The Hen Men

This video was posted on the Poultry Swap Ontario Forum by BayVistaFarm.
It's great that these guys are starting a new hobby and keeping their minds active.  There is a better quality version on Vimeo - click here

Chicken Tractors in UK 1943

And I thought that the chicken tractor was invented by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms.

1943 Chicken (Fold) Tractor

Modern Farming; Agriculture in Britain, 1943. Edward Raines, poultryman on a Hampshire farm, moves a poultry fold into line with the others in the field. Each of these chicken ‘sheds’ contains 25 birds. They are moved their length every day, providing fresh ground for the hens to feed on and also making sure that the chicken manure is spread across the whole field. According to the original caption: “the folds are portable and, with the aid of simple, wheeled moving-gear, are easily moved”. Photo: Ministry of Information Second World War Official Collection.

Plans for 2014

After the meat bird experiment I've decided I want some real chickens.  So through the winter I've been researching.  

Chicken Choice #1 - Chantecler (pronounced: shant-e-clair)

This is a Canadian breed and is on the Rare Breeds Canada list.

The Chantecler breed was developed in the early 1900's by Brother Wilfred, a trappist monk in Oka Quebec who realized that Canada had no chicken breed of its own. He set out to develop a uniquely Canadian breed that would provide good eggs, meat, and could withstand harsh cold climates.

Breeds that went into development of the original White Chantecler include the Dark Cornish, White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, White Wyandotte, and White Plymouth Rock. The White Chantecler was admitted into the APA Standard of Perfection in 1921.

Chantecler hen from 1926

Not my birds, a breeders out west.

Chicken Choice #2 - ?

Not sure yet, but I want 4 ready to lay birds (around 20 weeks old) so I can get eggs asap.  Breeds I will consider are Rhode Island Red, Black Australorp, & White Leghorn.  If I can't find any of these by the beginning of April I'll order red Sex-Links from a hatchery.

Chicken Turkey Choice #3 - Ridley Bronze Turkey

This is a Canadian breed and is on the Rare Breeds Canada list. Just doing my bit to save rare canadian poultry.

Ridley Bronze chicks

Hen in the foreground

Ridley Tom

So I have ordered 6 Chantecler chicks and 6 Ridley Bronze chicks from Performance Poultry.  Pickup date is 21/22 April.

Just got to build a couple of coops.

Meat Birds

Fall of 2013 was my first experience with chickens.  I bought 10 White Rock meat birds through my local feed store.  The reason for this was simple, we wanted chicken that had no antibiotics in it and knowing how your meat was treated when it was alive is important.  Unmedicated feed, grass and bugs, and lots of sunshine.

Just picked them up from the feed store

Meat chickens grow fast, up to 8 lbs in 8 weeks.  Lots of eating, drinking and pooping.  They grow faster than their feathers, really, this is the day I took them out of the brooder and put them in the tractor.

4 weeks old

The feather growth catches up at about 6 weeks.  I lost one at 5 weeks (heart attack) another at 7 weeks (same) and a huge rooster the day before processing, again heart attack. They grow so fast their organs can`t keep up. The plan was to get them processed at 8 weeks but it was just before Thanksgiving (Canadian) and they were only doing turkeys.  I decided to see how big they would be if I take them to 10 weeks. So I ended up with 7 birds. When I picked them up from the processors the smallest was 7.6 lbs the largest 10.8 lbs.

Commercial meat birds only live to eat and die.  Sad but if you don't take them to be processed they will die from a heart attack.  They have no personality, more like slugs with feathers.  But man do they taste good!  Next batch in the summer (2014) will be 7 or 8 weeks no longer.  A cooked chicken that weighs nearly 11 lbs is too big for the 3 of us. Lots of left overs though. I just need 5-6 pounds on the table.