What exactly is a "chicken tractor" and what is it used for?
What exactly is a "chicken tractor" and what is it used for?
A chicken tractor can take two forms.....
One is a mobile chicken house that can be moved onto fresh ground as required.
The other is a fixed chicken house with several small yards or runs. The runs are operated so that greenfeed can be grown and consumed in a rotation system.
Chicken tractors (of either type) are my favourite poultry housing but they don't lend themselves to our steep terrain.....so our meat birds live in a small hut with a good-sized run and our layers live in small night quarters and are allowed to free range during the day (after they've laid their eggs).
Similar "tractors" can be used to rear everything from quail to pigs.
Gary
Finally, its happened. The chook that had a gigantic fit when we put eggs in her nest has brooded out a chick! we found the chick wandering around the chook pen on its own and the clucky girl we found sitting on another nest with the newly laid eggs the other girls had laid that day. We are going to try to get some more eggs under her (lets see how that goes) and try to get some day old chicks to keep this one company, we have to keep this one warm (for now with a hot water bottle) so we might as well have a few more. We may try fattening them up even though this one has been named Nugget.
Re: Raising Chooks
Hi Miki,
Wow, your a grandparent! I have found an ordinary desk lamp with and old fashioned bulb to be good for orphan chicks- the new bulbs don't give off much heat. A good emergency food for chicks is a boiled egg. I know sounds like canaballism, just cut the egg in half and gvie it to them. Just don't tell them what they are eating.
Anniefish
Thanks for that Annie, for the moment the chick is getting a hot water bottle, the idea of the lamp on constantly was not very appealing and that for just 1 chick. We're leaving at the one chick for the moment, the girls are worried that any new chicks might hurt this one.
The clucky hen is sitting on a nest full! at least 12 eggs, so hopefully we should have enough chicks to start 'broilering' in a couple of weeks.
Hi Miki,
Ah....the joys of broody hens. Give me an electric incubator every time.
Gary
Sorry Gary, the cheaper, natural way has its appealing side too!
Hi Miki,
I agree. I'm just happy to leave the appealing side of broody bantams and hens......and single chick hatches......to other people.
Gary
Hi,
I thought I'd take this opportunity to introduce you to our laying chickens.
They are the brown egg layers that are common to many commercial egg farms. They are highly productive....laying one egg each per day for most of the year.....and (surprisingly) they have quite distinct personalities.
We buy these chickens from our local fodder store and, unlike many outlets, we can buy them without having had them debeaked.
The single photo features our youngest bird.....she's a replacement for one of our original chickens who became ill and expired. She refuses to be herded into to her pen each night. She jumps up onto a stump and has to be carried to the pen.
Gary
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Arthur Schopenhauer
www.microponics.net.au - for candid dialogue on integrated backyard food production.
www.urbanaquaponics.com.au - the home of the Online Urban Aquaponics Manual.
They look beautiul.... I need some!
Do you reckon' three is a bad number with chooks or should I go for four... ie one bird person person in my family? Pecking order is pecking order!
It obiously comes down to living space... I have a plot marked out 2m X 3m. I will give them some free reign access once the dog demonstartes restraint!
Would love to see some photo's of people's layer chook houses for good ideas.
Martin
(Think, grow rich and share the love!)
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