Broiler chicks spend their first part of life in a warm brooder, but as they grow and feather out, they’re ready to be moved to pasture. We choose to raise broilers on pasture for not only the bird’s health, but also the pasture health. Our broilers are able to soak up fresh air, sun, and spend afternoons searching for bugs in the soil. In return, they cycle nutrients through their rich manure.
When chicks are about 4 weeks old and are fully feathered out, we move them out to pasture.
Leading up to their move, we turn off the heat in the brooder and use the mesh panels at night, to allow the chicks to adjust to cooler temperatures. To eliminate crushing when moving the chicks into the Hoop Coop or Prairie Schooner, we place wooden boards in the corners. Removing the 90 degree corners helps prevent piling and crushing.
We fill up feeders and connect the bell waterers, and then we put the chicks in crates from the brooder. We act gingerly but quickly when grabbing the chicks to minimize them piling on each other in the brooder. Once multiple crates are full, we stack crates in the back of our gator, and drive them out to pasture. We then carry the crates into the house and unload each chick. We also take this opportunity to count the chicks and get an accurate total count.
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