We have 300 chickens on the farm now – they arrived last weekend.  We have a chicken tractor for them to live in (see the picture below).  The chicken tractor is a chicken house built on a trailer. Our Local Foods would like to acknowledge the incredible design of the chicken tractor by George and Celeste Albers of the “Green Grocer” on Wadmalaw Island (just outside of Charleston, SC).  The house has booms sticking out on each side with a shrimp net draped over it that hangs down to the ground.  This area is approximately 25′x35′ which is the area the chickens have to run around and feed in.  Each day, while the chickens are in the house, the trailer is moved a bit to a new spot, and the chickens are let out to roam around.  At night, the chickens go back in their house to roost, and egg laying is also done in the nesting areas.  The reason for moving the tractor each day is so there are plenty of new bugs and such for the chickens to find and eat. In a nice symbiotic way, the chickens also dig up the topsoil, add some fertilizer to the soil, and reduce the insect count.

And here’s a picture of one of the hens:

We will be harvesting eggs for the farmers markets at Daniel Island and Park Circle – so come visit us and get some fresh eggs!

Maria