I’m confused about something.
Polyface Farm’s Joel Salatin, who featured prominently in Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, has spoken at length about the sanitizing benefits of owning chickens. On his farm here in Virginia, he says that he free ranges his chickens on pasture recently vacated by his cows. The chickens root around in the cow’s dung, munching on larvae eggs and other insects, leaving the pasture nice and clean and free of bugs. He says this is the all natural method for keeping away insects without pesticides.
But I want to know, what about all the larvae and insects harboring in the chicken poop?
I ask this question because we keep our chickens confined behind a 500-square foot portable electric fence that we move to a fresh patch of grass each week. I’ve noticed that the amount of chicken poop that accumulates in their pen over those seven days attracts all kinds of nasty bugs and flies. And the smell! It’s horrible. Especially on a hot summer day. Reminds me of a truck stop off I-95. And the chickens seem extremely uninterested in rooting around in their own dung for insects.
So I have to wonder just how good of land sanitizers are the birds when they themselves bring pests.
WWJD? (What Would Joel Do.)
All original content © 2012 by Jessie Knadler
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m not positive, but I think he composts the chicken droppings somehow… Please let us know if you get a definitive answer to this – it’s a great question.
As I understand the theory, it’s not so much about it being bug-free. It’s more about chickens eating the bugs (parasites) that would make the cows sick.
As any kind of grazing animal hangs out in a pasture for an extended period of time, the parasite load on the pasture builds up. Chickens–or other poultry–help clear the pasture of the parasites.
Anyway, this is how I understand it.
Hi Heather: Sounds plausible. Now only if someone would come along and Hoover up the chicken poop in my yard.
Move the chickens more frequently than once a week. Joel moves his cows almost daily I think, so he must move the chickens as often.
Once the baby is crawling she can do it!