Join us at Barnhouse Farm in eastern New Mexico to learn more about raising broiler chickens in a “chicken tractor” as a strategy to build soil health!
Chickens produce great “fertilizer” when moved daily to fresh ground where they forage on grass, forbs, and insects. Kimberly and Toby Bostwick use a mobile chicken tractor to facilitate the move each day. It also serves as protection from predators and weather.
At this field day, we will observe multiple strategies being used at Barnhouse Farms to build soil health and get hands-on experience building a chicken tractor.
Itinerary
9am Introductions
9:30am Morning walk on pasture to learn about the Bostwick’s soil health strategies and see the chickens in action
11am Get started building chicken tractors
12:30pm Lunch will be provided
1:30pm Finish building chicken tractors
What to wear and bring:
Work clothes, gloves and sturdy boots
Water bottle
Tools if you have them (optional but helpful): staple gun, hammer, cordless drill, wire clippers.
Sorry, no dogs allowed on the farm.
This field day is hosted in partnership between the Seeding Regenerative Agriculture Project and NM Healthy Soil.
Watch SOIL STORIES with Toby and Kimberly Bostwick to learn how they successfully used bale grazing, adaptive high stocking rates with temporary fencing and mobile water systems and other methods to regenerate their farm- and rangeland.