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Author Topic: Chicken farming advice needed please  (Read 2740 times)

Chicken-george

  • Joined Feb 2014
Chicken farming advice needed please
« on: February 09, 2014, 12:04:25 pm »
Im in Cambodia for the winter and a waitress at the hotel invited me to visit her family farm

They are poor subsistence farmers, with just a few scrawny chickens scratching around. I vilunteered to build and pay for a hen house. After a week of graft, very enjoyably working alongside the family we now have a henhouse



We finished the concrete floor today. All self draining and secure with nesh embedded 50cm into concrete to keep iut rats and snakes

I have spoken to a few local restaurants and hotels who are v interested in free range organic chicken from a verifiable supplier.

Need help. What do i need to do to set tbese people up to make this work? I know FA about farming.

Chicken-george

  • Joined Feb 2014
Re: Chicken farming advice needed please
« Reply #1 on: February 09, 2014, 12:11:45 pm »


Latest pic.  Floor in. On third martini......long day. Blisters.

mojocafa

  • Joined Sep 2012
  • Angus
Re: Chicken farming advice needed please
« Reply #2 on: February 09, 2014, 12:25:26 pm »
 :wave: hi chicken George,  love the name btw, reminds me of roots!

Well done you, that enclosure looks fab,

Mojo
pygmy goats, gsd, border collie, scots dumpys, cochins, araucanas, shetland ducks and geese,  marrans, and pea fowl in a pear tree.

Chicken-george

  • Joined Feb 2014
Re: Chicken farming advice needed please
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2014, 03:09:48 pm »
^Thanks Mojo


SERIOUSLY NEED ADVICE HERE

- we are putting wire around entire enclosure to roof
- what do we need to put inside - perches? Dimensions? Please spell it out as simply as poss....
- Want to do meat farming not eggs
- Ideally try and find slo gro fat breed here - any info ???


These people are uneducated peasant types. I have googled and worked out how to build encloure for them + pay for it - but really need advice on making this sustainable for them

I need to be back in Europe in next 7-10 days so want to make this work asap

Thanks for all input......

clydesdaleclopper

  • Joined Aug 2009
  • Aberdeenshire
Re: Chicken farming advice needed please
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2014, 04:52:07 pm »
For perches you need branches approx 2 inches diameter. Put them about a foot off the ground. If they are heavy meat birds they won't get much higher up. You also need to provide nest boxes for any layers. They like to be somewhere dark and private . A box filled with some straw would do. I have no idea of chicken breeds in Cambodia I'm afraid.  One other thing to think about is a sheltered area where they can get out of the sun or rain.  As the floor is concrete you will also need to provide a dust bath for them - a box with dry soil, sand, wood ash etc would do.
Our holding has Anglo Nubian and British Toggenburg goats, Gotland sheep, Franconian Geese, Blue Swedish ducks, a whole load of mongrel hens and two semi-feral children.

Chicken-george

  • Joined Feb 2014
Re: Chicken farming advice needed please
« Reply #5 on: February 13, 2014, 11:17:49 am »
Thanks ^



All sorted - I hope - roof going on... WHAT ELSE TO DO????????

I'm due to leave Cambodia in a couple of days
 
Have sorted:

20 boxes approx 35 cm cube as nesting boxes.
Two large circa 60 cm diameter flat trays as dust baths / soli to scratch in
Water trough


Are we ready to go now - ie add in chickens and start feeding them?

Should we put tray of feed or scatter around or both?

Regular chicken food but any suggestions on extra fruits/ veggie to throw in there?

Thanks again!
« Last Edit: February 13, 2014, 12:00:22 pm by Chicken-george »

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Re: Chicken farming advice needed please
« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2014, 12:06:43 pm »
They'll have a go at most fruit or veg - if a human can eat it, it won't harm the chickens either. Here we're not allowed to feed kitchen scraps but I imagine that would be OK there. Make sure whatever food they have has calcium if they're laying (not sure what sort of chicken pellets you'll get there - here it works up from chick crumb to growers to layers to finishers for meat breeds).

If they can't get to scratch around in the ground, they will need a bowl of grit as well so they can fill their gizzard (they don't have teeth so they use the gizzard full of grit to grind up food).

Then they just have to see how it goes and find suitable local breeds.

Possum

  • Joined Feb 2012
  • Somerset
Re: Chicken farming advice needed please
« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2014, 12:22:03 pm »
It sounds like you are ready to go. I would put the food into bowls or tubs as less food is wasted that way. Make sure that they have plenty of fresh water when it is hot. If you know the sex of the chickens that you are getting make sure there is only one cockerel for every 9-10 hens. If you have too many cockerels they will fight which can result in serious injuries.


It sounds like a great project. Good for you!

 

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