1: Location, location, location
If building a permanent or somewhat-permanent coop (rather than a chicken tractor), location is key. The coop should allow your chickens easy access to their run, and ideally permit rotation among two or more runs. Choose a site close to a water source, electricity (if using lighting or heat), your feed storage area and wherever you wash and package the eggs. The coop and run area should be on a high, well-drained spot, to avoid puddles.

2: Size matters
The traditional rule of thumb is to allow 1.5 (45.72 cm) to 2 (60.96 cm) square feet of floor space per hen, but allow for more if possible. If it snows and your birds are cooped up for longer than usual, will they have enough room to move around and be comfortable? Or will they get cranky, which can impact egg production and lead to bullying or cannibalism?

3: The structure
Your coop will need to withstand snow, rain, extreme temperatures, wind or whatever climatic conditions are possible in your region. In extreme cold coops may need to be insulated. The roof (and ideally walls as well) should be waterproof, and provide shade for your chickens on sunny, hot days. If possible, slope the roof to prevent rain from running off directly over the chicken’s entrance to the coop.
When choosing your floor, think ahead to when you’ll have to clean it. Manure, bedding, spilled feed, etc. can be easily shovelled off a concrete floor, which can be hosed off and sanitized. Sloping the floor towards the door will make it easier to wash and dry out the building.
Doors, opening windows and vents are best placed on the lee side, away from wind, usually the south or east side. Windows provide ventilation in the summer and sunlight and warmth in the winter.
Remember that you will need to be able to enter the coop too, to clean, refill the water/feed and collect eggs. Include a human-sized door and aim for a ceiling height that allows you to stand comfortably.
One more note: if you build with screws instead of nails you will be able to tweek the design more easily.

4: Ventilation & temperature
In small-scale chicken houses, ventilation and temperature control don’t need to be complicated. Windows and vents allow stale, warm air to escape in the summer, and fresh air to enter in the winter. Keep the air temperature steady, and avoid draughts from outside.
If your coop is too large, the hens may not be able to keep warm if it gets cold or draughty in the winter, and you may need to add a heat source.
Plan for good air exchange both in the summer and winter. If your coop design doesn’t allow for clean air from outside to enter, the inside air may become dusty, or ammonia levels may rise and affect your hens’ health.

5: Food & water
Feeders and waterers should be easily accessible by both you and your chickens. The top lip of a feed trough should be at a height that allows the hens to eat but not climb into them; generally, at the birds’ shoulder height.
Depending on bird size and breed, allow for roughly 12 inches (30.48 cm) of water trough space for every six chickens. If using a nipple drinker, allow for up to 15 birds per nipple (maximum). Nipples should be positioned above so that a hen can easily access them with her neck extended, without standing on her tiptoes.
Bell-style waterers or troughs should be positioned at bird-shoulder height. Note that these drinkers should be cleaned daily, as they easily become contaminated with bedding or feed. Nipple drinkers and other closed watering systems are cleaner options, although they should be checked regularly to ensure they aren’t clogged.

6: Perches
When chickens come home to roost, they like to have a nice sturdy perch to rest on. Perches can be made from various materials: cedar posts, tree branches . . . any strong 2” (5.08 cm) by 2”(5.08 cm) material with a rounded top will do.
Since most of the manure in the coop will accumulate under the perches, strategic positioning lets you control where you want this manure build-up to occur; ideally, in a part of the coop that’s comfortable for you to access and clean. If possible, build removable or hinged perches to allow for easy cleaning.
To prevent injury to your chickens, install the perches between one (30.48 cm) and three feet (91.44 cm) from the floor. Allow for at least six inches (15.24 cm) of perch space per chicken, and ensure that the perch is strong enough to support the weight of your birds. Space the perches 14 inches (35.56 cm) apart.

7: Nesting boxes
Nesting boxes provide a clean, dark refuge for hens to lay, and a convenient single place for you to gather the eggs. Nesting boxes are typically 12 inches (30.48 cm) high by 15 inches (38.1 cm) wide by at least 12 inches (30.48 cm) deep, and roofed, with at least one box for each four to five hens. The boxes should be a minimum of 18 inches (45.72 cm) off the floor: a perch can be attached 6”(15.24 cm) to 8”(20.32 cm) away from the door, running parallel to the box, to make it easier for the hens to enter.
A sloped roof will prevent the chickens from roosting and leaving their manure on it. Alternatively, nesting boxes can be attached to the outside wall of the coop, with door openings cut into the wall for the hens to enter from inside. A hinged roof allows for convenient egg collection and nest cleaning from the outside.

