Free Range Mobile Housing Article - THE RANGER

Investment in mobiles pays off for Bedfordshire producer:

Bedfordshire farmer James Murdoch says new metal and plastic units are a huge improvement over the wooden housing he previously used for his layer flock.
The free range operation on his 300acre farm includes both table birds and layers. The layers were previously housed in wooden units he built himself, but he says the houses were labour intensive and their wooden construction made it difficult to control disease. "You can never get wooden units really clean. There is always some nook or cranny for red mite to get in” he said.

James decided to invest in two McGregor mobile units. They are made of steel, aluminium and plastic and James says they are far better than the wooden units. "They are plastic so they wash down very easily. There is no wood for the bugs and disease to get into. It is easy to clean and easy to use. The feeder system is automatic. There is no heavy lifting involved. I just use a drill filler to fill up the bins at the end of the sheds.

The two units are MPL6680s. This model is 6.68 metres wide and designed for between 500 and 2000 laying birds. McGregor’s larger MPL8000 is eight metres wide and designed for between 2000 and 4000 laying birds.

McGregor Polytunnels has been manufacturing agricultural buildings for the last 30 years. It is a family run business, with sons Alasdair and Andrew McGregor now more concerned with the running of the company, although parents and founders Ewan and Monica are still heavily involved. Ewan is effectively a consultant on mobile poultry housing. Alasdair has a degree in agricultural economics from Newcastle University and Andrew is a qualified engineer.

The company's products are manufactured in the United Kingdom - at McGregor's factory in Hampshire. It is something of which the company is particularly proud. "Our competitors manufacture overseas and import. UK manufacture gives us greater flexibility to service the individual requirements of our customers. We think it is important to support local people. We employ people from the local area and they form a dedicated and professional team, many of who have been with us from the inception of the company 30 years ago.

Insisting on maintaining its British manufacturing operation has clearly not dulled the company's competitive edge. James Murdoch said McGregor was ahead on price as well as quality when he was looking around for new housing. "They were the most economical option, but they are very good quality as well. I suppose you wonder with polytunnels how they will stand up to the wind. We are on a fairly exposed site here and we had some very strong winds in spring but that did not bother the units at all” he said.

McGregor has been building poultry units for approximately twenty years and Alasdair says the design is always evolving. Customer suggestions are invariable incorporated into the design - so the design has evolved as a result of input from the people who use the units.” He said. “We are always looking to improve.”

The company uses steel and aluminium for the main structure of the buildings. Tough plastic boards provide the materials for the insulated external walls. The roof is a sandwich construction of tough flexible plastic and thick fibreglass insulation. "Wood forms no part of the building construction, which means less disease, especially red mite. The large diameter steel tube frame, the extensive use of aluminium and tough lightweight plastic means that the units are extremely robust yet light enough to be easily moved. They are cost effective and long lasting. We continue to service buildings installed 20 years ago: said Alasdair.

The fact that the units are mobile is an undoubted advantage in the battle against disease and pests. After a laying cycle, a producer can move the complete unit to fresh ground and wash it down without having to take apart any of the internals. The units are mounted on skids and can simply be towed intact to a new patch of ground. Alternatively, some producers at the end of a cycle will temporarily move the unit, clean it and the ground on which it was standing and then tow the unit back into its original place. They are able to introduce their new crop to a thoroughly cleaned environment.

As far as construction and installation is concerned, McGregor offers a complete project management service. The company can supply and assemble a complete unit, including the mobile building and all the internals, including feeding and drink systems and nest boxes. It is handed over in finished state, ready for the producer to introduce his first batch of layers. Alasdair McGregor said that, realistically, two weeks should be allowed for a 2000 bird unit and one further week to kit out with internals. McGregor is still expanding in the
poultry area and has earned out installations throughout the UK. It has also installed units in mainland Europe.

Alternatively, customers are able to buy the units and undertake their own construction work using the very comprehensive instruction manuals. This obviously requires some level of ability, although this is the option that James Murdoch chose and he says that McGregor staffs were particularly helpful in guiding him through the process

"The second one was obviously easier than the first, having done it before. We just rang McGregor's and they talked us through it. We got a bit stuck with the feeders, but when we rang McGregor's they came and sorted them out for us. They were very helpful and the units went up very easily, really: said James. James has two houses, each housing 1,000 layers. He says switching from wooden units has made life much easier.