Self Sufficiency - Small Steps

[dsquire]

We own 2.25 ac and take care of three more...
.
.
.... Plan to start 2 chicken tractors this spring, one with 75 eating chickens and one with laying hens. We will see how and if that goes. Good to hear what everyone else is doing. helps me look to spring.

Hi Ed

Having lived on or around farms most of my life I have heard a lot of names for different things but I have never heard of a "Chicken tractor". Perhaps you could enlighten me. Thanks.

Cheers

Don

 

[cmhyland]

Hi Ed

Having lived on or around farms most of my life I have heard a lot of names for different things but I have never heard of a "Chicken tractor". Perhaps you could enlighten me. Thanks.

Cheers



Don

My understanding is Chicken tractors are mobile coops that are pulled by a tractor from location to location so the manure drops through the screened floors....

 

[tungularafishcamp]

I have been researching hoop houses for the last couple of years. My wife is getting weary of me occupying every south and west exposure window with trays and trays of plants. When you start 500-600 indoor plants, I guess she has point.

I do NOT want a hoop house if it means crawling around, etc. I want a full sized, walk through one. The problem is I cannot justify the expense UNLESS we greatly improve setting plant sales. I so want to improve this aspect. I could make money at growing setting plants, but the market up here is dismal. So few people even try gardening this far north, in this climate.

Still studying and hoping.

:laughing: I bumped my head on my homemade hoop house(made from driftwood n pvc pipes) for a long time before I bought a couple Oregon Valley Greenhouse hoop houses. I can even bring stuff in/out with the tractor, what a difference! I figure I get at least a month at both ends of the season with them. We have had killing frosts since mid sept and I just pulled the last few greens this week(except for what I am attempting to overwinter).

 

[cdaigle430]

My understanding is Chicken tractors are mobile coops that are pulled by a tractor from location to location so the manure drops through the screened floors....

I love this idea-keeps the chickens safe from predators and you can move them around-I might just build one next year. The things I learn from this forum Any cons to having somthing like this? Maybe should start a new thread on this subject.

 

[OldMcDonald]

Eat them. Poisonous or not they all taste good. I think. At least rattlesnakes do.

I think you might find Queensland snakes a bit more tetchy than your average rattler. I had a sheep/cattle station in NSW and the snakes there were bad enough. Australia has 7 of the world's 10 most deadly snakes, and I think Qld has all 7. Some species do not move away from you but stand their ground or even attack. Definitely not something to meddle with.

 

[gwiley]

Hi Ed

Having lived on or around farms most of my life I have heard a lot of names for different things but I have never heard of a "Chicken tractor". Perhaps you could enlighten me. Thanks.

Cheers

Don

Chicken tractors are often small enough to be pulled by hand. The idea is that you can move a small group of hens around your garden or yard to have them clean up areas from bugs or weeds.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Check out Joel Saliton's chicken tractors. He runs a farm and grows beef and chickens, sells thousands of birds a year. If you want 3 or four hens look at chicken tractors on line, if you want to grow a bunch to eat or have a dozen or so layers check out Joel, and his book Pastured Poultry Profits.

 

[dsquire]

My understanding is Chicken tractors are mobile coops that are pulled by a tractor from location to location so the manure drops through the screened floors....

cmhyland

Thanks for the quick answer, now I know what you mean. We used to call them "chicken coops".

After the young chicks reached a certain age and the weather had warmed up they were put out into the chicken coops. They spent the summer and early fall there growing until they were ready to start laying eggs. At that time the old laying hens in the barn were butchered or sent to market and the new crop of poulets (sp) were brought into the hen house in the barn to begin their career as a laying hen.

Every night someone had to go and close up the chicken coop at dark to keep the chickens in and mostly to keep the foxes out. It seemed they liked chicken dinner any time they could get it.

Cheers

Don

 

[Redneck in training]

I think you might find Queensland snakes a bit more tetchy than your average rattler. I had a sheep/cattle station in NSW and the snakes there were bad enough. Australia has 7 of the world's 10 most deadly snakes, and I think Qld has all 7. Some species do not move away from you but stand their ground or even attack. Definitely not something to meddle with.

I am quite familiar with Australian snakes. I worked on several projects in Pilbara over past several years. Had to sit through snake training several times. Truth is that, despite spending a lot of time in the bush, I have seen only few snakes and that was in the city or at night on the road. Apparently Pilbara is much less hospitable to animals than Queensland. I don't kill snakes on our land because they eat mice that I dislike much more than snakes. If you leave snakes alone they will not bother you. I fact there was a story on radio about snake bites in Australia. Some snakes are not protected so they can be killed anytime and without a reason. Acording to the research mentioned in the show 9 out of 10 people were bitten when they tried to kill a snake.

I saw a snake patrol in Karratha. Snakes like warm roads at night and get run over. Snake patrol tries to prevent that by driving slowly on the roads after sun set, picking up snakes and releasing them away from the road.
There is story about Jamaica. When Europeans colonized Jamaica there were many snakes. So they imported ferrets. Now the island is free of snakes but overrun by rats. And the ferrets kill chickens, birds and other desirable animals.

