Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
owner's pasture or yard freely during the day, and is locked up in a barn or building
at night to prevent nighttime predation.
YARDING
Yarding the flock means providing the birds with a building enclosed by wire. The
wire fencing runs far enough from the birds' house for them to have room to run near
or around it. This runway gives the birds an outside exercise area and a place for the
owner to dump lawn clippings, garden waste, and other poultry treats. The runway
can be large enough to create a free-range environment, if the flock numbers are low
enough to keep the grass and other green things growing and not eaten to the ground.
PARTIAL CONFINEMENT
A confined bird has no access to an outside area for exercise and green grass, but
many backyard raisers allow them room to move around within their building. Con-
finement is required in many city situations, but the flock can have a humane and
healthful lifestyle if provided grass, greens, and treats, and given access to dirt to
scratch around in and take dust baths. Confinement birds raised on your farm do not
have to be debeaked and kept in a small cage with no room to turn around.
This term does not imply total confinement or constant cage dwelling. Hundreds
of thousands of birds kept for commercial egg production are kept in total confine-
ment.
CAGING
Birds living in traditional cages are usually debeaked, and troughs of feed and water
are placed in front of them so they have access without needing to move. In most
commercial caging situations, great numbers of birds are kept in a small space. No
nest boxes are needed; the eggs roll out from under the cage. These hens never have
access to the world outside of their cages and roosters are not involved because nat-
ural mating is never allowed to occur.
Whether or not you can allow your poultry to range freely in your yard even for short
spurts will help you to settle on a final house design. Do keep in mind, however, that
once your birds taste freedom, fresh grass, and dirt, they'll never again be content in a
small confined cage; they'll always be anxiously awaiting their next chance at freedom.
