MEATIE CHICKS AND DUCKS

Meaties get a new home!

The old dog kennel wasn't gonna house 20 chickens especially our growing meaties. So our plan is to build a tractor run for them which can house up to 70-75 chickens. That would be great - Lets get started!

Getting the walls screwed together 

 Putting on the Metal sides. 

The hardware cloth is already on. 

 This is what we 1st built a couple of years ago that we call the baby chick run/coop.

This is what the meaties are in but will soon out grow this with 20 of the them.

 As you can see it is getting dark and we still aren't done. The wheels will still need to be added, and the strap on which to pull it.

Two nights later we got the rest of the finishing touches done and moved it at night so waited until morning to put them in their new home.

This chicken tractor we built is like what Joe Salatin talks about in his YouTube Videos. 

New Tires!

We added our baby Turkey to the meaties coop.
They are doing good and plenty of room to move.
Hoping to fix the bum leg problem.

 The tires we had on just the back and longer boards didn't allow for a easy pull (see in above photo). So we needed to make it easier if us girls need to move the chicken tractor that we were able to do it.

I was able to move it with ease.
(No its not cold out - its 90+ degrees out)
I was working in the garden and moving Hay.

The tires are on all 4 corners.

*** UPDATE

As sad is this is to be said. The meaties have been in their new home for less than a week and 2 nights ago we lost 9. We scooped up 5 dead 4 are completely gone. Two of them had one leg each completely ripped off. They are in a completely separate cage to get them somewhat close to weight. They seem to be fine. All meaties were traumatized including the turkey. We cleaned up the mess, moved the chicken tractor. We went to town and bought traps. Using caution with the other animals we have running loose, they all we're locked up. Traps were set. Gun ready!

With in a couple of hours in the night after we set things up. Tim found several more dead. Bait was removed and trap never went off. The other 2 traps, only one was moved and went off but whatever it was was able to release itself from it. Tim removed the remaining 5 and 1 Turkey and secured them in another cage. The chicken tractor is built tough, the critter is digging in the ground and pulling them out. Its a small (very small) hole its pulling the meaties through. Even grabbing a leg and taking that.

So I went back into town and bought 2 raccoon traps. We are praying tonight we can get this problem fixed. There is too many animal on our homestead and we want to protect them.

WE GOT DUCKS!

DUCKS ON THE POND!

They are checking out their new place (baby chicken coop). We got the meaties moved so they could use this for now. They really love the pond and spend most of their day swimming. I have always thought ducks were cute. They still are but smell bad.