Barn Spotlight: Larwen Poultry Ltd.

Location: Tavistock, Ont.

Sector: Broilers

The business
Larwen Poultry Ltd. is a 100-acre operation that includes broiler chickens and cash crops. They have quota for just over 35,000 units and grow heavy 3.85 kg birds. Jesse McCauley started working on the farm alongside his father-in-law Larry Wagler in 2015 and took over the operation two years ago when Wagler passed away. 

The need
McCauley and Wagler had talked about either expanding their existing barns or building a new one for several years to create more space for their birds. “We just kept getting fuller and fuller,” McCauley says. However, they put those talks on hold when Wagler was diagnosed with cancer. A few months after his father-in-law passed away in 2021, McCauley reset his sights on expanding to ease the stocking density in his barns. He built a new barn last year while retaining his two older barns. 

The barn includes cross ventilation with fans and vents on both sides.

Jesse and Krystle McCauley with daughters Emma (left) and Ella.

The new butterfly feeders can be easily emptied by cranking them open.

The barn
McCauley worked with Clark Ag Systems on the new barn. It’s the first time the farm has used cross ventilation with fans and vents on both sides of the barn.  “It seems to really get the air across these birds, and it just makes the air so much nicer,” McCauley says. The barn also includes butterfly feeders, which the producer likes because they’re easy to clean. He just cranks them open to drop out any excess feed then cranks them back closed to refill them. 

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.