 

[300UGUY]

BP, I am a little bit south of you, and I really like reading of your farming. Plus I wanted to bump this thread!

 

[milkman636]

I also am located "a bit south" of you and enjoy reading your posts.

I tried selling some produce for the first time this year. I sold some broccoli, cucumbers, and greeen peppers. We were having a garage/barn sale trying to clear out some ours and the neighbors' stuff, and I figured why not set out a table of my more abundant produce. It was cool to have people browsing and buying vegetables that I grew. On the second say of the sale I had a lady come back from the first day and say that it was the best broccoli she ever had. Normally I give the extra to my family and neighbors for free, but I am thinking about setting up a small stand in the front yard next year and letting the kids take turns hawking whatever we have in season.

The broccoli variety was Pacman. Also, the Marketmore cucumbers got good feedback as well.

Also I am interested in trying some chickens. My granparents did comercial egg production while my dad was growing up. He hated chickens and didn't want any part of them when I was growing up, so I don't have any experience with them. With a family of nine I am seriously trying to learn some more about the subject so I can try my hand at it maybe next year. Maybe we need to get a poultry forum going on this site? Or is there a good one out there on the internet already?

 

[300UGUY]

I also am located "a bit south" of you and enjoy reading your posts.

I tried selling some produce for the first time this year. I sold some broccoli, cucumbers, and greeen peppers. We were having a garage/barn sale trying to clear out some ours and the neighbors' stuff, and I figured why not set out a table of my more abundant produce. It was cool to have people browsing and buying vegetables that I grew. On the second say of the sale I had a lady come back from the first day and say that it was the best broccoli she ever had. Normally I give the extra to my family and neighbors for free, but I am thinking about setting up a small stand in the front yard next year and letting the kids take turns hawking whatever we have in season.

The broccoli variety was Pacman. Also, the Marketmore cucumbers got good feedback as well.

Also I am interested in trying some chickens. My granparents did comercial egg production while my dad was growing up. He hated chickens and didn't want any part of them when I was growing up, so I don't have any experience with them. With a family of nine I am seriously trying to learn some more about the subject so I can try my hand at it maybe next year. Maybe we need to get a poultry forum going on this site? Or is there a good one out there on the internet already?

Problem I see with our chickens is the feed cost. I just paid $15 per bag for laying mash. I get $4 per doz eggs. I am not making money at that, and I really don't see a market much higher.

 

[KTurner]

Maybe we need to get a poultry forum going on this site? Or is there a good one out there on the internet already?

We're looking at getting some hens to go along with the garden and provide some eggs. I've tried searching for a good site but haven't found one.

Keith

 

[Ed of all trades]

That is the joy of a chicken tractor they eat enough grass and bugs to lower feed cost by I think 1/2. You have to move it everyday so they have fresh graze but it works and they eat better at the table too.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

That's why when we did chickens, we did free range(lock them up at night) we only had to feed in the winter and the few we did lose to eagles and foxes were more than offset by way less feed. Plus not only did the chickens eat much better but the eggs did too. Barred rocks seemed to have less problems than our other breeds.

 

[Rainbody]

Free range here too. There was a learning curves with the dogs but after that its great. Feed cost is low, eggs are better by my tastes, and bug population around house is way down.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

We had a great yellow lab when we did chickens and they were her birds She spent her day watching over the kids and the chickens in that order. Couple times a fox would try a snatch and grab, the chicken would start squawking, Rabble would run the fox down til it dropped the bird, she would pick up the bird and bring it home usually only a couple feathers ruffled:laughing:

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

We're looking at getting some hens to go along with the garden and provide some eggs. I've tried searching for a good site but haven't found one.

Keith

I bought my birds from poultryhollow.com and they have been healthy and laying like chickens , I have started with 8 birds and now i get 8 eggs a day also check out backyardchickens.com ....watch "factory egg farming" on you tube and you will never buy another egg or chicken from the grocery store again and these were purdue brand chickens , My Sussex chickens are almost the size of turkeys now ! and after 2 years laying into the freezer they go !

 

[Tororider]

I will second the BackYardChickens.com. Great site, great people, lots of info. They also have regional sections where you can meet people in your area and trade chickens and eggs.

If you can free range it makes a lot of sense. Even if you can't, I always added any table scraps, yard clippings, weeds, whatever to help offset feed costs. Even if you don't do that, there is something to be said for knowing where your food is coming from.

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

I will second the BackYardChickens.com. Great site, great people, lots of info. They also have regional sections where you can meet people in your area and trade chickens and eggs.

If you can free range it makes a lot of sense. Even if you can't, I always added any table scraps, yard clippings, weeds, whatever to help offset feed costs. Even if you don't do that, there is something to be said for knowing where your food is coming from.

i dropped 2 -30 gall barrels of leaves and grass clippings from the yard yesterday into the chicken coop and they had a blast scratching looking for the bugs , you will see each chicken has it's own personality and quirks !