Appreciate it! Yes, it’s amazing what a little sunshine and fresh air will do. Check out the video that drops in the morning. Another batch of great looking birds.
Can you give us an update on the gas station that you were going to buy to make it into a farm store? I am very interested in that idea rather than having the farm store on the farm.
Yes, excellent question and I need to make a video of it. At this point I have had the outside siding replaced, dry walled the little shop area, removed all the auto equipment and installed a walk-in freezer and four chest freezers. It is working out great! I am able to back my truck/trailer right into the warehouse and then load/unload right into the freezers. I plan on having the large bay doors painted with a farm scene and then get the store front opened for direct sale. At this point my little factor is having enough meat to sell (good problem to have). I will make a video of it soon.
Thanks for watching! I generally don’t switch feed but rather stick with a 21% protein grower the entire time. It is a non-medicated feed from a local mill only about six miles away from me. I have it ground the day I pick it up and will get 6,000 pounds at a time in a feed wagon.
This is awesome! I’m doing my first chickens this year and learning a lot. 300 total … so a lot less than you! What do you feed your birds and do you process them yourself or take them to a processor? Thanks very much! I want to build some shade structures like what you have! Beautiful!!
Thanks for watching. You definitely want the shade and rain structures. I feed a 21% protein feed, non-medicated, from a local feed mill from start to finish. We are very lucky where I live and have a state inspected poultry processor only 13 miles away. I use them for all my processing. Make sure to watch for the video coming out this morning as I show the daily chores it takes to move the structures, feed, water, etc.
Hi there. I don’t but they are rather simple. I have had a couple requests lately so I will put out a video soon. They are 10’ long by 8’ wide with 4 support 2x4s ran every 24” up the width. On top is thin sheet metal (5 panels). On the back are two tires and on the front are two 2x4 legs. Very light and easy to move.
Eight panels each of which is 84 feet long. Keep in mind I am moving the covers one length every day and when I get to the end I flip the fence and start over.
The Kentucky Dept of Agriculture website has a listing of processors within the state along with a list of what livestock they process. Not many poultry processors, but there just happens to be a KY state licensed poultry processor less than 15 miles from my farm. I pay in cash (check actually).
I am somewhere between 12.5 - 13.5lbs of feed per bird at 8 weeks. Hens are on the lower end and roosters higher. I feed a 22% protein feed form a local mill from start to finish.
Yes, I raise the chickens beginning late March and stop at the first of November. I have found the Cornish Cross chickens handle the heat of Summer better than the colder temperatures of early Spring and Fall.
@@coveychasefarm Thanks so much for that info. I’m wanting to start raising meat and laying birds but I kinda want a year round operation. I’m in SC so our coldest days are usually in the low to mid 20s F and not many of those days and it never snows but our summers are 100+ and very humid.
@@Abears_ you would definitely be able to start earlier and go longer than I can. Your egg layers will have no problem year round. You might need some type of chicken tractor with sides for the month or so it gets really cold. The problem with the meat chickens is they don’t really get feathered out until week 5/6. So for a couple weeks they are on pasture with not much covering.
@@coveychasefarm That makes sense. I really appreciate your time it has really helped me decide how to proceed. I can start with layers and then do meet birds around February so that by spring they will be ready for grazing
Two reasons: first, they go to the processor around 8 weeks old so they never get mature enough to fly and second, when they are mature they are too big to get off the ground so these birds can never get high enough to get over fence. Great question.
Yes, I raised 3,500 chickens this year by doing it like this. I believe the only change compared to that video was I added a livestock guardian dog to stop an owl problem I was having.
I have no experience with rabbits, but based on what I am seeing with these geese and chickens I bet they would. Especially if you had some baby geese that were raised up with the rabbits. When I was loading chickens up this morning for processing the geese were trying to bite me through the hog panel catch pens.
I’ve got guard geese too and they are annoying but they do such a great job!! I love that you have a flock of geese instead of just one. That’s what I do. I think it works great 🙏🏽
I pay $3.50 for a whole bird and $4.75 for a parted out bird. You definitely have to get benefits of scale to cut costs or charge ridiculously high prices that ensure only very well off people can afford healthy, locally raised food. I buy at least 500 chicks at a time and 6,000 pounds of feed. That helps lower my cost. I sell online via my website, farmers market, grocery store and a few restaurants.
