Self-Reliance: How do you?
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Week 3 of the chick’s lives wrapped up today and we are onto week four. So far the 50 birds (46 now) have consumed 100 lbs of feed total, putting them at 2lbs of feed consumed each. At a maximum, I’m shooting for no more than 18 lbs of feed necessary for each bird to finish out. Hoping that the pasture will help supplement their forage needs to lower the feed cost. My feed cost calculation is $6.43/bird, which is just over half of the cost associated with raising each bird, which I’m currently estimating at $12.28/bird. Target carcass weight is 4.5 lbs on average…$2.73/lb.
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A sad morning. I lost four chickens to a predator overnight. I got them moved into the mobile coop yesterday. Last night was their first overnight in the mobile coop. It looks like a predator was able to get underneath and kill several through the wire, without actually entering the coop. Most of the four were intact, but a leg or so…there was one that was halfway consumed through the hardware wire.
I have an electrified perimeter net that I didn’t set up yesterday…bad judgement call on my end. I assumed the proximity of the coop to my shop and outdoor lighting would have been sufficient to keep predators less interested.
I’m still at 91% survival rate, going into week 4 of 11. Predator netting from premier 1 will be going up this afternoon, as well as a trap in the proximity.
Making a bad management decision sucks, live and learn…I suppose. One the bright side, it is better to lose a few early, rather than later as each bird has current consumed about 2lb of feed each, at this point, as compared to some 15 lbs of feed come processing time.
RafterW sounds like it could be a weasel, although they will usually get into the coop or cage, one way or the other. Skinny little suckers. On the other hand, a long time ago I have caught neighbors & unknown dogs (in the act)do just that to chickens & rabbits. I mean tear them up from under the cage & just leave a bloody mess, but never actually get in the cage or hutch.
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Tex_77 no predator on camera lastnight. Guessing racoon. I’ve had several around the house in the past few weeks. The fence is up and it is hot! I’m going to keep the chicks in the coop for another day or two, before letting them out in the grass. The coop will keep them safe during the day and the fence/coop combo will for sure keep them safe at night. Dave in AZ I hope owls don’t become a problem during the daytime. I do have some owls around our property.
RafterW Keep us informed on what other kind of fried vittles you can work up from this. I am really curious. I am really sorry to see al this happen to & believe me, I understand. Hang in there.
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I’ve ordered some small solar motion lights to put on each side of the coop as well. That should be a good deterrent in itself.
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Week 3 of the chick’s lives wrapped up today and we are onto week four. So far the 50 birds (46 now) have consumed 100 lbs of feed total, putting them at 2lbs of feed consumed each. At a maximum, I’m shooting for no more than 18 lbs of feed necessary for each bird to finish out. Hoping that the pasture will help supplement their forage needs to lower the feed cost. My feed cost calculation is $6.43/bird, which is just over half of the cost associated with raising each bird, which I’m currently estimating at $12.28/bird. Target carcass weight is 4.5 lbs on average…$2.73/lb.
RafterW said in Self-Reliance: How do you?:
Hoping that the pasture will help supplement their forage needs
In my experience it will help, not just in lowing the feed bill, but in body composition, color, and taste of the finished product. Contrary to popular belief chickens do graze fresh grass in large amounts along with any insects they find along the way.
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I’ve ordered some small solar motion lights to put on each side of the coop as well. That should be a good deterrent in itself.
RafterW There are red eye lights that is claimed to help, but I have no experience with them. Lights do help immensely, but add a radio set to a talk radio station (24hr) on a timer will help more than most can imagine. It is the voices that make the varmints scatter and also things that move in irregular patterns as wind socks, chimes, and anything else that can possibly spook them. In my experience it is not the one thing that does the trick, but multiple things that seem to work together.
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The electrified netting did its job lastnight, no predators broke its perimeter. It is very hot, the charger is excellent.
I set out three dogproof foothold traps and a live trap, the traps were dug up, bait removed, but did not catch a coon. The traps were given to me, I may have baited them improperly. Going to research the proper baiting method and retry again tonight.
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The electrified netting did its job lastnight, no predators broke its perimeter. It is very hot, the charger is excellent.
I set out three dogproof foothold traps and a live trap, the traps were dug up, bait removed, but did not catch a coon. The traps were given to me, I may have baited them improperly. Going to research the proper baiting method and retry again tonight.
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RafterW https://youtu.be/Ie-LvYMh304 This may help
RON PARRISH Thank you, I’ve looked up the specifics on the traps I have. They are an old style of “cooncuff”. I believe improvements to the design have been made over the years, I did pick up a few tips to keep the coons from digging them out of the ground to get to the bait below. They are an open tunnel design, as compared to the closed tunnel design of improved models.
Matt W.
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RON PARRISH Thank you, I’ve looked up the specifics on the traps I have. They are an old style of “cooncuff”. I believe improvements to the design have been made over the years, I did pick up a few tips to keep the coons from digging them out of the ground to get to the bait below. They are an open tunnel design, as compared to the closed tunnel design of improved models.
RafterW You are welcome. Hope it helps!
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RON PARRISH Thank you, I’ve looked up the specifics on the traps I have. They are an old style of “cooncuff”. I believe improvements to the design have been made over the years, I did pick up a few tips to keep the coons from digging them out of the ground to get to the bait below. They are an open tunnel design, as compared to the closed tunnel design of improved models.
RafterW What your defense for animals that can jump the hotwire?
Isaiah 5:22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks
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Tex_77 A hope and a prayer that nothing does… So far, so good on perimeter containing predators. Chickens will be on pasture tomorrow.
Matt W.
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Tex_77 A hope and a prayer that nothing does… So far, so good on perimeter containing predators. Chickens will be on pasture tomorrow.
RafterW
Good luck avoiding the airborne predators during the day light hours. The hawks are always on the patrol around here. -
the freedom wagon is 97% finished. Just need to add the dowel rod handle on front to drag it around. This will provide shelter for the 50 freedom ranger chicks that will move to pasture next week. More to come in the setup.The freedom wagon is helping my family avoid market prices for chicken and gives us the freedom to choose the chicken we eat, to the fullest extent. Freedom to choose the breed to meet the goals we have for our land, freedom to choose the feed and treatment that these chickens receive that will ultimately be feeding us and friends. If all goes to plan, cost on these will be well under $3/lb and will yield 225 lbs of bone-in carcass.
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After three days of the coop door opening and closing at dawn/dusk, the chicks have finally started to venture out. Yesterday, nearly all had come out of the coop and on to the grass. I’ve been checking to see how many are still out after the coop door closes at nightfall. Lastnight there were 13 still out, however they were nested up under the center of the coop. I don’t think a predator, such as an owl, would have been a problem. Motion lights are affixed to the coop on all sides, electric poultry net is doing its job as well.
Chicks are four weeks old now, going on five, they are feathered and are already scratching around and spreading out the cowpats within their enclosure. I took a video but it is too large to share, I will post some pictures later.
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RafterW Love him or hate hom or don’t think about him at all Senator Thomas Massy has something similar, though I swear I read his was solar powered?
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I haven’t listed to this, but a quick google search may have revealed that you were not making up the solar powered chicken tractor, lol. Maybe its just the door?
You’ve peaked my interest though, so I may give it a listen! https://www.spreaker.com/user/11190591/dz-ep-112-congressman-thomas-massie-on-t
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34:46 start point if interested lol.
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All parties involved are growing quickly!
Matt W.
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RafterW Looking good, they are really growing.
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