permaculture

[Marjory <forestgarden@gvtc.com>]

Hi Paul,

You wrote:
> Thanks Marjory!  I had a lot of responses that thought it was
> terrible, so it's good to hear some positive feedback!
>
>   

I wonder how much experience those people with negative feed back had.  
Your article pretty much summarizes at least six years of 
experimentation that we've done.  And we've come to pretty much the same 
conclusions.  As much as I really enjoy the permie community, at this 
stage in its development, there are more people who have read about 
methods than actually done it.  I've found the real world to be much 
more challenging than most people would believe. 
> Can you tell me a little about your chicken tractor experience?
>
>   
Our first two chicken tractors were built out of 2" pvc.  We painted the 
pvc and did not have the collapsing problem you experienced.  But the 
pvc is not rugged enough to handle the day to day movement a tractor 
system requires, and a corner here or there cracked.  The tractors were 
also built 8'x8'x2.5' which is too big.  I can move them around by 
myself, but it is not fun.  We still use them, but they are in a 
semi-permanent location and we use them as holding pens when the odd 
need to segregate birds or animals comes up. 

Since chicken tractors are touted as 'the thing" I figured I needed to 
do more experimentation.  I then built four smaller tractors out of 
lightweight but strong cedar.  They are approximately 3'x7' with a 
sloping roof.  On two of them we built in small rainwater collection 
systems to collect water off the tractor roofs.  I used them in the 
orchard.  I would put the tractor in about four locations to surround 
each tree.  I got really buff moving them every day.  For chicken 
tractors I found the following:

-they were a lot of work moving the the tractors each day.
-chickens do not do that good of a job weeding, especially grasses that 
have their roots more than an inch below the soil level.   Just throwing 
grain out under the tree with a free range flock was about as effective. 
-the savings in feed was not worth the trouble. 
-it is very difficult to make a predator proof tractor (we since got 
dogs to protect the poultry).
-you have to be very careful with climatic concerns; how hot or cold is 
it? and how is the tractors oriented to make sure the birds are OK?   
For example, the past two months we've had almost every day about 105 
degrees.  Chickens confined to a small tractor would be absolutely 
miserable or dead. 
-the chickens didn't get nearly as many bugs being in a tractor. 

We still use the tractors for specific jobs, and having extra pens 
around is very handy.  But overall I don't think they are that useful.  
I can send you photos of both sets of the tractors we built.  . 


> Have you decided on what to plant in your paddocks?
>
>   
Mulberrys of course.  Lambsquarters - I belivee my young flock of brown 
leghorns survived the last harsh winter because of the lambquarters 
seeds - not much else available.  Sugar hackberry trees.  Millet.  I am 
always on the lookout for more things to plant for them.  I am growing 
honey locust trees for their long pods - mainly as a 'sweet feed' for 
the cows, but I am wondering if the chickens would enjoy it if it we 
ground up for them.  I love perennials or re-seeding annuals.  Even 
though we have a totally free range flock, I am still planting these 
trees in the areas they roost and consider 'home base' 

> >  I also use the ambitions of my young son and his BB gun to keep the
> > chickens away from the house.
> >     
>
> Actually, a steel BB doesn't really hurt the chickens, well, maybe thier pride.  It just bounces off thier feathers (he has never hit thier heads yet).  It is a small Daisy gun - nothing serious.  and it only took a few weeks of shooting and making a fuss for them to get the idea.  We just didn't want the chickens shitting all over the sidewalk and porch, which as you know, a free range flock will do.  To be totally honest, the BB gun shooting of the chickens got to be fun for the whole family.  We never bothered them in any other places and they would come and eat feed out of our hands when they were where they were supposed to be.  they learned, and since then they've taught the new birds that come into the flock.  Chickens are smart.    

It is a trip, yes?  Our primary objective with all of our livestock is 
to set up systems where we don't have to buy any feed.  For quite a few 
years I was pretty discouraged as chickens are supposed to be the 
easiest part of the system and we kept having problems.  Well, live and 
learn.  We still have the problem of free range chickens ripping up 
mulch in places, and of them eating up seeds and cover crops, but with 
our small flock it is not that big of an issue.  And it is Easter all of 
the time getting the eggs.  So although the free range system is good 
and it meets our primary objective of not having to buy feed, I heartity 
agree that a well done rotating paddock system with perennial food 
sources is the optimal way to go.