For them prices a person could buy the equipment and do it themselves selves. if you do 3 batches of 500 you’d pay $5,250. If you split them up you could do groups of 125 once a week every 8 weeks and keep that money in your pocket
@@johnjacob442 yeah, I have thought about that. A couple issues. You need a KY Permit or USDA to be able to sell in certain places and you would need some labor. No way you could do that as a person job.
Trying to get numbers right. I see in another comment that you get 500 birds and 6,000 lbs of feed at a time. Do you actually use all 6,000 lbs of feed for that amount of chickens? Seeing online I can a 1,000 lb tote of feed for $700 bucks. Just trying to figure out how this is profitable lol
Good question. For me, each bird averages about 12lbs of feed over the time it is on the farm until processing, so that is 6,000lbs of feed per 500 birds. If you are paying $700 for 1,000 pounds of feed, or $.70 per pound, don’t raise chickens or find another feed mill. I pay, on average, $.22 per pound.
@@Balzmahoney5 make sure you look at the ingredients and particularly the protein content. For meat chickens you need to be feeding a 21% protein feed. I would also look and see if you have a local feed mill. My feed is ground the day I pick it up so it is beyond fresh. I would say the feed at tractor supply could be several weeks old.
Those are the healthiest looking cornish cross birds I've ever seen
Appreciate it! Yes, it’s amazing what a little sunshine and fresh air will do. Check out the video that drops in the morning. Another batch of great looking birds.
Fantastic video.
Exactly what birds should look like. Top job man
Thank you!!!
Excellent job.
I appreciate it!
Crazy guard geese!!
They are going to wake up the neighborhood at 5:45am when we load out chickens to go to processor! 😳
That is cool my friend.
Thank you!
Can you give us an update on the gas station that you were going to buy to make it into a farm store? I am very interested in that idea rather than having the farm store on the farm.
Yes, excellent question and I need to make a video of it. At this point I have had the outside siding replaced, dry walled the little shop area, removed all the auto equipment and installed a walk-in freezer and four chest freezers. It is working out great! I am able to back my truck/trailer right into the warehouse and then load/unload right into the freezers. I plan on having the large bay doors painted with a farm scene and then get the store front opened for direct sale. At this point my little factor is having enough meat to sell (good problem to have). I will make a video of it soon.
What kind of feed do you use? Nice work on the videos I’ve watched so far. Do u go from starter feed to grower feed?
Thanks for watching! I generally don’t switch feed but rather stick with a 21% protein grower the entire time. It is a non-medicated feed from a local mill only about six miles away from me. I have it ground the day I pick it up and will get 6,000 pounds at a time in a feed wagon.
This is awesome! I’m doing my first chickens this year and learning a lot. 300 total … so a lot less than you! What do you feed your birds and do you process them yourself or take them to a processor? Thanks very much! I want to build some shade structures like what you have! Beautiful!!
Thanks for watching. You definitely want the shade and rain structures. I feed a 21% protein feed, non-medicated, from a local feed mill from start to finish. We are very lucky where I live and have a state inspected poultry processor only 13 miles away. I use them for all my processing. Make sure to watch for the video coming out this morning as I show the daily chores it takes to move the structures, feed, water, etc.
Do you have a guide for how to build your chicken covers?
Hi there. I don’t but they are rather simple. I have had a couple requests lately so I will put out a video soon. They are 10’ long by 8’ wide with 4 support 2x4s ran every 24” up the width. On top is thin sheet metal (5 panels). On the back are two tires and on the front are two 2x4 legs. Very light and easy to move.
How many feet of electric netting for 1000 chickens?
Eight panels each of which is 84 feet long. Keep in mind I am moving the covers one length every day and when I get to the end I flip the fence and start over.
How did you find your local processor? Do you pay cash for the processing or do they take some birds as payment?
The Kentucky Dept of Agriculture website has a listing of processors within the state along with a list of what livestock they process. Not many poultry processors, but there just happens to be a KY state licensed poultry processor less than 15 miles from my farm. I pay in cash (check actually).
