have lost an occasional bird to a coyote and possibly a cougar but the cost to us is very minimal. Sort of like paying a very small tax.
So, there you have it. Clean food, fresh water, correct temperatures and fresh grass. All a chicken needs to be happy and grow.
by Steve Gunner