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Free Ranging chickens

Our meat chickens currently abode in several chicken tractors, but one of our new-ish employees suggested that we change this entirely.  She said that we could have our chickens 100% free range because we have so much extra pasture, the key, according to her is a few lean-to, water and high-quality electric fencing.  Also once a week, we feed them with chicken feed.

The 1,200 chickens we do now require twice-a-day supervision, and about £ 8,000 of chicken feed.  Their suggestion is that we cut the total feed costs by 90%, but that we leave the chicken to their own devices, The once-a-week feed is to get them together in one spot.   

This employee suggested that we increase the male/female ratio from 1/20 to 1/1 males are larger and quicker but more aggressive and will create their protection flocks.  

There are several differences, we can easily increase brooding operations (chicks are in a special area for the first two weeks).  We will have some losses, but since the cost of each chick is so small, (males are cheaper than female chicks) we can increase on brood by 20/30%, for the same price.  She also suggested that doing this would reduce supervision dramatically, and cost also (feed is the largest cost).  She's even found 5 spots on the farm that would be appropriate for this experiment.  

This young woman is full of energy, Jennifer tells me that she is almost 21.  She also comes from a farm background, and she was clear that on their farm the chickens were entirely free-range, they consumed almost no feed, instead, they ranged and consumed a lot of farm waste (cuttings etc). 

Guess what we are doing, this year.  




 

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