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SW Ohio | I only raise broilers and layers for my family and have a completely secure pen for my layers that nothing can tear into or dig under. I also have a few movable pens. I would never have all of my laying flock in a chicken tractor because they are not as secure and I lost a few before my dogs took care of the coon problem and it takes sooo long for a layer to start laying. I do raise my broilers in tractors from the age of 1.5 wks to 7 wks. You have to stay on top of the broilers in the pens. They will make such a mess you have to committed to moving the pen once a day to several times per day. They poop a billion times more than layers. Also, it is hard to keep them dry. They are healthier looking in the long run than those that I have seen in confinement--I've never had a leg problem, but it is more work. My movable coops are simply a cattle panel bent in a U fastened to a 2x4 bottom frame with a dorr framed in on one side. Then I cover with chicken wire (I use hardware cloth on my layer pen). A tarp is fastened to the top and is big enough that I can pull in down the sides when it rains. I do always worry a little if they will stay safe. | |
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Small scale chicken operation?
