As part of our raising-chickens -for-meat plan, we put the finishing touches to the cockerel house yesterday. which is a gloriously bodge job arrangement. It does look a bit tatty – but that’s cos all the nooks and crannies are on the outside, keeping the inside as smooth and straight as possible to make cleaning out and mite control easier. It was also free – well apart from the ladder. It is made out of pallet wood (hurray for pallets!). Our son, in an enterprising moment, took him self off, and some muttering and thumping noises later, reappeared with the ladder.. and offered to rent it to us. … some negotiations and a pound later, we now own the ladder outright, with its interesting and varied treads.
I think we shall have to build something better later on, particularly as I have bought a bigger incubator, so we shall need something roomier – every time we think we are at the end of our need to construct something for the raising chickens plan, something comes along to change it. Still, this will do for now.
The ‘chickerels’ were not keen on this new fangled building, but took to it, once we removed their previous accommodation (needed for the LS chicks). They like the shade and shelter provided underneath.
It’s been raining on and off today, and we noticed that each time it rained, five chickerels went under the house to shelter, and one stood outside, tail down, just getting wet. We laughed and said how stupid he was, and how we should call him Mr Stupid.. then himself pointed out we were standing in the rain too…
Snap…looks as if though we have spent the day doing the same and for free aswell !
I do like your son.. similar business enterprise mind as one of mine.
The dreaded red mite…I fear all my nooks and crannies are on the inside ! I will just have to be thorough and operate an all in all out system with a good treatment in between batches.
yes, seems were have done the same things today.. with the same end plan in mind. but you are looking at proper meat breeds right? which ones?
redmite – we are trying to keep at bay, and are using diatom as a prevention.. so far so good.. but its not that warm yet.. so we shall see
Firstly the left over cockerels from this hatch but hopefully in the future….possibly a Silver Dorking cock with Cornish game, Light Sussex,Dorking and maybe Barnevelder hens..Like I said we plan then seem to do something totally different depending on what turns ups.
What size incubator do you now ?
we have one that can take 10 eggs now…. going up to 20-24 when I get the new one. i should look into meat breeds.. our chickerels are so scrawny
That is a great looking coop, I love it! The ladder is the finishing touch
Re the meat birds, our cockerels tend to be ‘leggy’ but not bad nonetheless, the last weighed 4lb dressed and made a roast and a curry
Later this year we’ll have some light sussex to try but I’m thinking it would be better to have something heavier, possibly the Dorking breed.
4 lb is ok – how old were they?
They were born mid December so about 18 weeks. There was lots of meat on the legs, quite dark meat and it smelled, tasted quite gamey. The breast meat was good though thin compared to a meat bird. We have one more cockerel to go this weekend and then it’s waiting for the latest clutch of eggs to see what we get!