Pastured Poultry Cages
Above: Pastured poultry cage with lids open for feeding and cleaning water dishes. Breeds are Red and Bronze Rangers. Cages are moved daily to provide fresh forage for the chickens, keep their area clean to avoid diseases, and to distribute manure that provides nutrients for pasture growth. A dolly with a wedge (below) is placed under the rear, the front is picked up by a handle (seen above center front of cage) and the cage moved forward a cage length. Only one person is needed to move the cage.
Above: The dolly slips under the back of the cage and the wooden wedge is put in to hold the dolly tipped back so the bottom of the cage is a few inches off the ground. A person does not have to be with the dolly when the cage is moved.
Above: Inside view of hanging waterers that automatically refill as water is drunk by the birds. Regular garden dripline is used to connect waterers to water source buckets (below). Hanging waterers are time savers as they don't have to be taken in and out of the cage when it's being moved, and are a lot easier to clean. In 2010 we changed to using nipple waterers. Two separate watering systems are critical to provide backup in case one clogs or leaks, and more mature birds can need more than 4 gallons on hot days.
Above: 4-gallon water buckets on top of the cage provide a constant flow of water for waterers. A hole is cut in a regular bucket, a barrel bung and valve are inserted, then is plumbed to the waterers via garden dripline. Other sized buckets and types of plumbing can be used. A valve (optional) makes the bucket removable without losing all the water. We moved an irrigation wheeline over the cages on occasion and the buckets had to be removed.
Above: Feeders made out of roof gutters are suspended from the cage "rafters" so they don't have to be moved in and of the cage each time it's moved. Feeders are made of a 3ft length of guttering with 2 gutter endcaps. A spinning PVC roll bar to prevent chickens from perching on the feeder is made by suspending a metal rod across the top and placing a slightly shorter length of PVC on the rod. Height of the feeders is adjustable with hooks on the chains so it can be raised as the chickens grow.
Above: Having chickens that have been raised with a lot of human attention from first arrival from the hatchery is important. Friendly chickens are very pleasant to work with and are stressed less when handling is necessary. We introduce chicks to greenery (finely chopped pasture clover and grass) in the brooder so they know what it is when they get in the field. We also associate a "chicken call" when feeding chicks the greens to get them to come towards the call. This helps them to learn more quickly to move forward during cage moving time when they're first put out in the pasture cage.
1 meg pdf movable poultry cage plans (lower print quality, faster downloading)
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