8: Lighting
If your hens live full-time in the coop you will need to incorporate a lighting system, even if it’s simply a window; egg production is stimulated by daylight. Poultry experts generally advise that daylight (natural or artificial) should be kept at about 16 hours each day to maximize egg production. When designing and constructing your coop, aim for even lighting with minimal shadows or bright spots. Shadowed areas may become unintentional nesting areas, leading to dirty and hard-to-reach eggs.

9: Security
Dogs, mink, cats, raccoons . . . a secure coop will protect your chickens from predators, and reduce stress for both you and your hens. Install heavy-gauge wire mesh beneath the coop floor to reduce ground-level access. Windows and vent openings should be screened in with poultry wire (sliding glass windows provide ventilation and control temperatures, yet seal securely). Seal cracks to protect against rodents, some of which can squeeze through a nickel-sized hole.
Keep your compost pile well away from the coop and don’t let uneaten kitchen scraps accumulate in the chicken area. Keep the surrounding area mowed and clear of clutter.
Additional fencing or netting around the coop perimeter will help deter dogs, cats and racoons. A latch on the coop door lets you lock the coop when necessary. Higher-tech options include motion-activated lights around the coop or even burglar alarms.

10: Storage space
If possible, you may want to incorporate a storage area into your coop design, for your cleaning equipment, feed, new bedding, egg-collecting bins, etc. Feed should, of course, be stored in a way that protects it from rodents (e.g. metal bin with a tight lid), so consider the size of containers when planning your storage space needs.

Herewith a few thoughts on farm machinery, past, present and future:

Tractors—end of an era?
No matter how much our farming friends sing the praises of their 1970s vintage Masseys and International tractors, I can not believe this equipment will remain viable for yet another generation. Either the parts will become too difficult to source or the reliability will become such that the tractors are only suitable for farm parades. By 2025, when most Boomers will be done farming, much of this equipment will be 50-60 years old.
Which raises the question, what next? If the past is any measure, some farmers will pony up for new tractors while others opt to move to a newer version of old, purchasing 1990s and early 2000 era used equipment. It is no slight to the manufacturers to question whether the lighter, sprightlier tractors manufactured in the last 20 years will hold up like the iron heavy models of 40 years ago. I guess we’ll see—but probably from the vantage of a rocking chair on the porch, not the tractor seat.

A combine for the people!
It is high time for a new, economical combine for small farms. I’m thinking of a machine that could do 2-5 acres/hr, and costs less
than $60,000, new. The equipment many of us are using now— combines of 70s, 80s and early 90s vintages can be made to run for only so long. Newer machines are both too big and, with on-board computers and digital hoo-has, virtually impossible to fix yourself and too expensive to call in dealer help. The kind of combines I’m talking about are being manufactured and used—in India and China. There are reminiscent of early Gleaners and Internationals. Not pretty but very functional. Completely serviceable for the able farmer. The trick is not getting one into Canada—that’s probably an email and a few clicks on PayPal away—it is setting up a support network to provide parts. Or, even more fanciful wish—perhaps a North American manufacturer could dust off some old blue prints and start manufacturing such a machine.

Push & pull
For some time now larger farm tractors have had the option of operating equipment on the front as well as the rear. There are tractors with three point hitches and PTO options on the front. It took a recent trip to the UK for me to realize just how useful this could be. I watched a farmer leveling a rough tilled field with a combination tine/roller on the front while (or, as the Brits would say “whilst”) drilling in winter wheat on the rear. Marvelous! I think of all the time we bump and crash around a field— pulling a disk, or harrow, or roller—and imagine the difference even a 25% gain in efficiency would make. Or how about the multiple passes making hay? It should be possible to mount a rake to the front of the tractor so the windrow goes straight into the baler. Attach a hay wagon behind the same baler and put a couple of sturdy kids on it and you’d have a model of efficiency.

Betwixt land & sea
By Jeffrey Carter To farm in Acadia you must be heroically adaptable.

