The difference between strip farming with poultry free range in between the strips
and actually using tractors- is the concentration of birds on the soil, this concentration can quickly denude an
area which is open to weed seed or your seed.
This is desirable for intensive beds but may be a unnecessary for large scale farming.
When I use the chickens in a small concentration here I am left with woody plants and sedges and a mix of less tasty plants (tasty for hens) but there is a wider control of pests such as insects, caterpillars, slugs and snails.
For orchard maintenance you could use 100 birds to the acre [Mollison] it all depends on how much understorey or ground cover
there is for the birds to eat.
The greatest risk is soil loss and permaculture is about upmost soil and water conservation.
I would consider the options with the least amount of management and energy for you, the farmer.
Permaculture is really about observation and confidence in trying things, Why not divide the birds up into a couple of test runs,
and find what really works for you, then hopefully you'll be kind to share it with us.
All the best.
April Sampson-Kelly askpv@ozemail.com.au
www.ozemail.com.au/~askpv
My space can make this world a better place
----------
> From: Lawrence F. London, Jr. <london@sunsite.unc.edu>
> To: permaculture@listserv.oit.unc.edu
> Subject: Re: Applications [strip crops]
> Date: Wednesday, October 08, 1997 6:36 AM
>
>
> On Tue, 7 Oct 1997, Mike Skinner wrote:
>
> > Pardon me, in advance,
> > But could a poor educated peasant farmer like myself get an
> > answer to my "animal tractor on strip cropped" question or is this
> > not the appropriate forum?
>
> Now that's an interesting concept: strip cropping (as opposed
> to row crops, broadcast sowings (i.e. greens, cover/forage crops)
> no-till raised bed cropping). This sounds like a quick and possibly
> effective way to prepare an area for later preparation of raised beds.
> Take an area, weed seed bank and all, cut over existing weeds, distribute
> soil amendments/compost, digging fork/spade fork/U-Bar dig the area
> quickly, plant crop seeds. In the above example forage crops intended for
> chickens would be planted. Weeds would be allowed to regrow/germinate
> then be thinned or removed depending on appropriateness/usefullness or
> whether they are part of a guild or have companion, biocontrol, medicinal
> or food use. Strip cropping would give you an excellent opportunity to
> sample your weed seed bank and experiment with integrating various weeds
> into your permanent cropping schemes, whether they be row, raised bed or
> strip. You would also have the opportunity to see which weeds are good
> forage crops for chickens and then start saving their seeds for planting
> ahead of the path of the chicken tractor. If they like weeds that
> are miners of subsoil-located nutrients, all the better.
>
> Re: Bill Mollison: I agree with Jack that Bill's writings and teachings
> should, by example, encourage aspiring permaculturists to find solutions
> for themselves in the regions where they are working, using his methods
> when applicable.
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> Lawrence F. London, Jr. - InterGarden - Venaura Farm
> mailto:london@sunSITE.unc.edu - mailto:llondon@bellsouth.net
> http://sunSITE.unc.edu/InterGarden
> http://sunSITE.unc.edu/InterGarden/permaculture.html
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
|
