If you like chicken- there’s nothing better. Not only is it healthy and delicious, it’s a decent life for a bird that would otherwise spend its life in a cramped factory farm standing in a mountain of its own crap breathing fecal particulate 24/7 requiring antibiotics and medicated feed.
We used leftover water line to build a 8’x8′ enclosure with an open bottom to be able to move them to fresh grass every day. Sun, shade, exercise and fresh greens and the ability to protect against airborne predators.
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The real plus is using them to manage the pasture while giving a concentrated shot of nitrogen. The grass growth behind them is staggering.
We order from a commercial hatchery (un-vaccinated of course). Start by brooding them indoors for a few weeks while building the enclosure.
The finished product on pasture.
Amy and I move them every 24 hours. Just long enough to munch down the grasses we planted for them and leave enough manure to super charge the grass growth. The layers graze about 3 days behind the pen as the fly larvae are just turning into something worth eating. Good protein, fly control and we don’t have to use pesticides.
These two pictures show 11 days of growth with zero synthetic fertilizers. 1st pic is right after a move. 2nd is 11 days later…
Another view of the growth as we move them. This is just a couple days before we butcher. A perfect example of using nature as a template to minimize cost and inputs while producing a superior product. That and you’re not being an asshole to the animal or the environment. Who can’t get behind that?
