We are making some big investments in our pheasant farm this spring. After completing our regular review of needs this year, we decided on some important work that must be done and some equipment needs that will improve our ability to effectively and efficiently accomplish caring for our bird population. Here’s what’s going on in spring 2016:
- By April 22, 2016, we will have installed a new net over outside Pen #8 and repaired all broken posts and support cables on the pen. It will take our crew of 3 people 6 weeks to complete the project. The new net is 495,000 square feet (11.4 acres). We can expect this new netting to last around 20 years. Read more about flight pens on our website.
- We have purchased a feed truck that will hold 15-18 tons of feed, depending on the feed type we are having delivered. There are 6 compartments on the truck that will hold 2-3 tons each. By purchasing our own feed truck instead of contracting the work out, we have analyzed the cost savings to be 35%. When you go through 6,400 tons of feed every year this works out to be a large savings. In addition to the savings, we now have complete control of where our truck goes and what goes into the truck. It’s hard to put a price tag on the added bio-security this truck will provide.
- Our two Kabota tractors have been traded in for 2 new John Deere Tractors. The John Deere tractors are heavy duty and small enough to drive into all of our pens. We decided on the John Deere tractors for several reasons:
- They are made extremely well. We use our tractors steadily and we need something that will hold up!
- They are competitively priced for the product you get.
- They are easily maintained.
- They are easy to operate.
- They are very reliable-we can’t afford to have a tractor go down during the busy season!
We invite you to visit the farm and view what a brand new pen looks like and see our new feed truck and tractors in action. Feel free to contact [email protected] with your questions! I know we have told you this before, but we love hearing from you! We hope you will visit our Facebook page to look for new topics and please let us know we are meeting your needs for information, by liking our posts!