During the last week of August, something new was added to our landscape. It has been dubbed colloquial to most farm-related write-ups as a chicken tractor. Why this is so, I have absolutely no idea.
What it is, is nothing more and little less than a partially-roofed, portable wire enclosure so designed to protect chickens from predators – skunk, raccoon, fox, coyote, owl, hawk, weasel and mink – while giving them the closest replicate possible of being free range.
This confinement apparatus is lightweight-built, with two wheels at one end easily adjusted to lift the pen a couple of inches clear off the ground. You simply lift the other end and pull it to where you next want it to be so positioned. There is little danger of hurting the birds enclosed, as they quickly head in search of insects that might be hiding in the grasses of the newly-exposed area.
The sole purpose of this handy labour-saving contraption is the fact that, with little effort, you can give the chickens fresh scampering grounds each and every morning. The additional side effect of this is that you don’t have to clean their pen. They, while scratching for bugs and worms, de-thatch any dead grass and, in addition, their droppings organically fertilize your lawn, garden, or wherever so put.
The availability of fresh grass and high-protein insects into their diet cuts the feed cost by an estimated 25 per cent. We throw the edible scraps from the kitchen and trimmings from the kitchen garden in as well. Every little bit helps.
This combination gives them a mixture of micro vitamins and minerals needed but often missing in the prepared seed mixes. Meanwhile they are getting the fresh air, sunshine and extra exercise while chasing each other around and about, back and forth and forth and back, while trying to steal some wiggly morsel from the one, while scratching, who found it.
The chickens purchased for this initial trial were not any of the pure- or crossbred meat breeds. What we managed to get is what I refer to as “barnyard” chickens. These are the offspring of several breeds running together. Their multi-mixed colouring makes identification possible, growth habits followed, as well as interesting conversation. Egg production and meat quality of the excess roosters will be five months down the garden path.
I have never understood the by-laws that limit urban and suburban homeowners from keeping a few chickens in their backyard. Complaints of roosters crowing in the early morn seem to trigger their one and only reason for reaction. But having lived greater than 30 years urban, I believe that the racket of commuter car horns, the yammer of truck air brakes and backyard barking of chained-by-the-neck dogs surpass the early, pleasant good-morning greeting, time to get up, crow of the roosters.
I certainly believe that these so-called thinkers, petty power-trippers in my mind, should rekindle their thoughts, weighing both therapeutic in caring for, by both children and elderly, as well as food source of a couple of fresh eggs, gathered by whomever, for a sunny-side-up breakfast on toast in the morning.
Government control, no matter how miniscule, from the top down, has never been a success. History worldwide has long proven that.
Take care, ‘cause we care.
barrie@barriehopkins.ca
519-986-4105