There’s gold in them hills!
By Kim Langen Small Farm Canada’s own variety trial reveal the best spuds!

Battle of the bugs benefits plants
By Keith Norbury BC firm supplies biological pest controls to farmers seeking alternatives to sprays.

Departments:

Letters Chicken factoids + weed-eating cattle.

News & Notes Hair extensions pluck feathers from chickens, flyfishers; can Atlantic Canada’s wool waste warm houses?; Ontario’s crackdown on barn parties; here comes Peak Phosphorus (and what you can do about it).

Q&A Seeking biodegradable mulch, field peas as possible chicken feed.

At Pasture Why people are part of Manitoba’s serious grass advantage.

Practical Shipping containers make useful farm shelters.

Harper government ushers in national long pig registry
By Al Pope Feds ignore this basic truth: pigs don’t kill people, people kill people!

Do I need a rooster to get my hens to lay?
According to Connie and Kevin Berg of Berg’s Hatchery in Russell, Manitoba, this is the number one myth regarding chickens. “A lot of people ask for one rooster when ordering layers. They believe that you need a rooster for hens to lay, but this is a myth.” In fact, “you need a rooster to fertilize eggs to have baby chicks, but not for laying. A hen will naturally lay an egg when she is mature, with or without a rooster.”

I’ve heard that layer hens’ production peaks. What age is that, generally?
Ontario’s Al Dam, Provincial Poultry Specialist at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, explained: “The modern layer starts laying when she reaches sexual maturity, shortly after 19 weeks. She can generally keep laying at peak production for up to a year after this.” What does peak production look like? ”The modern layer can produce almost an egg a day during the peak of her production cycle. Then she may go into a moult and a period of lower or no production before her reproductive cycle restarts itself and she starts laying again. Her lay cycle will peak in the summer, but as the days get shorter after the summer solstice that is a cue for her to slow down her egg production for the winter.”

What is hen scratch, and is it possible to feed too much of it to your chickens?
“Hen scratch is a blend of whole grains, typically wheat, corn, barley and oats,” explained feed guru Everett Dixon, Mill Nutritionist at Top Shelf Feeds in Duncan, B.C. “The ratio of each grain will vary, depending on the manufacturer. Chickens will survive on a diet of straight hen scratch; however, as it has no added protein, minerals or vitamins, they will not perform to their genetic potential. Also, the more hen scratch a chicken eats in place of a complete feed, the more imbalanced their total ration becomes.”

We throw kitchen and garden scraps to our layer hens. Is there anything we shouldn’t be feeding them?
We stuck with Top Shelf Feeds’ Everett Dixon for this question. He explained: “Chickens are adept at selecting the most palatable and desirable scraps. Often garden scraps are high in moisture and fibre, which can physically limit the amount of feed they will eat. If you want high egg production or fast growth, limit the amount of scraps, because they dilute the protein, energy, minerals and vitamins that are in the complete feed.” Dixon also warned against feeding chickens large amounts of raw potatoes. “Raw potatoes contain a protease inhibitor that reduces protein digestion. Potato peels, green potatoes and sprouted potatoes contain the glycoside solanin, which in large amounts is toxic to chickens. High levels of legumes should also be avoided, because they contain tannins which will reduce growth rates.”

I heard that “veggie feed” can contain meat by-products. Is that true?
“Strictly speaking, a ‘veggie’ feed should not contain animal proteins or fats,” said Everett Dixon of Top Shelf Feeds. ”However, these feeds may still contain animal by-products if the synthetic vitamin A source has been encapsulated in gelatine, or if the vitamin D3 was derived from wool grease (lanolin) from sheep. Government regulations prevent the use of ‘veggie,’ or statements saying there are no animal by-products, for feeds that contain these ingredients. The best option in this case is to ask your feed supplier for a list of ingredients, and ask them specifically regarding gelatine or lanolin if these ingredients are a concern.”

