Best Management Practice
Recommendations – Poultry
Housing
- Permanent pen or coop – Usually the most stable
and long lasting if constructed properly. Building is non-mobile and the
chickens are kept enclosed and protected (The chickens may be released as
needed for free ranging or foraging). Can include outside runs for exercise and
foraging.
- Mobile coop or “Chicken Tractor”– The pen or coop
is made to be relocated on a regular basis to allow for foraging with out
allowing free ranging without protection. Can reduce nutrient deposition
in single area and contribute to an Integrated Pest Management program.
General
Recommendations for grazing or rotation grazing system consisting of multiple
pasture runs or as a mobile unit (ex: Chicken Tractor):
·
Grazing
environment and forage availability: The area should have adequate rainfall and
soil productivity to sustain forage growth through most of the year. Variation
in rainfall, elevation, and soil quality will affect the suitability of the
system. Forage species can vary greatly
on season of the year and personal preference.
·
Landscape
terrain: The pen is usually limited to relatively flat areas and should not be
used on steep, uneven, or rough terrain. Improper site selection will make
livestock access and movement of the cage more difficult. Uneven terrain may
allow predators to enter under the pen and prey on the hens.
·
Livestock
management: Livestock systems require frequent care and attention. You will
need to allocate time for animal husbandry activities, such as feeding,
checking the water supply, harvesting eggs, moving the cage, and others tasks.
Site Specific Recommendations
·
Poultry
should not be permanently housed within 25 feet of the property or boundary
line however temporary fenced runs for grazing purposes can be temporarily
moved within 15 feet if part of a rotational grazing system.
·
Poultry
should not be housed or have continuous grazing with within 25 feet of a well,
stream or rock outcropping.
·
Poultry
waste from mobile unit floors or poultry housed in confinement should be
composted and returned to production system.
·
Grazing
poultry should not be allowed to graze pasture to a level of less than 2 inches
of vegetative growth within 25 ft of streams or wetland areas.
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This is
the most important basic principle in housing, as the space available
determines the number and type of poultry that can be kept.
Birds
need adequate space for movement and exercise as well as areas to nest and
roost. Space requirements vary with the species, type or breed of birds that
are raised, as well as the type of production system used.
Minimum
space requirements are given by a number of sources, and these should be seen
as the minimum space requirements – where the birds are supplied with all
dietary needs, and do not have to search and forage for feed and water. Two
systems of measurement are used in the literature, either number of birds per
square meter, or the square feet required per bird. Examples from the
literature are given below:
Minimum
Space Requirements for different poultry
Source:
Clauer, P.J. Small Scale Poultry Housing. Small Flock Factsheet, Number 10.
Virginia Cooperative Extension. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University.
Minimum
Requirement of Chickens for floor and perch space
Source:
FAO (2004). Small-scale Poultry Production:
Technical Guide. FAO Animal Production and Health Manual 1. FAO, Rome.
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Hen
groups are comfortable at a stocking density of up three to four birds per
square meter. However, if more space is allowed, a greater variety of behavior
can be expressed. Less space creates stressed social behavior, allowing
disease vulnerability and even cannibalism, with the weaker birds being
deprived of feeding or perching space - or more likely both.
Individual
birds need more room for normal behavior and adequate exercise than the very
high densities currently used in commercial intensive production of both egg
laying birds and broiler chickens. Over recent decades, animal
welfare concerns have encouraged research on laying cage
structures to make designs better suited to the needs of hens, while
retaining cost-effectiveness for production.
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Best
Management Practices
- If birds are removed from your flock for
any reason and then returned, isolate them away from your resident flock
for 10-14 days. Be vigilant and watch for signs of sickness. If your flock is experiencing a high
number of mortalities or sick birds, please report the situation
immediately to your veterinarian or the agricultural local extension
office.
- Any new birds should also be isolated for
10-14 days to watch for signs of illness.
Be vigilant and watch for signs of sickness. If your flock is experiencing a high
number of mortalities or sick birds, please report the situation
immediately to your veterinarian or the agricultural local extension
office.
- Clean and disinfect all crates used to
transport poultry to and from your property. Since some diseases can be
carried on a persons clothing or shoes, in order to reduce the risk of
transmitting disease to your birds it is recommended that you restrict
access to your flock by others who also own poultry.
- Obtain all birds from a reputable source.
The source of hatching eggs should be from a Salmonella pullorum tested
flock.
- Wash your hands before and after you come
in contact with your chickens or area where your chickens are kept. Wash hands when you get back from the
feed/supply store or mill where you purchase feed and supplies.
- Standard precautions in the health care
and manufacturing fields often involve wearing personal protective
equipment like gloves, masks, eye protection and lab coats, overalls, or
jump suits. This may seem a little extreme for keeping chickens, but it
never hurts to keep your farm or your “chicken clothes” separate from your
everyday wear and apart from your regular wardrobe. This may mean that you keep a pair of
boots and coveralls just for working in the chicken pen or coop area and
not wearing the same clothes while doing other farm or home chores.
Waste and
Manure Disposal
- Bedding cam help you manage chicken waste
effectively. Pine shavings are the preferred
bedding material as they are highly absorbable and normally readily available. The waste dries and can become easier to
clean. Other types of wood shavings
can be used, with the exception of cedar.
Cedar shavings are not recommended because they can give off a
toxic odor that can be harmful to birds.
Hay or straw are popular bedding materials, however they are not as
absorbent as shavings, and can retain moisture then become wet and messy
plus cause odor.
- Bedding and waste from routine cleaning
should be added to a bin for composting or temporary storage for disposal.
- Chicken manure should not be applied
directly as a fertilizer without a proper composting or piling time. The
high nitrogen content can cause the plant to “burn” or otherwise injury
the plant. Also, salmonella and E.
Coli bacteria may transfer to plants and vegetables if applied fresh to a
garden. Once a pile of manure and
bedding is 12-15 inches in depth, composting or “heating” usually begins
and providing the heat necessary if obtained long enough to kill harmful
bacteria.
- It is recommended that active pile composting
of chicken manure be considered as a means of waste disposal. This traditional method of composting is
done by marking a pile of litter, maintaining sufficient water to make the
pile moist throughout, then turning the pile at regular intervals to
ensure that enough oxygen and all the materials can decompose. Active pile composting results in a high
quality product that can be used around the home or garden. Fully composted chicken litter will have
no offensive odor and no recognizable particles of bedding or straw.
- Lime (calcium) can be added to the
composting pile if odors become too strong. However, application of lime should be
limited or it may shift the PH of the composting pile and could impact the
effectiveness of the bacteria which are present and work to break down the
pile.
Appearance
- Trash and debris should not be kept
anywhere except trash containers.
Many types of debris have the potential to harbor disease and
provide cover for predators.
- Screening may be considered to block the
views from the roadside or adjacent homes, plus provide protection from
the elements, predators and provide shade.
Other
management techniques to consider:
Add a Bathing
box
A dusting box filled with soil or sand may be added to
the pen. The hens will use it to bathe themselves.
Parasites
In poultry grazing systems, the birds’ exposure to
diseases and parasites is higher, so you need to be vigilant in daily
observation of the health of the hens.
Environmental
effects
In cooler and higher rainfall environments, a plastic
tarp secured around half of the pen will help to protect the hens from the
cold, wet weather.
If you follow many of the guidelines, you should experience
years of satisfactory production. If you
have questions please contact your local Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent.
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