Summer of 2024 is my 3rd year raising meat birds, and I hope I can continue on every year going forward because there is nothing like roasting a homegrown chicken.
The first two years I did it under a trampoline and moved the trampoline once in a while to get them some fresh grass. I had a chicken house that I locked them in at night to keep them safe from predators. It was a fairly good setup but my chicken house had leaked and I was having to have bedding for the meat bird house, just what I needed another coop to clean.
The entire winter of 23/24 I was researching a new way to raise meat birds. I came across a few homesteaders that were using a chicken tractor 24/7, moving the tractor to fresh grass every couple days. They were using the poultry netting electrified to keep them safe. After endless hours of researching I decided that’s the way I was going to do it.
This story is not without drama I promise! Ok the first 3/4 weeks the chicks were going out during the day, cages in barn at night to keep them warm. They are 100% small enough to zip through the square mesh of a poultry net and go wherever they please. I found them in the woods, in the gardens destroying flowers from digging holes and dust bathing. A few ventured to the garage, and 1 lovely chick ventured to the abyss never returning lol, casualty number 1., casualty 2 was just a random death, probably it’s heart, it’s comb turned purple. After about 3 weeks 90 percent of them don’t fit through the holes , there were still a few small enough to get thought, I’d say week 4 they all stayed in.
So now they were feathered enough to be outside 24/7 under a homemade chicken tractor with a roof to stay dry and a covered end to hide in and feel safe at night. All was calm for a week or so, then one early dark morning before daylight I heard a chicken screaming ! I rushed out and saw a chicken laying in the bottom corner of the fence upside down, neck and head chewed, casualty 3. Something had breached the electrified net, probably a raccoon. I now knew it would be back so I knew we had to up the security.
My dad came up with the idea of a perimeter electric, 3 strand fence. So that’s what we did along with a much bigger charger, cow size lol he reassured me as he stood there grabbing it, yup it’s got kick 🤣.
From then on out all was safe and survived! I only had one sleepless night because the power went out, which meant no electric fence! My dad was sure to call me at 1:40am to tell me time to get up and bring your truck down, leave it running with lights on the chickens, and stand guard, the raccoons will be out! Thanks for your du diligence dad.
I started with 30, ended with 27, solid numbers. I moved my chicken tractor every 2 days to fresh grass. This was the first year I fed completely organic grower, 9.5 weeks and 10.5 bags of grower, processed they mostly weighed out in the high 7lbs to mid 8lbs. A few big 9-10 pounders and a couple 5.5-6.5 pounders, I’m pretty darn pleased and will be doing the same next year!!!
Consider the chicken tractor method if you have the room!
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