Pastured Poultry Talk

Mike Badger dives into the the production, the processing, the politics, the marketing, and the business of farming pasture-raised poultry. Pastured Poultry Talk is THE podcast where raising chickens, turkeys, and poultry on grass meets real life opportunities, solutions, and farmers. The podcast helps you raise healthy, profitable birds for your family, your community, and your customers.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and Pastured Poultry Flocks 02/16/2022

The Days of Wholesale Pastured Chickens are Over for Greg Gunthorp 03/13/2021

Turning a 20 year chicken hobby into a farm with Cynthia Capers 02/09/2021

PPT114 - Small Layer Flock Profitability 11/28/2020

Perdue Acquires Pasturebird 10/23/2020

Maintain Production with All In/All Out Rotation for 5,000 laying hens 10/09/2020

Community Q&A Plus a Monologue on Heritage Poultry's Role in Pastured (PPT109) 09/28/2020

Feed Management Tips to Reduce Waste & Maintain Egg Production 09/28/2020

Is Fermented Feed Worth the Time for 1,000 hens? 09/16/2020

Community Q&A PIus a Heritage Poultry Monologue 08/22/2020

Perspectives on Pastured Poultry Shelters and Pasture Management 07/22/2020

Perspectives on Pastured Poultry Shelters and Pasture Management When you put chickens or turkeys out on pasture, there are two fundamental questions you need to consider. Why pasture and how do you house the birds? If you fully grasp the why of the pasture model, you won't take shortcuts in your housing and implementation. I'm primarily talking about the foundational principle of movement to fresh pasture approach that pastured poultry requires. If you choose to build a strong foundation on the principles of pastured poultry, then your system becomes healthier and more capable of surviving challenges. There are a lot of companies that compromise the pastured poultry model today where fresh forage is replaced with access to more space. I spend a lot of time working through these issues in the podcast episode because it's important to start off with a clear vision, and that vision will inform your shelter approach. Pasture Shelter Considerations There are a near infinite number of designs and modifications you can make to a pastured poultry shelter. And if you go shopping for a shelter without having a purpose, you may get sidetracked easily. For example, when I built my first shelter, I just did it like Joel Salatin, but I didn't follow his instructions. That turned out to be a less than ideal shelter for our farm. After I got some experience, I realized I made a bad choice, and I chose something different, which was a smaller, lighter hoop house. I expect you will go through multiple design iterations, but my goal in the episode to have you make a good choice, so your don't find yourself needing to radically change your approach after a single season. Here are the pasture shelter and management practices I cover in the podcast episode. Provide species appropriate shelters Protect from weather (including shade) and predators Make flock movement to fresh rooted-in soil vegetation possible Avoid static runs and continuous grazing Ensure ventilation and protect from drafts Add roosts where appropriate Add nest boxes for layers I spend a fair amount of time discussing stocking density guidelines and the nuances you may encounter there. The quick guideline for a daily moved shelter where the birds are confined to a floorless shelter are as follows: Broilers: 1.5 to 2 sq. ft. to 8 weeks; 3+ sq. ft. at 16 weeks Layers: 3-5 sq. ft. Turkeys: 5 to 7 sq. ft. The reason you need to know stocking densities is so that you can size your shelter appropriately and build/buy the appropriate amount. When you move to a day range setup, the stocking density inside the house becomes different. Using layers as an example day range scenario, your housing may provide one square foot of space plus your additional pasture space. I discuss the reason behind one square foot in more detail in the episode. There's no magic formula for the paddock size. 108 square feet is a myth and a fake requirement; it's not synonymous to pasture raised. Just know that if you give your hens 20 square foot of space in the paddock, you will be able to move slightly less frequently than if you only give them 10 square feet of pasture space. The model is based on movement, not access. So, time the frequency of movement to the impact on the pasture. Dirt is not your goal. Pasture Shelter Designs I've spent time assembling resources, such as guides, how-tos, and links to pastured poultry coop designs over at American Pastured Poultry Producers Association. View . If you need step-by-step and cut-by-cut instructions, it's hard to beat John Suscovich's Stress Free Chicken Tractor booklet. You can purchase a copy directly from John. If you purchase any of his books or packets, I get a commission (you pay the same price). John also appeared on Pastured Poultry Talk to tell his story. https://pasturedpoultrytalk.com/2015/11/21/ppt029-growing-into-a-farm-with-john-suscovich-2/ Relevant Episodes https://pasturedpoultrytalk.com/2015/07/17/ppt012-whats-with-the-immaculate-chicken-houses-2/ https://pasturedpoultrytalk.com/2017/09/18/ppt056-designing-movable-shelters-for-pasture-raised-broilers-and-layers-with-pastured-life-farm/ https://pasturedpoultrytalk.com/2016/03/21/ppt037-pastured-poultry-is-more-than-dirt/ https://pasturedpoultrytalk.com/2015/08/28/ppt018-broiler-chicken-shelter-density-and-data-collection-2/ https://pasturedpoultrytalk.com/2019/04/04/latest-greenwashing-craze-pasturewashing-poultry-ppt083/ https://pasturedpoultrytalk.com/2017/12/29/does-the-failed-organic-livestock-and-poultry-practices-regulation-matter-to-pastured-poultry/ Sponsors /episode/index/show/pasturedpoultrytalk/id/15320228

Successful Brooder Management for Chicks & Poults (PPT107) 07/06/2020

9 Practical Tips for Feeding Your Pastured Poultry (PPT106) 06/10/2020

9 Practical Tips for Feeding Your Pastured Poultry (PPT106) Feeding your pastured poultry is a huge topic, and it can quickly overwhelm you. As a beginner to pastured poultry, I provide nine tips for feeding your flock that can help you get off to the right start. I'll cover universal feeding advice as well as specific information for meat birds, layers, and turkeys. All this advice can summed up into a larger objective statement. Buy the highest quality (not the cheapest) feed you can and make it a mission to understand the nutrition requirements of each type of poultry you raise based on it's age. The episode covers the beginner level approach to selecting feed and doesn't dive into the actual nutrient levels. Request your Feed Guidelines Cheat Sheet , and it will be emailed to you. The cheat sheet referenced in the podcast episode outlines how you can feed your flock. It primarily matches the feed type and protein level by the poultry species and age. Don't buy cheap feed Pasture's role in feeding your birds Tips for Sourcing Feed buy from local independent mill first know feed types: organic, conventional, non-gmo Feed chickens based on age and type How to feed a broiler How to feed a layer Make a turkey starter ration from a broiler feed hard boiled eggs for turkeys Provide enough feeder space so that everybody eats Water consumption drives for feed consumption Will you drink your chickens' water? Feed supplements - grit and oyster shell What influence does feed have on production: lay rate and feed conversion? Tips for feeding Cornish cross Bonus Tip: Watch out for this sure fire sign of Mycotoxins This episode of Pastured Poultry Talk sponsored by Windy Meadows Hatchery. Windy Meadows Hatchery supplies day old broiler chicks from their family run hatchery. If you're looking for a supplier for your chicks, talk to the people who are directly responsible for hatching and shipping your birds. Tell them you heard about them from Pastured Poultry Talk. Contact . If you’re looking for fences that work from the people who use them everyday, contact Premier at 800-282-6631 or to request an informational catalog. Badger's Millside Farm is a distributor of Ready-to-Lay Pullets. Ask about full beak, non-gmo, certified organic, soy free, and more. . /episode/index/show/pasturedpoultrytalk/id/14768606