Pastured Poultry

Salatin's book Pastured Poultry Profits (2) describes in detail how to build a pen and is recommended reading for anyone planning a pastured poultry enterprise. Enclosed are the blueprints by Salatin and a list of materials developed by another producer.

Salatin's pen is moved by putting a dolly on one end and lifting the pens with a handle on the other end. The wooden pens weigh about 200 lbs. and can be dragged in this way.

Some producers use a field pen, yet open it during the day to give the chickens free range. Others provide access to a portable corral. It may not be necessary to move the field pen daily if this method is used.

Since the shaft louse apparently feeds on parts of the feathers, it is found in limited numbers on turkeys, guinea fowl and ducks kept in close association with chickens. It does not infest young birds until they become well feathered.

The gapeworm (Syngamus trachea) is a round red worm that attach to the trachea (windpipe) of birds and causes the disease referred to as "gapes". The term describes the open-mouth breathing characteristic of gapeworm-infected birds. Heavily infected birds usually emit a grunting sound because of the difficulty in breathing and many die from suffocation. The worms can easily block the trachea, so they are particularly harmful to young birds.

This louse is oblong, grayish and about 1/10-inch long. The pearly-white eggs are attached singly to the down or at the base of the small feathers on the head. They hatch within five days into minute, pale, translucent lice resembling adults in shape.

This parasite apparently does not seriously affect the health of the bird. At least no marked symptoms or pathology can be blamed on its presence. Its main importance is that it has been incriminated as a vector of Histomonas meleagridis, the agent that causes blackhead. This protozoan parasite apparently is carried in the cecal worm egg and is transmitted from bird to bird through this egg.

Poultry housing can of course be fixed as well as portable. The "semi-intensive" system refers to permanent housing with access provided to rotated yards.

Some topics in this essay:
Tapeworms Tapeworms, Intestinal Roundworms, Call NDSU, Thread Worms, External Parasites, Poultry Lice, Abstract Domestication, Mite Knemidocoptes, Tick Argas, Cecal Worms, field pen, egg production, enclosed article, pastured poultry, chickens turkeys, field pens, chicken tractor, below vent, base feathers, snails slugs, sustainable chicken production, andy lee patricia, system birds housed, field pen moved, life history parasite,