Anyone here ever produce chickens commercially?

[Whitewing]

Several neighbors of mine have 2-3 50,000 capacity chicken houses each.

They grow the chicks off in 6 weeks. No wonder chicken is cheaper than beef.

6 weeks seems to be the norm here too Mike. I visited a new place today with 7 sheds, all full. I didn't ask how many birds but I'd imagine they had 100,000 or so.

 

[flyingS]

I worked for one of the largest poultry producers in the US. I managed one of the ranches owned by the same man that owns Smart Chicken. I had the opportunity to tour one of the farms as well as a harvest facility. The harvest facility was pretty impressive and very mechanicalized, not sure if that is a word. The actually feeding facilities were impressive as well, everything was automatic and monitered from several different locations across the country. The most unimpressive thing to me was the way the chickens were raised. In the past there has been a lot of heat put on hog confinements, dairy farms, etc. I haven't ever heard anything about the chicken industry, I thought it was terrible. The birds are raised in a building where there manure accumulates until they are loaded up for harvest, then the sheds are cleaned out. I am surprised the welfare people haven't made a stink over this. Sorry WW, not trying to highjack your thread.

 

[jodywy]

My mother always sold eggs and got 100 laying pullets , and a 100 meat pullets every spring.
Latter they fixed a flat milking parler up and had 500 laying hens. they would buy 16 week old pullets. We had barley at the feed store so just paid for concentrate and milling. They had a stamp from the state and sold eggs at $2/doz when you could buy store eggs at .79/doz, store marked up thier eggs and were always out ot them. The flat barn could be cleaned with a small tractor, my thoughts those chicken were just like milk cows you had to be home

 

[Whitewing]

I worked for one of the largest poultry producers in the US. I managed one of the ranches owned by the same man that owns Smart Chicken. I had the opportunity to tour one of the farms as well as a harvest facility. The harvest facility was pretty impressive and very mechanicalized, not sure if that is a word. The actually feeding facilities were impressive as well, everything was automatic and monitered from several different locations across the country. The most unimpressive thing to me was the way the chickens were raised. In the past there has been a lot of heat put on hog confinements, dairy farms, etc. I haven't ever heard anything about the chicken industry, I thought it was terrible. The birds are raised in a building where there manure accumulates until they are loaded up for harvest, then the sheds are cleaned out. I am surprised the welfare people haven't made a stink over this. Sorry WW, not trying to highjack your thread.

No offense taken flyingS. Thanks for your input.

I'd love to see a US operation. The ones here are pretty impressive (on the volume of birds they produce), I can only imagine the technology applied in the states.

Production methods here sound generally the same. The chicken barn is filled to capacity....birds barely able to move but with food and water close by. When I buy the birds, they can barely walk.

Once the barn is emptied, it's cleaned and the manure is sold....most of it being fed to cattle to fatten them! I'd like to buy the manure for my bermuda but, at least in the recent past, it's been almost as expensive as urea and much more difficult to handle and apply.

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, after a week or two at my place here in the pueblo, the birds look 100% better....their feathers are clean and white, they can stand upright and move about like a normal bird, and just look healthier. I wouldn't have thought that detail would make a hill of beans difference to the average Venezuelan, but it does. I've got buyers who can find chickens elsewhere in the pueblo at a better price but buy from me because of the way the birds look and the fact that they've been on corn since they've been at my place, versus commercial feeds.

I sold one rooster this morning that weighed 3.9 kilos.....8.6 pounds. :lol:

 

[woodsman]

The healthy living conditions of the birds makes a big difference. You will be able to grow them to a small turkey size (as we say ) and set your price and never be out of customers

 

[Whitewing]

The healthy living conditions of the birds makes a big difference. You will be able to grow them to a small turkey size (as we say ) and set your price and never be out of customers

Sold another one today at 3.8 kilos and the guy was as happy as a clam. In fact, I sold two other birds today dressed, one at 116 bs and the other at 110 bs. I realize that doesn't mean much to you guys, but a pound of ribeye here costs 50 bs so I'm actually quite surprised and pleased that these birds can bring this kind of money.

As for my 300 chicks, they're now going on day 20 with me and I bet some of them weigh a kilo. I opened another area of the shed for them today to give 'em some more breathing room and space to exercise a bit. I'm hoping that when these birds are ready for market they'll look as good as the ones I've been buying wholesale and allowing to fatten for a couple of weeks.