Super easy to do, requires a small space and little work if you set it up right, provides a good quality food source for pennies (research using the term 'fodder' to learn more). Some people run multiple tubs at a time to provide protein on a more reliable scale throughout the winter.ģ. Every few months I scoop out half the tub to harvest the worm castings for my garden, let the flock find earthworms to eat, refill with manure and leave the remaining worms to repopulate the tub and convert the manure for me. I have a tub (sunk in the ground, with drainage holes in the bottom) that I initially filled with horse manure and about 20 earthworms I happened across while gardening. Intentionally grow/harvest meal worms or plain old earthworms.
#SMORGASBOARD CHICKEN MATH PATCH#
You can also place a bale of hay on the ground for a more long-term situation-several months later that patch will be the most fertile area around.Ģ. lay down boards or tarps on bare ground for a week or so when you lift the boards call your flock for the smorgasboard of bugs that will be available. There are several things you can do to provide more natural feeding sites for your flock.ġ. Example: they go through a 50 lb bag every 2 weeks in deep winter but it takes about 4-5 weeks to go through that same amount in summer. Their consumption of purchased feed never goes down to zero in summer but it nearly does. They have about 3/4 of an acre to range on, though that is limited down to 1/2 an acre in spring/fall when the garden has been just planted or is being harvested. Each summer I allow one clutch of 3-10 chicks to hatch, keeping the best and selling the rest. I have a flock of one rooster and from 4 to 7 hens.
#SMORGASBOARD CHICKEN MATH FULL#
And, full winter (no grazing) for at least 2 months.
Partial grazing (inadequate foliage, limited bug supply) for an additional 2-3 months on either side of summer. In my part of the world we experience full grazing opportunity from about May thru Oct. I'm fascinated to hear more, especially the critical missing detail of your climate. Sounds like you're going about this intentionally and with research. With the size of my coop, I don't think I could go over 16 chickens (and realistically won't go over 12) because I need the freedom to leave them cooped for a weekend now and then.ĭoes that sound about right? My brother has got a whole heard of birds right now (30+) and he feeds very little, and they have barely made a dent in his yard area.though I think he runs them on a couple acres or more.however far they are willing to venture form the coop. So, if my goal is to not have to mow much, I figure I can support about 12 birds and 1 pygmy goat on the back side, OR 16 birds and 3-4 pygmy goats overall (rotating them between the "fields"). Roughly that means that I can support 200 lbs in my whole back yard.100 lbs on each side of what will fenced. That comes to about 833 sq ft each.īut here's another thing.in my part of the world, the typical acre can support 1/3 of an Animal Unit (3 ac per 1,000 lb "AU"). for free-ranging and I plan on having a dozen birds. Now that the coop is nearly complete (need to just put on the "skin"), I am prepping to cross fence. My backyard space that I can devote is roughly 25,000 sq.ft. The coop is 8x9' and 8' tall (so I can walk into it) but more on that later.
I'm BACK! Okay, it's been a very long while and I have finally begun building a coop.
0 kommentar(er)
