[Stereo]

We use brooders made from pallet boxes with an electric hen up to 5 weeks. A good deep layer of wood shavings seems to last them this as long as they are in the dry. Sometimes we add more if there are more birds. Usually it's 10-15 birds per brooder.

The next bit is what we are struggling with. At about 12 weeks, larger breeds can go in a house and electric net on the grass. We do need in future to split off the hens at this point. But 5-12 weeks we are struggling with. Last year we made a brooder section in the main house under the roosts and gave them a little penned in area but it was a mess and lots of work to clean out all the time. This year I built a Joel Salatin style chicken mobile but to be honest on our steep and bumpy ground it's been very difficult to move and make sure they are always on fresh grass. It's kind of worked but I can't see it being viable in the long term.

So next year, what do we do? What I am thinking is DIY hoop house structures but with shade cloth or tarps over the top. On the floor is a deep layer of woodchip, maybe a foot deep. Roosts at one end with shelter and plenty of ventilation at the other. This is just to get them to 12-14 weeks so a deep layer of compostable material should provide lots of scratch and prevent any ammonia build up etc. Maybe the cockerels could be taken out and put in nets for their last 12 weeks while the hens could stay in the hoop houses until they are of laying age.

Any thoughts?

[HesterF]

I've got lots of good grass so I have them in little runs which get moved daily. They're not huge so they tend to have outgrown them by about 9 or 10 weeks but by then they're crow proof so they can go in their own section and house of the main run. I've run out of room this year so I need to start selling soon!

[lord flynn]

I have a mini poly tunnel (10 x 4ft x 3ft high) which is covered in weld mesh and has a clear tarp on top (plus a smaller opaque one for shade) for them from 3-6 weeks (depending on time of year) up until about 9 weeks. Its predator proof and moveable and will do up to around 10. As they get bigger its moved more often.


I then have aviary panels which are 8ft long and they are used to make a pen 16 x 8 or 24 x 8 -using fence posts to given them stability and bird netting over the top. These are moved weekly. I can't keep them separate from the main lot too far into winter due to the winds up here but my main bunch go on breeders pellets from when they moult onwards anyway and I keep the pullets separate until about 20 weeks at least.


I've hatched more than ever this year and have just been building another run today for growers.