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Mobile Brooder Pens Save Time, Labor
Meredith Bell’s brooder pens make moving chicks to pasture easy. As new chicks come out of their shipping boxes, they are placed in the 4 by 8-ft. by 34-in. high pens. That’s where they stay until it’s time to go to pasture.
“I came up with the idea when starting Autonomy Farms,” says Bell. “I didn’t have ex
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Mobile Brooder Pens Save Time Labor Meredith Bell’s brooder pens make moving chicks to pasture easy As new chicks come out of their shipping boxes they are placed in the 4 by 8-ft by 34-in high pens That’s where they stay until it’s time to go to pasture “I came up with the idea when starting Autonomy Farms ” says Bell “I didn’t have extra labor and it took too much time moving the chicks ” Perhaps because Bell was new to farming and poultry she was open to trying new ways “I started looking online but couldn’t find anything to speed chick handling ” recalls Bell “I started brainstorming with a welder I knew and we came up with the pen I tried one for 2 mos made some changes and built more Now I use them for every batch I raise ” Each 4 by 8-ft bed has access doors on the ends and the front side There’s a fourth access door at the bottom of the box The sides are expanded metal with 1 1/2-in wide holes The framing is 1 by 1-in aluminum tubing Pens are stacked two high with forklift receiver tubing 1 by 4 attached to the underside of the lower pen A heavy plastic tray lines the bottom of the pens which sits about 8 in off the floor New chicks are greeted with a layer of wood chips fresh water and feed When the weather cools Bell adds 1-in foam panels to the top of each pen and covers the stacked pens with a layer of 80 mil marine vinyl to hold in the heat “Our temperatures can get down to 26 to 28 degrees ” says Bell “In the warmer seasons chicks spend about two weeks in the pens shifting to about three weeks in the winter ” When the chicks are ready for pasture moving is fast and easy Bell uses a fork-equipped loader to pick up each stack and deposit it at the door of a moveable pasture pen She opens the doors and pushes the chicks down a ramp through the door and onto the grass “It’s an easy way to move the chicks and to clean out the pens ” says Bell “We drop the bottom door of the pen remove the tray and let the chips and manure drop onto the field where they decompose ” Cleanup is even easier Bell uses a power washer on the pens lubricates the hinges and sets them aside for the next batch “It takes me just 2 hrs to move 1 200 birds onto pasture and clean and disinfect the brooders and plastic ” Bell raises and markets chicken eggs lamb beef hogs and turkeys all pasture raised She makes deliveries to CSA and bulk order customers in Los Angeles Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Autonomy Farms 21600 Adobe Rd Bakersfield Calif 93307 ph 661-430-0106; info@autonomyfarms com; www autonomyfarms com
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