Poultry Your Way - Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems ...

MANAGEMENT
ALTERNATIVES
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Poultry Your Way
MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES
PASTURE: DAY-RANGE
Younger birds need two-inch mesh fencing, while common woven field fencing will work for birds aged four
weeks and older. If you are raising waterfowl and other heavy birds that seldom fly, standard 18-inch to 24-inch
high fencing should do the trick. If you raise turkeys, captive game, or chicken breeds known to be more active,
you may have to use a taller (36-inch to 48-inch) fencing.
Lee and Foreman built their own feed troughs from PVC pipe — an inexpensive option detailed in their book Day
Range Poultry. Another option is to purchase ready-made, galvanized steel or heavy duty plastic feeders.
All feeders should be covered to prevent weather-related spoilage (wet feed will become moldy, unpalatable, and
hazardous to bird health). Depending on the length of your production season, you may also require pan heaters
for your waterers to prevent freezing (see Resources under Suppliers).
Health and Welfare. Many producers who practice day-range and other types of pasture management report
low mortality rates, citing access to fresh air and sunshine, which can help break up disease cycles. Birds on
pasture face three significant health risks as described under “Management Basics”: (1) predators; (2) weather;
and (3) pathogens and internal parasites transmitted by wildlife and other livestock. Some of the most important
things day-range managers can do to maintain healthy flocks are:
• Vaccinate chicks.
• “Harden off” young birds before turning them out on pasture.
• Create predator-free shelters.
• Build weather-safe shelters with shade.
• Provide fresh water.
• Cover feed or place indoors so spilled grain won’t attract wild birds.
• Rotate shelters and feeding areas to prevent pathogen build-up.
Responsible management, such as hardening off brooders and providing shelter at night, can minimize most
predator-, weather-, and disease-related threats. “By using the electric poultry nets and closing the birds in at night,
we have virtually eliminated predator losses in our broiler flocks,” write Lee and Foreman. “And by hardening them
off properly from the brooder and putting them back in their shelter at night so they don’t get rained on, we have
virtually eliminated death losses due to weather” (Lee and Foreman, 2002). Learning these skills can take a while;
beginning poultry growers often experience high mortality among flocks when they first adopt day-range and
other pasture-based management systems.
Birds raised in accordance with the day-range model face one additional risk: pathogen and parasite build-up
around housing or shelter areas. Some critics of the day-range model warn that infrequent shelter movement
creates a slow build-up of pathogens: “While the day range system may work great the first year, and the second,
the pathogens in the paddocks and houses can increase until things become hazardous. This can be addressed [by
moving shelters], but because it happens slowly it’s easy to overlook or underestimate” (Eco-Friendly Foods, 2003).
For this reason, some day-range producers are experimenting with different paddock/yard designs and rotations.
Labor. The size of the flock, type of housing, timing of paddock rotations, frequency of shelter movements,
and experience affects labor load and the tasks involved. Birds and shelters are not moved daily; therefore the
day-range system may be more suitable for owners of larger flocks, because it requires less time in the field. Most
poultry growers who raise birds on pasture, say they spend most of their time:
• Feeding • Repairing fence holes
• Watering • Cleaning out brooder houses and shelters
• Moving fences and netting • Rounding birds up during inclement weather
One grower mentioned feeling tied down to the farm when his birds were on pasture, since rain and extreme heat
are potentially lethal.