Life at Cobb Creek Farm - Hoop Coops

Hey all!

Today I want to write about the last 4-6 weeks of our Cornish Cross Chickens after they come out of the brooder houses.

Typically we catch the 3 week old chicks the night before putting them out on pasture as it is much easier to catch them at night in the dark. We just flip our head lamps on to the red light and they don't become disturbed or frantic like they do when you catch them during daylights hours. After catching them we leave them in crates in the brooders til morning. Then after chores the next morning we load them on a trailer and drive them out to the "hoop coop" where they will stay until they are ready to go to slaughter.

"What on earth is a 'hoop-coop'?" Glad you asked.

Think of a portable chicken coop in a hoop house/greenhouse type structure that is 20'x36', rests on skids, and is moved daily with a pick-up or tractor. Or better yet, check out the photos below.

The Hoop Coop (I also like the name, Chicken Schooner but this ship only has one sail)  in the rather pitiful looking pasture. These chickens are doing the most good by fertilizing as this soil is in pretty bad shape and needs some TLC. Come on perennial warm and cool season grasses!  

Every morning we pull the hoop coop forward a spot. The structure is mounted on skids that we can pull with a chain. When
we get to the end of the field we just pull it back in the other direction on new ground. From hooking up to the chain to pulling away after feeding and setting everything up, we spend 10 minutes per coop.
Also, as you can see in the photo, we have
the side walls rolled up to regulate airflow and temperature. This time of year in the cool season we have the end wall plastic on to help keep the heat in and keep the chickens out of too much direct wind.  

Around the base is our hot wire that we jumper (black cord with the white handle) over to the portable electric fence (the yellow stake). The garden hose is plugged for water. If the weather report is calling for near freezing temperatures, we bring the hoses into the barn over night and put them back out in the morning.

6 week old Cornish Cross Chickens in the hoop coop. Waters down the center with the pvc water pipe running down the middle in the rafters. Feeders running down each side with two white grit dispensers as well. 

The tally sheet. From right to left: Date, daily feed, total cumulative feed, daily casualties, cumulative casualties, total live birds, feed conversion which we tally up after they have gone to the processing facility. 

Pretty neat system, huh?

Right now we have 2 hoop coops, with the 3rd in construction and 2 more on the way. Each coop has 12 feeders at 30lbs of feed each, 6 automatic water dishes, 2 grit dispensers, and a tally sheet that we keep track of daily and per batch. On the front and back walls we have plug ins for the water so we can plug it into the farm water lines and/or daisy chain the coops together. Around the perimeter we run a hot fence that is attached to a portable fence run from the permanent hot fence. Thus far there have been no casualties due to predators, and the coyotes are around. The side walls roll up and down to provide climate control; plus the end wall plastic can be taken off during the hot time of the year and put back on during the cold season here in Texas. (I am from Alaska. It is hard to call it winter when there is no snow sticking to the ground. Sorry ya'll.) During the summers we will put shade clothe over the top of the hoop-coop to limit the green house effect and to run a misting system down the length of the coop tied into the same water system to keep the chickens from over heating - there is good water pressure and supply to the entire farm.

"What does all this mean in a nutshell?"

We can raise broiler chickens on pasture year around in Texas, cover a lot of ground with a lot of chicken fertilizer, and raise a superior tasting industrial bird then the industrial system.

Is this the perfect picture of a sustainable farm?

No, but the Cornish Cross bird is what we, food citizens, all have come to associate with the taste of chicken from the store and the industrial food system; we, farmers, can improve the soil with the bird; and we, farmers again, can make money quickly with their fast ROI and ready available market.

Is there a better way?

Absolutely. Up next in our discussion, the Heritage Delaware Chicken.

Every morning I make my way to the back of the coop to shew the chickens forward as Grady slowly pulls the structure forward. I snapped this photo before calling out to pull ahead.