Barn Spotlight: Hillsvale Colony
By Brett Ruffell
Features Poultry Equipment Producers barn spotlight Big DutchmanA look inside a new all-in, all-out turkey barn.
The colony built a 60 ft. by 400 ft. turkey barn after buying quota from another producer in 2020. PHOTO CREDIT:big dutchman, hillsvale colony Location: Cut Knife, Sask.
Sector: Turkeys
The farm
Hillsvale Colony is a big farming community. They raise dairy and beef cows, pigs, layers and recently started producing turkeys, which they ship to Sofina. They provide fresh market birds for Christmas and Thanksgiving and freezer birds for around easter. Martin Wurz manages the turkey barn with help from two assistants.
The need
The colony had long been wanting to get into turkey production. In early 2020, they got the opportunity to do so. That’s when they bought turkey quota from Clarke’s Turkey Farm in Esterhazy, Sask. Clarke’s agreed to raise turkeys for the colony for one year while they built a new turkey barn. The colony worked with Big Dutchman on the facility, which they opened last year.
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- They went with larger feeding pans with an eye towards one day producing toms instead of just hens.
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- The facility is an all-in, all-out barn that houses flocks during both the brooding and finishing stages.
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- The producers use sidewall inlets during the brooding stage, as they’re a quieter option.
The barn
The 60 ft. by 400 ft. facility is an all-in, all-out turkey barn. They keep their flock in the brooder part of the barn for roughly 30 to 35 days. At that point, they open some panels and give them access to the rest of the barn. “We find by doing that there’s absolutely zero stress in the birds when you go to move them,” Wurz says. “They just transition to the new part of the barn.” As part of that process, they have separate feed and waterlines for brooding and finishing. For ventilation during the brooding phase, they use sidewall inlets because they’re quieter. They then transition to tunnel ventilation at the finishing stage.
Barn Spotlight highlights new and renovated barns and hatcheries. Do you know of a good candidate to be featured? Let us know at poultry@annexweb.com.
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