Permaculture Chickens. Chickens & Permaculture. 30 March, 2008 at 10:07 am (+ Permaculture Design, Maine Food) Tags: chicken tractor, Chickens, permaculture Animals are often a component of a permaculture garden and backyard chickens are one of the best examples. Thinking about chickens is also an opportunity to think about some very important core permaculture ideas … let’s do some chicken analysis! [image courtesy of Introduction to Permaculture by Bill Mollison] As with any element in permaculture, we must think not just about the element itself, but its relationship to and connection with other elements! Think of it as the Theory of Relative Location: place every element in relationship to others so that they assist and support each other.
In other words, each element supports the entire system so the value of the whole is greatly enhanced. Chickens require inputs: ShelterGritDustWaterAirFoodOther ChickensGeneral husbandry Chickens have the following products and/or behaviors: We also consider the intrinsic characteristics: Like this: Keeping Chickens: ultimate beginners guide. Raising BackYard Chickens. HenCam | A Chicken Keeping Life. Video: Movable Chicken Tunnels For Insect control. How to Raise Chickens. Care of Chickens on Small Farms.
Here’s some general pointers on how to raise chickens successfully. Whether you are raising backyard chickens or rasing chickens on a small farm, there are a few fundamental principles to the proper care of chickens that you need to know. In the Permaculture facts about chickens section below, we’ll also look at how to raise chickens for optimum yield, by considering the many services and products the humble “chook” has to offer, and how best to integrate them into your self-sufficiency system.
How to Raise Chickens Accommodation for chickens raising generally consists of a chicken house where the birds lay their eggs, roost at night, and seek shelter from the weather, plus adjoining run(s) or yard(s) where they can exercise, scratch around, dust bathe, eat and drink. And here's how to raise chickens in healthy accommodation: Consider providing additional runs to prevent the buildup of parasitic worms and other disease that can easily occur with time if only one run is used.
Hot Climate Why? DIY Straw Bale Chicken Coop. By Frank Gapinski Here’s a great idea for a chicken coop built to fit the dimensions of straw bales. A simple four post construction with a raised floor and tin roof is all you need. Both sides of the chicken coop have temporary straw-bale walls that keeps the coop warm in winter and cool in summer. Chickens lay their eggs and roost in the center of the coop.
In the springtime you replace the straw with fresh material. You don’t need to build any extra timber walls as the straw bales will keep the elements from entering the coop and keep the chickens nice and cosy. The discarded bales can be either used as mulch bedding for the garden or used as deep litter for the chickens to scratch through and fertilize the material. This version was built by Dr Kirsten Small, a permaculture enthusiast who had this coop built on a slight slope in her backyard garden. Chicken Tractors DIY straw bale chicken coops provide great insulation and also sound proofing for roosters in the suburbs.