4 years, 3 months ago-
Posts
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@I would like to start a discussion on how a perfect game farm would look to you. Taking all aspects into consideration from soil type to weather conditions, flat ground or slight slope or even hills. Would you have pins or teepees or a combination, what way would you face them, towards the sunset or sunrise. Would you plant trees for shade? Would you free range chicks in the whole farm or would there be a special area for free ranging. What about protection from varmints? Would you have dogs or fence or both. Theres a few examples of the many we could discuss, the point is to mentaly build a base of what we could strive for to come closer to perfecting a farm. I believe it is a topic that will benefit all.
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Wow, that’s a lot to unravel in one post. I do plan to do an article that will answer all those questions, but I will try to give you a quick answer for all of them.
Ok, Here we go:
1) soil – not sandy or hard. You want a good soil that is conducive to life, both for plant life and bugs. If you see a healthy abundance of earth worms, then you are looking good.
2) Whether conditions is a tough one, because you cannot control the weather. I live in Southern California, and the weather is very good here.
3) I think they do well on both flat and sloppy terrain.
4) I like have a combination of both pens, teepees and free range. As a breeder the pens should be good sized.
5) I like that they get sun in the morning and afternoon and plenty of shade in the middle of the day. The more trees you have on a farm, the better.
6) I like to free range the offspring until they are 5 months of age. And, I will free range the pullets until they are 2 years of age.
7) I believe a yard that is properly fenced is a must, but dogs are optional. A properly trained dog can be beneficial, but some dogs are more of a problem than a benefit.
Like I said, I do plan to put together an article/program that will properly address this issue.
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@I will wait anxiously, that article I have a land of approximately 24 acres in which I want to produce approximately 200 birds already selected per year up to six hundred and at three years I will start competing with them is the age that I think is convenient , and I would like to have an excellent planning of my farm to optimize space and resources but have an exceptional development.
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@Thanks for the answers Kenny, I wasn’t expecting all the answers all at once lol, I just wanted this to be a long coneversation about all the little subjects, but ill wait for the article…Im in the same boat as Miguel and i want to picture in my minds eye everything that I could do to have a first class set up…btw if I may recomend a good book on the subject its called “Starting A Gamefarm” by Doc. Andrew T. Bunan.
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@My opinion is to build with predators in mind. Here in lower Alabama we have to be concerned with snakes, Hawks, raccoons, opossums, coyotes, owls, and dogs to name the more common predators. A good fence is a necessity. Pens must be well constructed. I think an electric fence in addition to the good fence is worth the trouble. I like to use a nite guard flashing lite for additional help at night. It’s solar powered, inexpensive, and flashes a red light all night. Poorly protected fowl will bring you heartache. There is nothing worse than to put your time and money and dreams into some fowl and then come to feed them and find out they were some animals chicken snack the night before. I gave up on tie cords here due to the heavy hawk presence. It’s just not worth it although I think a tie cord to be good for grown roosters, not so much stags.
Anyway, that is just my opinion. Good luck. Share some pictures of your final product with us please!
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@I’ve been thinking about this post for a while now. So much to cover. We’ll here is what I think is essential. Obviously, not everything will be covered. I’ll share a couple of thoughts. Hint, below are some of my mistakes lol.
- Star with 1 brood pen. Good soil like Kenny stated. I would build a brood pen that I would be proud to share online. Yes, that means easy on the eyes. Then build your second.
- Have discipline and not start with 100 different strains.
- Have plenty of patience. It will be a few years till you can call your birds truly yours. I’d say 3-5 breeding seasons.
So much more to share. Some other time!
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That is really good advice Edwin. I hope others will follow it.
This is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. That is why you must love the journey. Most look for the easy way or the shortcut. This can take time, but the results are amazing.
Kenny Troiano
Ps. I would like to hear how the rest of you think about this…
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I would say to begin with build a sturdy fence that predators cannot get over or under. This is going to save you a ton of heart ache in the future. Here in So Cal we also need a fence to keep our birds out of site. Especially with the new code enforcement rules and regs getting more intense all the time. Out of site out of mind. Build plenty of pens, Good pens, use small wire to keep the small birds out. I built about 50 6′ Diameter Round pens a couple yrs ago, They are also 6′ high with a solid roof and frame. I absolutely love these pens. They cost me some where in the 100.00 range to build each but they are awesome. They are big enough that the birds can get great exercise and the soil seems to stay loose longer and doesn’t get packed down so quickly. Just a few tips, also build your pens with a jump board to keep water off the ground, and where you can easily access from outside to change out. Also keep roosts away from roof and side walls to keep your birds feathers in excellent condition yr around. Thanks
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@Regarding your query on which is preferable, flat ground, slight slope or even hills? A slight slope works well with us since we get intermittent rain. It does a natural washing/cleaning of the ground every time it rains, plus no puddle buildup for the birds to drink from.
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