We finished our new chicken tractor with the help of some sweet neighbors. And then we moved 22 chickens from across the street over to our place. They are happy as can be now, settling in for just 1 hour and already laying 2 eggs.
Here's some pictures of the fun.
Happy to be out of the back of the truck!
This girl was an escapee and super hard to catch. She was fast, but we finally won the chase!
Putting them in their new home.
Our "Chicken Tractor" Joel Salatin style.
This coop on wheels is moved 2-3 times per day so they are always on fresh ground with plenty to scratch and eat. Also, it is a natural fertilizer for our grass and hay - as well as a natural bug removal system!
This is a safe shelter for the hens while providing access to sunlight (a natural disinfectant), weeds and clovers and other greens, as well as bugs which are very nutritious protein.
This cuts down on the amount of grain they consume which makes a healthier chicken and a healthier egg!
Happy in their new home!
When you see "free-range" on an egg carton, it really means they "have access to outdoors"
This is a whole new free-range experience. They not only have access to outdoors, but they have non-stop access to fresh greens and bugs.
The next batch goes in.
We love our new chickens!
Currently, our chickens are fed primarily organic vegies from our kitchen scraps, worms from our worm farm, bugs they catch on their own, and green grass and clover. We never spray anything on our grass, it is all natural!
We supplement the chickens diet with chicken feed. It is an all-natural feed which simply means it does not contain fillers or any medications. We are working with a local feed supply to order a non-GMO, organic mix as soon as possible. We will also be getting kelp which is very nutritious for chickens.
We were sad to hear from the local suppliers that there is no NON-GMO corn in the entire state of Missouri! To combat this, we will have to special order the feed we want for our chickens. We are committed to doing whatever it takes to make our chickens and eggs as healthy as they can be. We've already gotten several other small farmers interested in this so we'll be able to order enough bulk for the feed supplier to mix it for us.
Our hope and plan is that within the next two weeks our chickens will be on a non-GMO,organic feed from here on out!
"Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand are pleasures forevermore."
Psalms 16:11
