From the August 2000 issue of Progressive Farmer:

"Chickens on pasture? You bet. A free 40-page booklet titled "Pastured Poultry" describes the experiences of 35 Southern farm families who have produced and marketed poultry raised on pasture. The farmers capture profits by adding value through on-farm slaughter and direct marketing to local customers.

The booklet is from Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas. For a free copy of "Pastured Poultry" and ATTRA's Sustainable Poultry Production, call 800-346-9140. Or visit their web site: www.attra.org."

For those not familiar with this pastured poultry concept, broilers are raised in moveable cages on pasture so they get a fresh batch of grasses each day. Joel Salatin's son also raises rabbits in much the same manner.

-- Ken S. (scharabo@aol.com), July 29, 2000

Answers

Here's a plan for a chicken tractor (moveable cage):

The Chicken Tractor allows the chooks to graze, but they're still confined:

http://www.gsu.edu/~biojdsx/fowl/tractor.htm

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Here's a bunch of plans for coops and also some different kinds of chicken tractors:

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/4175/housing.html

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), July 30, 2000.

I have often thought of doing the same thing with rabbits, but useing the grassy areas between the rows of an orchard. I thought that a small orchard would have enough grass for the few rabbits I would eat. Some would use this area for some extra hay production, but many just plant clovers that will take traffic (with little mowing) & forget about it if they could. It just seems to be a largely unused or forgotten area.

animalfarms

-- animalfarms (In) (jwlewis@indy.net), July 30, 2000.

Joel briefly describes pasture raised rabbits in his book, You Can Farm: The Entrepeneur's Guide to Start and $ucceed in a Farming Enterprise. At first they put poultry netting on the bottom of the cages. However, when they pulled the cages forward it would bend over the grasses and also the rabbits would bit the wires to get at the grasses, making them reluctant to graze. They eventually put the poultry wire down first, let grass grown through it and them move the cages over the wire. He says they thought the wire would have to be replaced about every five years due to rusting. What they have found is the rabbits built top soil so quickly they have to put down another layer about every five years to keep the rabbits from digging out between the cage bottom and now well buried wire.

I'm guessing when Joel says poultry wire, he is referring to what is commonly called chicken wire. Personally I don't see why one couldn't use say 2"x4" spaced wire. Leave the spacing near the sides, but cut out the wires on the inside to make 4"x4" spacings. Joel said they tried physically lifting the cage and then setting it down, but the weight of the cage and rabbits made it awkward. Perhaps two sets of 8" lawnmower tires could be added on swivel mounts. When you want to move the cage you lift the cage up on the tires front and back, move it forward, and pivot the tires back so the cage sits on the ground again.

Anyone have any further thoughts on the concept of pastured raised rabbits?

-- Ken S. (scharabo@aol.com), July 30, 2000.

"I don't see why one couldn't use say 2"x4" spaced wire."

Im guessing weasles and large snakes...come to think of it, even a racoon or similar beasty should have a hard time reaching very far through chicken wire but a larger gap might allow them to coordinate their hands for an attack. Course, I dont know Joel Salatin or exactly his reasoning, so Im just guessing.

-- William in WI (thetoebes@webtv.net), August 02, 2000.

OH! The bottom! I just reread the post previous to mine and that makes a lot more sense now. Never mind...

-- William in WI (thetoebes@webtv.net), August 02, 2000.