Farm406

"We start around 6:30 a.m. and go to 5 p.m. or later one day a week," says Green. "We process our chickens and turkeys from other producers in the area." Scheduling can be a challenge when managing up to an average of 3,000 chickens at the processing plant. "Sometimes the chickens aren't all ready to process at the same time," explains McLean. "And, every two weeks we get a batch of 500 chicks in. We have to make sure we have a place to put them. We are getting better." The biggest challenge hasn't been scheduling conflicts, predators or even diseases. Green says the biggest challenge they have is preventing smothering. "Chickens don't handle snow or cold weather," he explains. "And, when the nighttime temperatures get cool, the chickens will pile on top of each other to keep warm. We have to go out to the barns and physically spread them out or else they will smother each other." McLean and Green have visited with chicken farmers in other states to glean ideas on how to run their business. "We formed the business in 2014, but it took us two years to get all the pieces put together with the facility and farm," says McLean. "We are in our third year of growing pasture-raised chickens and we still face new challenges – you can't plan for everything." farm406 46 Beau McLean and Christopher Green herd chickens into one of three covered buildings after moving the building to a new location on the farm. Biosecurity is taken seriously at Living River Farms. At the first sight of illness, apple cider vinegar and copper sulfate are administered to the chicken's water. This also helps in building up immunity to diseases such as coccidiosis, an illness that can kill them within six to 12 hours. SPRAYERS BUILT FOR ENDURANCE TANKS & TRAILERS BUILT IN AMERICA AN AUTHORIZED ENDURAPLAS DEALER Billings, MT | Hastings, NE | Valley City, ND | Yakima, WA Phone: 800-437-9702 | Fax: 800-313-3299 | www.feiinc.com THE PRODUCTS, KNOWLEDGE, AND EXPERIENCE TO SERVE YOUR NEEDS!

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