Barn Spotlight: McDermott Farms

Location: Abbotsford, B.C.

Sector: Turkeys, broilers, layers

The business
McDermott Farms has been raising turkeys since the mid-1980s. They also produce broilers and layers across multiple locations. The business is owned by Alf and Bruno Wall along with Erv Wiens, who runs the farm with his son Jordan and a team of support staff.

The need
Built around the early 1970s, their original turkey barns were reaching the end of their shelf life. “We needed to upgrade, not only the equipment but also the barns,” Wiens says. Then, in late-2021 floods hit the Fraser Valley floodplain where the turkey farm was located, devastating their facilities. In wake of that disaster, and considering their aging barns, Wiens and co. decided to build new facilities outside of the flood zone near the airport. 

The brooding section of the barn includes feeders that can be adjusted as poults grow.

Their first turkey barns were flooded out when high waters hit the Fraser Valley area in late-2021.

The finisher section includes durable heavy-duty feeders that lock in place.

The barn
Working with United Agri Systems, McDermott Farms built two identical two-stage barns side by side. Both facilities have a starter section where poults are raised from day one to week six. The birds are then moved to the finisher section at the back of the barns. Previously, they had separate starter and finisher facilities. “It would take a bit longer to move the birds over. Now, it’s an easy transition,” Wiens says, explaining that they simply open two doors to allow the flock to cross over a corridor into the finisher section. He estimates that about 70 per cent of flocks cross sides on their own. Barn staff shepherd the remaining birds over. 

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.