@@coveychasefarm Awesome,thanks for responding!
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How many lbs of feed do you go through per bird and what type of feed do you use. Thanks
I am somewhere between 12.5 - 13.5lbs of feed per bird at 8 weeks. Hens are on the lower end and roosters higher. I feed a 22% protein feed form a local mill from start to finish.
U upped from 21 to 22 percent?
Is this type of process seasonal only? I know some have structures for winter raising but I’m sure that is pricey
Yes, I raise the chickens beginning late March and stop at the first of November. I have found the Cornish Cross chickens handle the heat of Summer better than the colder temperatures of early Spring and Fall.
@@coveychasefarm Thanks so much for that info. I’m wanting to start raising meat and laying birds but I kinda want a year round operation. I’m in SC so our coldest days are usually in the low to mid 20s F and not many of those days and it never snows but our summers are 100+ and very humid.
@@Abears_ you would definitely be able to start earlier and go longer than I can. Your egg layers will have no problem year round. You might need some type of chicken tractor with sides for the month or so it gets really cold. The problem with the meat chickens is they don’t really get feathered out until week 5/6. So for a couple weeks they are on pasture with not much covering.
@@coveychasefarm That makes sense. I really appreciate your time it has really helped me decide how to proceed. I can start with layers and then do meet birds around February so that by spring they will be ready for grazing
How come they don’t fly outside the net?!
Two reasons: first, they go to the processor around 8 weeks old so they never get mature enough to fly and second, when they are mature they are too big to get off the ground so these birds can never get high enough to get over fence. Great question.
do you still use this method
Yes, I raised 3,500 chickens this year by doing it like this. I believe the only change compared to that video was I added a livestock guardian dog to stop an owl problem I was having.
wonder if geese will guard rabbits.
I have no experience with rabbits, but based on what I am seeing with these geese and chickens I bet they would. Especially if you had some baby geese that were raised up with the rabbits. When I was loading chickens up this morning for processing the geese were trying to bite me through the hog panel catch pens.
I’ve got guard geese too and they are annoying but they do such a great job!! I love that you have a flock of geese instead of just one. That’s what I do. I think it works great 🙏🏽
How much do you pay for processing? Per my research, it's so expensive I can't see how one can make a profit. Also, who do you sell to?
I pay $3.50 for a whole bird and $4.75 for a parted out bird. You definitely have to get benefits of scale to cut costs or charge ridiculously high prices that ensure only very well off people can afford healthy, locally raised food. I buy at least 500 chicks at a time and 6,000 pounds of feed. That helps lower my cost. I sell online via my website, farmers market, grocery store and a few restaurants.
@@coveychasefarm Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it!
@@richl2723 no problem.
For them prices a person could buy the equipment and do it themselves selves. if you do 3 batches of 500 you’d pay $5,250. If you split them up you could do groups of 125 once a week every 8 weeks and keep that money in your pocket
@@johnjacob442 yeah, I have thought about that. A couple issues. You need a KY Permit or USDA to be able to sell in certain places and you would need some labor. No way you could do that as a person job.
Trying to get numbers right. I see in another comment that you get 500 birds and 6,000 lbs of feed at a time. Do you actually use all 6,000 lbs of feed for that amount of chickens? Seeing online I can a 1,000 lb tote of feed for $700 bucks. Just trying to figure out how this is profitable lol
Good question. For me, each bird averages about 12lbs of feed over the time it is on the farm until processing, so that is 6,000lbs of feed per 500 birds. If you are paying $700 for 1,000 pounds of feed, or $.70 per pound, don’t raise chickens or find another feed mill. I pay, on average, $.22 per pound.
@@coveychasefarm I found a 2000 lb bag for 479.99 from tractor supply. Guess that's doable.
@@Balzmahoney5 make sure you look at the ingredients and particularly the protein content. For meat chickens you need to be feeding a 21% protein feed. I would also look and see if you have a local feed mill. My feed is ground the day I pick it up so it is beyond fresh. I would say the feed at tractor supply could be several weeks old.
@@coveychasefarm yeah I'm looking everywhere in my area. Can't find anything or any local feed mills.
@@Balzmahoney5 got it! Yeah, then tractor supply maybe best option.