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Production Basics
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Once Tom Larson decided
to diversify his former Nebraska grain farm, he tried a host
of new ventures, such as raising birds on pasture, and focused
both on their place in his rotation and their potential in the
marketplace.
– Photo by Tom Wolff |
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Housing. The least expensive approaches are the
chicken tractor and the portable field pen models described by Andy
Lee and Joel Salatin, though most producers concede they also demand
the most time and labor.
The “tractor” model, which Lee designed – and
describes in his book, Chicken Tractor – calls for small numbers
of birds to control weeds and insect pests and increase fertility
in garden plots. Simple and inexpensive, the “tractor”
may be the best way for someone with limited farming experience
to begin raising poultry outdoors, although it is intended primarily
to work in concert with vegetable production.
Salatin’s model also holds promise for producers who wish
to raise poultry with low initial costs. The simple- to-build pens
are made of inexpensive wood, sheet metal or plastic, and chicken
wire. Making a 10-feet by 12-feet pen – suitable for up to
80 mature chickens – should cost no more than $200, plus labor.
Nest boxes for layers may cost more, but can fit into the same pen
designed for broilers.
At the other end of the spectrum are the portable houses favored
by many farmers involved in day range or free-range poultry production.
Typically much larger and made of sturdier materials, they can cost
more. Tim Shell, a range poultry farmer and breeder in Virginia’s
Shenandoah Valley, estimates the costs for one of his portable “hoop
houses,” made from PVC plastic pipes, metal rebar, wood and
polymer sheeting, at nearly $1,000, including labor.
“It holds more birds and provides a lot more protection from
weather and predators than a field pen,” Shell said. He expects
his structures to last nearly twice as long as a field pen designed
and built to Salatin’s specifications. Over a few years, he
has even experimented with brooding chicks in them, which would
eliminate the need and expense of a separate brooder.
Lee designed and built structures he calls “mini-barns”
for his day range operation. They are made from lumber, plywood,
corrugated tin and fiberglass, and have wooden runners, or “skids,”
at their bases that allow them to be dragged with relative ease
by tractor to fresh stands of pasture when needed.
Systems like Shell’s and Lee’s usually depend on portable
fencing. Most producers favor electric fencing designed for poultry,
called poultry netting, or feather netting. It costs about $160
per 165-foot roll (including step-in posts, not the power source).
Shell, who has written a manual about range netting, recommends
at least two rolls for an average flock of about 500 birds.
Brooders. Secure boxes in which newly hatched
chicks can live until sufficiently feathered to live outdoors, brooders
are made of plywood, lumber and chicken wire. They contain warming
lamps, drinking water containers, feeders and litter. A basic brooder
that holds as many as 250 chicks can cost as little as $100 to construct.
Feed and Water Delivery. Beyond a brooder and
field pen, producers only need containers for feed and water. They
can be simple and inexpensive, even homemade. Ensure that any feeder
or watering unit, whether made at home or purchased from a commercial
source, does the job properly. For example, improperly anchored
or poorly designed feeders and watering units can be tipped over
or clogged, increasing opportunities for spoilage and contamination
as well as inducing unnecessary stress or endangering the lives
of a flock. (Look for poultry equipment suppliers in “Grit!,”
the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association (APPPA) newsletter.
See Resources)
Want Funds to Research Profitable
Poultry Systems?
SARE sponsors research and education projects that advance agricultural
systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for
communities. Since 1992, SARE also has funded small grants for farmers
and ranchers to run on-site research experiments.
SARE’s portfolio of projects is diverse. Of more than 3,000
projects funded since the program’s inception in 1988, more
than 200 concern alternative poultry
production and processing systems. Visit www.sare.org
to download calls for proposals, check deadlines and learn about
grant requirements. (Click on “Funded projects” to access
the national projects database.) If you do not have on-line access,
call (301) 504-5230.
When writing an application, be sure you understand SARE’s
goals and objectives. Find a qualified collaborator and follow instructions.
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