Dream a Little Dream with Me!

Okay we are expanding our hatchery ideas. We will still be a backyard hatchery. Probably be hatching about 150 - 300 chicks a week next summer.

We are trying to decide how to set up our breeder pens.

This is our idea. A 30 by 100 building and along each wall a row of separate pens. Each pen will be 5 foot wide and 10 foot deep for a total of 50 sq foot. Each will hold approx. 10-11 birds so 4 -5 sq foot of floor space.

Downeach side we would have 15 separate pens for a total of 30 breeding pens.

The center isle would be 10 foot wide to allow for cleaning of pens and the such.

the extra 25 foot would be at the front of the building and half would be storage of feeds and equipment and the other half would be for an office/ incubator location and the such.

The pens would open to the outside into separate runs so that the hens could semi freerange each day and when not in breeding season, they would be totally free range.

The inside would have the huge fans in the ends and also lower ceiling fans for the movement of air.

The inside floor would be concrete, but we plan on using a deep litter method in the pens. Just wanted the concrete so that we would be able to easily clena each pen with high pressure water when needed.

What am I missing??? Do you all have any suggestions, problems or concerns.

Would love your input.

Sheila

If I understand you, the pens will have concrete floors? I thought I read somewhere that you needed earth floors for deep litter. I don't know if that is true or not. It certainly would be easier to do a thorough cleaning with concrete.

i havbe deep litte ron concrete, but perhaps it doesn't suit the smae ends as on earth...

Sheila, i will give htis a looksy manana!

tf

wow you do have a good plan going there. I would like to do the same maybe not as big tho. That will be a little while down the road for me.

Like I said we are definately expanding, but this is a far off dream for us. Still have to move the people house or build a new one. My daughter will start school next year and want to be on the main farm by then (better school district).

Sheila

so true at better school. My grandson is in a bad district but in a good school. Hope that made sense. My dream would have to come after hubby gets his shop built.

Well my dad has given my brother and I 10 acres each off the main farm. I currently live on 80 acres at the Kendrick Place, but again the bad school district.

My brother is building a house this summer and we have to decide if we can afford to build simply or move our mobile home and wait a while.

The whole farm will be my brother and mine after Mom and Dad are gone so will have about 600 acres then. That could be a lot of chickens LOL.


Sheila

wow 600 acres, I can play with that. I would do some cattle. We have almost the same thing here just not that many acres. After my dad passed away my mom purchased this 40 acres and gave me and my 2 brothers 10 acres each. Both my brothers dont want theirs per say so it will all be mine when it is my moms time to go. Which that wont be for a very long time. She is on 5 acres so a total of 45 acres. I so love it here. We lived in a 5th wheel for a year before we found this mobile home and moved it out here. I will NEVER move from here, unless it was to move up to moms for what ever reason. I have a handicapped sister and she needs cared for.

You ladies just let me know if you are ever interested in selling a smaller parcel of a dream to me, wink wink ; > )

Wont sell but will lend ya one. Come on. Patch have you seen the chickenstock thread will you be going?

Patch'i is too close not to...The jealousy of those who can't make it will just force her...

Meanwhile, help me think of an excuse to leave husband and child and go chickening...

he he he lets see, you are picking up some of my prize chickens that you HAVE to have. No One else on this planet has anything close to them. How is that.

..........Putting hands over eyes and NOT googling for directions!....................

grrrrrrrrrrrrr come on it cant be that far, actually I did a search for you 169 miles, now you have to.

Pushy me, I think I already gave her directions. OOPS;-)

Patch - you need an excuse..... CHICKENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! did i say CH CH CH CH CHICKENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sheila

Tia-

On the main farm we do have cattle. Charlais/Angus cross about 500 head and my dad takes care of all of them and he will be 73 this November.

He is my hero. I have never seen a man work harder than him or have more faith that him. Although he hardly ever mentions God, his faith is immeasurable.

Sheila

That is AWESOME Shelia. My dad was a hard worker also And I admired him deeply. He passed away in surgery 7 years ago. My dad would be so proud of what we have done here.

Ok, if by some freak of fate I manage to go I will pass through Foley and chicknap her maybe. Should meet up with a few others in St Looey, Looey.

So Sheila one of those baby calfs might find its way in my trunk??

Sheila, you are living my dream.... need an extra hand?

Always need an extra hand. But more than that I need an extra dollar, but don't we all. I am happy trying to stretch pennies, because i am rich beyond measure in many other ways.

Sheila

Well said there Shelia.

Amen

yep

Wow, you guys are incouragable! I might have a few extra dollars to spend..... No! No I won't! Do they have goats? Wait....Don't answer that! Must....Be....Strong.... I do need a drake as Aflak is a female. The power of the darkside is strong, lol!

They will have IT ALL. Come on you can do it.

patch i am bring a goat for fran, shall i bring one for you? put in your order before my van gets full and i have to leave the kids along side hte road LOL

I need a drake, my girl ducks are loving each other a little too much right now, ; )

my drake was killed and a hen injured. she found a home, now i have two loveless pekins... we both need a drake...

LMAO the story of my life. Needing a good er, um, drake? Nevermind!

LOL Well it sure sounds nice. All that space just makes me dreamy!

pa6tchouli, maybe we will BOTH find a, umm, DRAKE at the Jacob cave gathering...

Drake--tall, dark, sensitive and muy macho. Every poultry woman's dream.

ahhhh....

Haha! You guys are hilarious! Wish I could go to chickenstock. LOL

WOW! I am in awe of your dad, Sheila, that is amazing.

Eric and I both feel that we are farmers born in the city. We're both just itching to get out of town. We "farm" as much as we can of our little urban plot and dream of acreage and farming/ranching frequently. I'm not entirely sure how you go about getting your hands on land these days though on a modest budget. Its so expensive! I kick myself all the time for passing up 25 acres when I was fresh out of college. If I'd just stretched my budget a bit more, I coulda had it. Now that same piece of property is going for 6 times what it was before!

Sigh : )