HOW TO FERTILIZE PASTURE WITHOUT CHEMICALS | Rotational Grazing Chickens | NATURAL NITROGEN SOURCE
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- Link to BOOK and RESOURCES: bit.ly/rotate-c...
Today we are setting up a Rotational Grazing System for our CHICKENS! We are rotational grazing chickens to cover our pastures with a natural source of nitrogen. This natural source of nitrogen fertilization will ensure that our pasture grasses have the proper protein to carbohydrate content for our grassfed beef and lamb. We are priming our land base to be a gourmet grassfed beef and lamb finishing operation. From rotational grazing these 25 chickens, we will have approximately 3000lb of nitrogen rich chicken manure spread across our pasture within the course of a year. This is a small-scale system that we plan to launch large scale in the future.
MY EMAIL:
Shepherdess@harmonyfarms.blog
Join the Shepherdess Newsletter: bit.ly/Shepherd...
Support my Channel on PATREON: bit.ly/Shepherd...
READ MY BLOG: bit.ly/Shepherd...
FOLLOW MY INSTAGRAM: bit.ly/Shepherd...
SHOP MY MERCH: bit.ly/Shepherd...
“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” Isaiah 40:8
In this video I discuss:
rotational grazing chickens
mobile chicken coop
justin rhodes chickshaw
How to grow better grass
how to naturally fertilize pastures
how to use chicken litter as pasture fertilization
the best natural fertilizer for pasture grass
Thanks, MaxKoMusic!
I'd love an update 2 years later on how this improved the pasture.
You mentioned that using chemical nitrogen fertilisers on the land would reduce the quality of your grass reared beef, I would like to add that it will also degrade the quality of your pasture. A few years back I was involved in studying mycorrhizal fungi and, although not really involved in another Europe wide study, I did work in the same lab at Kew Gardens, London, as some of those research scientists. What they found was that when nitrogen was abundant, mainly through farm run off and industrial pollution, the symbiotic relationship between fungi and plants broke down, as a plant, why recruit fungi for nitrogen sequestration from soil if it is already widely available, the fungi were being lost. For healthy soils and plant intercommunication mycorrhizal fungi are essential to a healthy soil.
Great video!!!!!! I always learn something new from your videos, and I love that! Keep up the fantastic with!! LOVE what you're doing with your farm!
Thanks so much Anna!! You are such an encouragement 🙌🏻🌱🐑
I was under the impression that the hot fence was to more so keep predator's out than to keep the chickens in, but I may be wrong. As always great content!
Does Chicken Mama have her own website? Would love to know more about the breeds of chickens she raises and why?
Not yet, but I’ll try to get a her to do a video here!
Thanks for asking!
-the Shepherdess
Interesting bit of knowledge about fertilizers; didn't know that. Do you know what it is that's different about synthetic fertilizers which would lead to this imbalance? Is this true of all forms of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers? (Ammonia, ammonium nitrate, etc.)
According to the book by Allan Nation, it’s true of all synthetic fertilizers. It’s a reaction that the grass has: protein spikes and carbs dip. This makes it good if you want to grow bones and muscle on a young calf, but bad when you need to fatten an older animal for processing.
Hope this helps!
-the Shepherdess 🐑🌱
@@theShepherdess interesting.
In the morning, If move the fence before they get out of the coop. Then move the roost to the other side of the field, after the chickens get out? Yet the coop never is outside the fence.
Do you clip your chicken wings? Just wondered since you said they are staying in there without the power.
Hi Wendi,
No, we don’t clip. The chickens stayed in for a while without a charger, but they eventually started flying over so we needed to charge it :).
Thanks for commenting!
-the Shepherdess
Could you run the chicken along with your cows 🐄 and sheep 🐑
Yep! That's what we built this portable coop for! Here is the video I made on it: th-cam.com/video/Nlim4eLV3f4/w-d-xo.html
-The Shepherdess
Appreciate the info, keep up the good work!
Thanks!!!! Your comment helps keep me going. 👍🏻
Are you guys raising meat chickens also or just egg layers?
Just egg layers!
-the Shepherdess 🐑🌱
Gr8 video. If you Geoff Lawton it & Permapasture farms, by putting a compost cage 6 x 6 x 1 &1/2 high right out the tractor (you put food scraps in the cage, but they will always go2 the previous pile) you will collect 4 cubic compost piles. Their manure load will be in those piles & once done you just spread it out. You turn it once a week. Chickens scratch & spread your compost. Please refer to those permapasture farmers mentioned.
Can this work for cows too?
Yes!
So ladies I'm curious. What would the difference between this method in the video as compared to a chicken tractor do for the overall soil health? Or are tractors more used for meat birds an the netting you could say is for egg laying? Thanks an keep up great job ladies.
Probably the same results! Just a different type of bird. This system is for egg layers. 👍🏻
Evan from country view acres sent me here, great video, really good information, thank you & keep ‘‘em coming !
Thank you, Alexander!
I love chickens!
Nice summary of natural vs chemical nitrogen. A consultant told me the plants don’t know the difference. I found they do. My plants are perennials and I have zero pest problems. Others who grow my crop constantly complain of disease and insect problems. Somehow they know. It’a a harder road with natural. It the chickens are the buzz! I love seeing you interact with your family.
Merry Christmas! (Has she added a goose into her flock by now to avoid aerial attacks?)
Great idea!! I think we need a goose! Can they live with the chickens???
@@spoolsandbobbins They adopt a flock of chickens and fight for them. Just be sure it’s big enough before you put it in. Hens bully anything they can! Geese eat grass so are super easy in rotational grazing
Then more nitrogen is used the pests follow ! Shade structure will help for heat ( Texas) & if you string fishing line between shade structure & chickshaw aerial predators will avoid the area .
Cheap fishing poles make easy daily moving & give line flex when birds fly into them 🦅
One Goose raised with baby chicks
🕊
I like u work
Love it! 🐊🇺🇸🦅❣
❤❤❤❤❤❤
"Chicken Mama" lol
The true benefits of animal manure is when rotated correctly with the right animals is the the fertilizer is free. Plus it does add some microorganisms back into the systems plus cut down on parasites if again you do the correct sequence of animals through the rotation. However, the plant does not recognize if the say nitrogen is from a chemical plant or a animal. Remember the nitrogen in the manure is in fact a chemical also. In conclusion, have the animals create and spread free fertilizer instead of buying and spreading it yourself. It's just that simple. Have a great day 🌤 🐓
People say that ("plants can't tell difference"), but one commenter experienced that's not true. Plants fed artificial nitrogen have serious pest problems. It's a gross oversimplification to say that because something is a "chemical", it's always the same no matter what form it comes in.