permaculture

[Mark <mpludwig@facstaff.wisc.edu>]

At 03:53 PM 8/14/02 -0700, you wrote:
> I do have a few alternative ideas for you.
> 1) The most important consideration should be quality nutrition for your 
> chickens, and of course, their overall health. Their habitat should be 
> designed and implemented with that in mind, primarily.

Hmmm.  Chooks are pretty tough critters, I think you can count on them to 
adapt about as well or better than any other livestock.

>  Stacking functions to incorporate your vegetable garden would imho be a 
> secondary consideration. Keep in mind that eggs laid by chickens fed 
> fresh plant material, insects, kelp, probiotic and naturally grown grain 
> will contain adequate omega-3 fatty acids in enough quantity to conteract
> the omega-5 (or is it 6?) fatty acids responsible for the problems 
> associated with cholesterol from eggs.

Omega 6, also get such a balance in products from grazed 
ruminants.  Chickens are regarded to have good nutritional wisdom, that is 
that they do an excellent job of balancing their own diet given the 
opportunity.  I think a little effort to provide greens, bugs and decently 
grown grain will do them just fine.  In fact you can drop the grain in the 
fat season and feed scraps of whatever, meat, fish, veggies, clover 
clippings, grain screenings etc, etc.  much like ourselves they are very 
adaptable, especially if given a few weeks with any new feed to develop 
experience.


Mark P. Ludwig
Poultry Research Lab
University of Wisconsin -Madison
608-262-1730 WK
608-846-7125 HM