How To Raise Pastured Poultry
Pastured poultry is an agricultural technique used to raise chicken and turkeys on grazing land as opposed to indoor confinement. It comes with added advantages such as increased nutritive value and better flavor of the farm products. The cost incurred is also lower and it helps to increase soil fertility. Other domesticated birds can also be kept in the same way.
The free range method of keeping chicken was popular a few decades ago. Birds stay outdoors during the day looking for food in open fields. At night, they are locked up in a shelter. Security against predators is provided by dogs. The benefits associated with this option are that there is a lot of space available which avoids overcrowding.
Electric fencing has been used to contain farm animals like goats and chicken. It is easy to move and install. The fence needs to be about 42 to 48 inches high so that the birds do not escape over it. They can also escape through it if the spaces in between the wires are too big. Thus these gaps should be tiny.
Such fences are made of wires that are supported by strings which are perpendicular to the ground. The wires are electrified. An energizer is used which receives its power from electricity, a battery or a solar panel. Vegetation should not contact the fencing as it reduces its voltage.
When keeping a flock of chicken, a coop is a good structure to use. It can be moved to a fresh patch thus providing the birds with fresh food without allowing them to roam all over the open land. This structure helps to confine the birds' activities to a small area.
Fences can be used with chicken tractors to raise a flock. The fencing allows the birds to roam in a restricted area while enjoying fresh air and sunshine while the shelter provides shade against the scorching sun as well as a resting place at night.
A movable hen house can be made large enough to accommodate all the chicken. Part of it is covered with a roof while another part has a mesh at the top. This allows the birds to enjoy both sunshine and shade. The whole structure is thus moved as a unit to a new place after some time. This eliminates the need to move both the shelter and fence. It has the disadvantage of limited roaming space for the animals.
Egg mobiles are movable structures that are used when raising hens that lay eggs. They are moved to places where cows have been graving and stopped approximately 2 to 3 days earlier. Food in form of insects and larvae is found in dung. The birds also spread out the animal waste as they feed and this helps improve the soil's productivity.
These are some of the methods used to raise pastured poultry. They are modern and some of them can be used in suburban areas. Some are good for a large flock while others are appropriate for a small one.
The free range method of keeping chicken was popular a few decades ago. Birds stay outdoors during the day looking for food in open fields. At night, they are locked up in a shelter. Security against predators is provided by dogs. The benefits associated with this option are that there is a lot of space available which avoids overcrowding.
Electric fencing has been used to contain farm animals like goats and chicken. It is easy to move and install. The fence needs to be about 42 to 48 inches high so that the birds do not escape over it. They can also escape through it if the spaces in between the wires are too big. Thus these gaps should be tiny.
Such fences are made of wires that are supported by strings which are perpendicular to the ground. The wires are electrified. An energizer is used which receives its power from electricity, a battery or a solar panel. Vegetation should not contact the fencing as it reduces its voltage.
When keeping a flock of chicken, a coop is a good structure to use. It can be moved to a fresh patch thus providing the birds with fresh food without allowing them to roam all over the open land. This structure helps to confine the birds' activities to a small area.
Fences can be used with chicken tractors to raise a flock. The fencing allows the birds to roam in a restricted area while enjoying fresh air and sunshine while the shelter provides shade against the scorching sun as well as a resting place at night.
A movable hen house can be made large enough to accommodate all the chicken. Part of it is covered with a roof while another part has a mesh at the top. This allows the birds to enjoy both sunshine and shade. The whole structure is thus moved as a unit to a new place after some time. This eliminates the need to move both the shelter and fence. It has the disadvantage of limited roaming space for the animals.
Egg mobiles are movable structures that are used when raising hens that lay eggs. They are moved to places where cows have been graving and stopped approximately 2 to 3 days earlier. Food in form of insects and larvae is found in dung. The birds also spread out the animal waste as they feed and this helps improve the soil's productivity.
These are some of the methods used to raise pastured poultry. They are modern and some of them can be used in suburban areas. Some are good for a large flock while others are appropriate for a small one.
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