DOUBTS ABOUT THE MAGICAL WORLD OF POULTRY? #ASK THE EXPERT!
Aorganic livestock farming and head/calf ratio: how to do it?
Welcome to a new chapter of the column#CHIEDILOALLESPERTO with Maurizio Arduin - Centro studi Règia Stazione Sperimentale di pollicoltura!
Today we talk about organic farming with Dario: "According to organic regulations regarding animal manure, if it is disposed of on the land itself, no more than 230 animals may be kept on one hectare of land. If part of the manure is disposed of in other ways or at other locations, can the number of animals per hectare be increased?"
"According to European organic standards, livestock production must be certified and therefore subject to particular indices. These data must then be added to the health and trade indications.
Let's assume that 230 hens are kept: 6 hens per square metre of floor space can be kept in a chicken coop, so a 39 square metre coop is required. The hen house must be equipped with 18 cm perch per hen. This figure is absurd and incomprehensible, since a perch area of no less than one third of the hen house is needed, so 13 square metres of perches.
Egg-laying nests are then needed: either one nest for every eight hens (i.e. 29 individual nests) or a communal nest guaranteeing at least 120 square centimetres per hen, i.e. 27,600 square centimetres and basically a 3×1 m box.
Then there is the outdoor pasture, which must be 4 square metres per head: in practice, a pasture of 920 square metres. The passage between the poultry house and the pasture must be provided by 'uscioli', and their size must be at least 4 linear metres for every 100 square metres of shelter: in our case, half a linear metre of usciolo is needed.
Animal production then produces manure, which is actually a 'value' as it serves to fertilise the soil. However, the regulation prohibits the spreading of more than 170 nitrogen units per year on organically farmed land. This amount of 170 nitrogen units is produced by 230 hens in a year.
In our case we can have between possibilities:
- Distribute the poultry manure of 230 hens on one hectare of organic land on the property;
- Distribute the manure of 230 hens on one hectare of organic land of another local farmer;
- Make an agreement with an organic feed supplier who takes charge of the manure produced."
Discover here the last appointment with #CHIEDILOALLESPERTO where we talked about ovoproduction!
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