We buy our meat chicks from a local farm. After a short drive from the farm on which they've hatched, we put them into our ground cage. This cage is approximately 3.5' by 8' and has an open bottom and removable cloth sides that allow ventilation but not too much wind. Rather than housing them on litter, we put them straight onto grass. If we are expecting lots of rain, we will add hay on top of the grass to keep them dry and warm.
We hang heat lamps and a gravity-feed waterer within the two-foot brooder cage and we hang feeders along the edges of the cage for their fermented feed.
As long as the ground isn't flooded, we move the young chicks daily to new grass. Within a very few days, they rush forward in a frenzy with each move of the cage, ripping up stems of grasses and legumes and hunting for bugs that might be hiding in the grasses.
We currently use Texas Naturals Chick Starter to feed our meat chicks, which is free from all genetically modified ingredients and contains absolutely NO corn and NO soy. We ferment it to increase the probiotics, vitamins, digestive enzymes and protein. As an additional protein boost, we supplement with bugs that we raise for the exact purpose of feeding to our poultry.
As the chicks grow older, we move them twice a day. Eventually, during the last week or so on our farm, we move their ground cages three times a day to provide them with fresh grass throughout the day.
As the chicks grow larger and need more space in their ground cage, we split them into additional caging to provide them access to more grass. The last couple of weeks, we limit the ground cages to no more than 33 birds per cage. If the birds are too crowded, they don't grow well. Additionally, if they have too much room, they also don't grow well.
As long as the ground isn't flooded, we move the young chicks daily to new grass. Within a very few days, they rush forward in a frenzy with each move of the cage, ripping up stems of grasses and legumes and hunting for bugs that might be hiding in the grasses.
We currently use Texas Naturals Chick Starter to feed our meat chicks, which is free from all genetically modified ingredients and contains absolutely NO corn and NO soy. We ferment it to increase the probiotics, vitamins, digestive enzymes and protein. As an additional protein boost, we supplement with bugs that we raise for the exact purpose of feeding to our poultry.
As the chicks grow older, we move them twice a day. Eventually, during the last week or so on our farm, we move their ground cages three times a day to provide them with fresh grass throughout the day.
As the chicks grow larger and need more space in their ground cage, we split them into additional caging to provide them access to more grass. The last couple of weeks, we limit the ground cages to no more than 33 birds per cage. If the birds are too crowded, they don't grow well. Additionally, if they have too much room, they also don't grow well.
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