Chicken

I weaned my two Aussie Game chickens yesterday. Took Mum back over to the main chook pen where she can get friendly with our Rhode Island Red Rooster Roger. She seems to be bossing the hens around, but Roger is sorting her out a bit. The chickens (see the photo tab) are a cross between these two so should be good eating. Knowing where your food comes from is an important part of a healthy diet. Chickens raised on pasture, as opposed to free range will be more nutritious and therefore tastier than any other chicken. I won't even compare them with caged or barn raised chickens! Unfortunately, sometimes free range just means that they have access to an exercise run - it's not all that different to what I imagine a prison yard would look like! Although this is so much more ethical than barn raised birds, at least they get sunshine and fresh air. There are people around growing out chickens in a rotational system on pasture - source them out and taste for yourself.  I have a chook dome in my garden, which I have my egg laying hens in. These hens are moved around and then the garden is planted on the area vacated. Then when those vegetables are finished, the chooks are moved back to clean up the bed, before planting again. I would like to have a simillar system in the paddock with meat chickens and also our pigs. A more substantial cage will be needed though, as my dome is made out of pvc and is very light.