Chasingmytail
Member
- Location
- Newport, SE Wales
Pasture raised eggs and the eggmobile - nice to here!
Good to here on The Archers - doing their bit on pasture raised eggs!
- Thread starter Chasingmytail
- Start date
Chasingmytail
Member
- Location
- Newport, SE Wales
Ive only be listening properly over the last few months - any thing is better than steve Wright!
clbarclay
Member
- Location
- Worcestershire
The natural habitat for wild chickens isn't pasture though. If they want to the ultimate natural egg they will need a few ha of forrest, not open grass land.
mikep
Member
- Location
- Arse end of Surrey, UK
I think whatever you are smoking must be illegal!!!!
Andrew2
Member
- Location
- North Yorkshire
Wow. How did it turn?
Andrew2
Member
- Location
- North Yorkshire
When you get to the end of a row, it requires a wide arc which brings them the right distance for the next row, moving to a new field requiers a little fore planning.
Andrew2
Member
- Location
- North Yorkshire
These units are "enriched" having a strip up the middle under the central nests, but yes, the floor space is excessive considering this is night and laying accommodation only, we also supplied shade and dry external accommodation.
Can you count external shelter as 'housing' with organic? I could provide my flock of 50 mungrels with an acre of roost space and they would still confine themselves to a space no bigger than 8 x 4. a 12 x 8 house would probably suffice and that's what they have and that can be moved easily. But get to a 500 bird flock and that is one big house. Makes it really difficult, especially on heavy clay like we are.
Andrew2
Member
- Location
- North Yorkshire
The external shelter is supplementary to the actual shelter which must comply with soil association regulations, I have used smaller trailers for non organic production, without the strip of sand for enrichment! Stock trailers might suit your situation better, this farm is in Basingstoke on light slightly chalky soils, I have also done outdoor pigs and poultry on the chalk downs in Hants and Wilts which take higher stocking rates without poaching or wheel rutting.
Chasingmytail
Member
- Location
- Newport, SE Wales
this is ours however I dont think it will pass SA inspection in future - I need to check the spec we are only in conversion. At the moment it has approx 65 hens. It needs tweaking as there are design flaws however its a great eggmobile and the system works. They have just some out of the shed after the horrific winter.
Attachments
Andrew2
Member
- Location
- North Yorkshire
If it works don't knock it! As with any design, it is a case of trying out MK1 and improving as flaws become apparent.
Looks alright to me. What sort of birds are those? Some sort of White Star leghorn type thing?
Chasingmytail
Member
- Location
- Newport, SE Wales
these are a mix from Cyril Bason. I just go for what is available POL when I order. I find the quality is there, vaccinated and delivered for around £8 each. Like the OH said does it really matter as its the eggs they produce. Yes I would like more variations in shell colour but people arent that bothered they get the pastel egg boxes which they love particularly the pink ones!!! In the past we have bought posh chickens at £20 or so but when doing it as a small (very small) business you cant justify a death of a bird that price. I think there is some cross leghorn here and specks usually crossed producing good healthy birds. My loss seems to be from some bird of prey that was having a lovely lunch last year and had a problem in the orchard when something was attacking from underneath. Originally 75 more 65 now. I am doing some costings on this and when I've finished I'll let you know. I sell £2 for 6, £3.80 for 12 and £8.50 tray. I only deliver 12 or tray though as people take the mic and my customers say 98% have them weekly.
Aren't you organic? Or are they organic at POL? How does that work with being vaccinated? The organic egg people I know buy day olds and raise them up. Is it possible to buy organic POL hens?
Chasingmytail
Member
- Location
- Newport, SE Wales
We are in conversion, the poultry was brought in before we went down that route. I think we can convert them into organic but husband is sorting that - at the moment I say organically fed. yes there are a few organic poultry breeders see them advertising in the SA mag like. http://www.organicpullets.co.uk/organicpullets/Pullets_Available.html As for vacinated as far as I know it is permitted. Cost wise it is the same so I opt for POL as saves time and hassle. The SA states if you can source organic then you should if you cant then they accept this. Our cattle have been bought in as conventional but their offspring will be organic.
I can't understand why the SA think that you need an acre of housing for each hen and then say you can buy any old rubbish if you can't get organic stock. To me that makes a mockery of it. I don't think vaccinated hens can be organic. I think I read that somewhere. Organic hens should be raised from day old in an organic system or bought as POL from someone who has raised them in an organic system.
Recoil
Member
- Location
- South East Wales
We buy our pullets from the people on the link above. Always very nice birds and good people to deal with. Works out around £10 a bird delivered to us in South Wales buying around 50 at a time. We go for Red co / Columbian Blacktail at the moment as have found the White Leghorns to be a bit nasty and some people won't buy the white eggs.