Each year we rear in excess of 800,000 poults on eleven sites spread across the Welsh and Shropshire borders. All of the sites belong to Bettws Hall and each has an individual manager who has total day to day control over bird husbandry. At present we have two different rearing methods. These are the traditional gas brooders and the modern state of the art barns.

Whichever method you would prefer your poults to be raised under, we are more than happy to supply them to you.

Traditional Brooders

Chicks are housed in small brooder sheds with overhead gas heaters to maintain the temperature. Bucket nipple drinkers are used for a clean water supply and grass runs are available for the birds as soon as the weather will allow. In the runs, top hat feeders are used together with open water enabling the birds to adapt to their new climate and environment in weeks to come.

Modern Barns

Chicks are placed in large whole-house-heated barns where the latest technology controls their temperature creating a more stable and consistent environment for them to grow and develop. Even though the birds are brooded in larger numbers the birds are in a stress free environment and grow with vigour. Water is supplied via automatic Chore-time nipple lines which ensure the bedding is kept dry at all times. Automatic feed hoppers are also used to reduce stress from staff disturbing the birds in their relaxed environment. Together, this automation enables our dedicated team to spend more time monitoring and observing the welfare of their flock and ensure the quality of the birds.

The carefully monitored environment assists in greatly reduced mortality rates when using this system and they go out in the large grass runs at three weeks of age. By the time they go to wood at seven weeks they are a perfectly feathered. This method is widely used in the US with great results and we believe that this is the way forward to produce the strong, healthy, stress free poults which the market has come to demand.

Feed & Water

The chicks start on a crumb and soon progress to pellets. At four weeks all our birds are on grower pellets and fed via Minola Top Hat feeders and open hoppers. Water is then dispensed from Bell Hanging drinkers. This enables the birds to start adjusting to the wild, by finding food and drinking from open water sources.

Hardening Off

From our extensive experience in the shooting industry we know that birds must be hardened off well and capable of withstanding sudden fluctuations in the weather upon delivery. Heat is therefore gradually withdrawn from four and a half weeks, so by the time they go to wood at seven weeks they are totally acclimatised.

Our team of experienced staff hand pick the best birds from each batch of poults. They check and grade the birds’ feathers, size and welfare before selection and place it in a crate, ready for delivery. The Crating Manager then loads the birds, again checking to ensure only the best are delivered to our customers.

Delivery

We now have quite a fleet of specially designed trailers and vehicles to deliver your poults to you, wherever you are in the UK. From trailers behind Land Rovers to lorries, we have a suitable method of transport to suit your requirements. However, our primary concern is that we deliver the birds to your pen with minimum stress incurred.