April Swift

I am very interested in an answer to this as well. I have not been able to free range due to losing my girls to coyotes and possums and hawks. I was wondering if outcomes would be better with electic fencing. Right now I have them in a fully enclosed coop with fencing evem over the top and haven't lost any since they went in, but I am sprouting grains, cutting fresh hay a couple of times weekly and feeding scraps and feed. I would like to do less work when I move and am thinking of tractoring the girls

I have read alot about the moveable paddocks with electric fencing or galvanized wire in a circle which sounds great in theory but my question is if you have lots of trees, how do you keep predators from coming down the trees and decimating the flock? Also electric fencing shorts out easily so I can't figure out how to fence forest areas with it. Right now I am using a totally enclosed coop and sprouting grains and cutting fresh hay for them.. .which quite frankly is TOO much work.

Adam(or others using the deep mulch system) when you are using sawdust, what type of trees is it from? I live in the piney woods of East Texas and if I get sawdust from the sawmills around here, it will be prominently be pine and cedar. I want to use the material after it comes out of the henhouse for mulch but am concerned about it being pine. Do you tgink this is a problem?


I also thought about using straw/hay but am worried about pesticides. What are good sources of mulch and bedding for chickens?

Thanks Adam. That is great. I eill by whole corn and whole wheat. I am in Texas so it is probably warm enough to sprout all year long.

About goats and fences....my dad used to say that if you build a fence and want to find out if it is goat proof, take a bucket of water and throw it at the fence. If any water gets on the other side, it isn't goat proof.

But though we don't have goats now, we had goat fencing when we did and we were forever having to help them get their heads out of the fence after they stuck their heads through the fence to eat on the other side and then couldn't get back out.

If we get goats in the future, I might really want to try electric goat fencing.

Adam,

I saw on another thread that you feed raw milk yogurt. But here you also say you feed raw milk. I fed raw milk to my chickens and they got the runs. What did I do that you didn't do? I fed cream and milk. Do you just feed skimmed milk? I had thought when I read the other thread that maybe letting the milk ferment into yogurt is what helped. Also, how are you sprouting the grains. I have a very small set up that I am planning to expand(only 11 hens and 2 roos right now) so I am sprouting lentils in quart jars but would like to sprout more grains. I am feeding a commercial grain right now with the supplement of a quart of sprouted lentils a day and all our vegetable scraps from the house. I also pick weeds/wild hay and leaves for scratching pleasure of the chickens. But I would love to sprout more grains and get away from the commercial feeds.
My husband and I are new on the forums and new to permaculture so we are trying to convert things over. Also are your chickens able to come and go or are they fenced into the barn area? Where do you get the sawdust from?


I read Paul's article on the different chicken systems and am really thinking about what new system will work for us. All your answers are appreciated.....and if anyone else wants to, feel free to chime in too

My husband and I have different logins but we contributed together....can we both go there or only 1 of us?

Thanks,John....that was great information.

CJ, it looks delicious to me. Is that a roasted royal palm?

CJ,

I have always loved how they looked and we are interested in getting turkeys but then when I have read about the heritage breeds they are always called "ornamental" turkeys which made me think I shouldn't get them for eating. But after seeing your post, I think these are the ones I cam going to buy. They are so beautiful

Tyler Ludens wrote:I've developed a pretty efficient system for raising free-range land crustaceans (woodlice/slaters/sowbugs) for chicken and fish food. I find a damp area of soil - a spot in the veg garden is fine - put a pile of moist organic material such as kitchen scraps on the soil, and cover with a few flat rocks. In a few days I come back and turn over the rocks and find this:

They can be scooped up by the handful.

What a GREAT idea!!! I am on my way to a damp patch of earth when I get home!!!