In retrospect, I should have stood up to the fellow at the recent farm show in Ontario. He had marched up to the Small Farm Canada booth, stabbed a greasy finger at me, and barked, “What is a small farmer anyway?”
“By one definition, any farm that grosses up to $100,000,” I said, about to add that there were other definitions. But he had no time for details. “That’s not a farm, that’s a joke. A farm should be making half a million.” And off he stomped toward the big combines.
I get a lot of such comments — both as a small farmer and as editor of this publication. Small farms — as defined by acreage, or income, or, amazingly, by whether what the farm produces is edible or not (“Daffodils ain’t a crop!”) — seem to be on the etymological endangered list, like the traditional meaning of the words viral, or gay.
What I should have said, and what I’ve said in heated moments in the past, is something like this: “Oh, you mean subsidy farms, because small farmers don’t qualify for government handouts like the large operations.” That’s always good for fireworks. But I was tired and there were a lot of families at the show. Not the right time for a set-to.
Still, it really rankles me that farming is defined by any fiscal definition — no matter how small the threshold. I mean, a family grows their own food, raises livestock, tends a garden and orchard, and that is not considered farming? Yet a guy with an operation grossing a half million dollars, wallowing in a Greece-sized debt, essentially indentured to a multinational inputs company, and who survives on gas station sandwiches is a farmer?
Sorry, I can’t go for that.
I am willing to go along with an elasticized definition of farmer (something like easy-fit jeans) to accommodate both the urban producer furiously cycling from lot to lot, and the agri-business guy slouched in an office all day swapping futures on a zillion bushels, but I can not see money, or size, being the sole determinate of farming.
What really counts is something that can’t be quantified on a spreadsheet: affinity for land and plants and animals. By definition, affinity means a deep natural liking, or sympathy, for someone or something. I think of it as a kind of caring respect.
By this definition, a farmer is someone who, regardless of the size of the operation, respects the land, and cares for the health of the soil; who holds their livestock in regard as creatures that need tending and deserve decent treatment. It doesn’t mean that they ignore the business side of farming, but it does mean money is but one factor in many.
If this definition means that someone with one alpaca and a yard full of dahlias gets to call themselves a farmer, so be it.

2012 seed buying guide, Get ready for next year’s crops and garden now!

Seeds: selecting the right varieties and quantities By Shirley Byers

Seeds: are variety trials for you? By Shirley Byers

Seeds: what’s hot and what’s not in 2012 By Shirley Byers

Dealing with wireworms By Rhona McAdam

Departments:

News & Notes Honing the fine art of selling food, what’s up with Monsanto’s falling GM corn?, conquering the codling moth, GST & small farm producers.

Q&A Your five top chicken questions answered!

At Pasture Teach livestock to eat weeds.

Practical: DIY grain storage bin Easy afternoon project keeps rats out of feed.

When is food not food? By Martha McMahon Here’s an example of why farmers need to help write new regulations for food and farming.

Advantages of leasing:

Capital is not tied up in the land. The farm isn’t saddled with hefty mortgage payments, freeing up money to try new ventures, improve fences etc. We pay nothing for most of the leased properties and a modest amount for an 8 acre field that includes a 2 storey 10,000 sq ft barn.

Distributes risk. When dogs or cougars attack our sheep, we have the option of moving a flock right away from the area. Similarly—and even though the leased properties are quite close to each other as the crow flies—the quality of crops varies from property to property. The southeast facing slope of the Lennox field means we can take off the hay before the later maturing fields elsewhere are close to being ready.

Includes more people in farming. Several of our landlords keep an eye on our livestock and are quick to report problems. They feel very much a part of the farm and we always take time to explain to them what we are doing and why. In a community under pressure from developers, it is good to have as many farm-minded allies as possible!

Disadvantages of leasing:

Reluctance to put money into long-term improvements. Without long-term leases, we are reluctant to invest in larger scale projects like drainage. In some cases, where we feel we could lose the land at any time, we literally keep fences up with haywire and twine. Result: more escapes, more hassles.

Problem properties. Although some of our landlords are good about watching the flock, a couple wouldn’t know a dead sheep from a hot tub. Gates get left open, trimmings from the flower garden, sometimes including poisonous plants, get pitched into the paddock. More escapes, more hassles.

We drive a lot! There is less moving of livestock and equipment within the farm and more moving on roads. Higher fuel bills, more chance of an accident.

Don’t get to see the lambs frolicking. Okay, this sounds kind of feeble but. . . a part of why we farm is to enjoy the livestock. With the sheep often at pasture on leased fields we are left watching the neighbour mowing her lawn. Interesting when she hits a submerged tire iron, not bucolic.

Let’s be honest: I’d rather own than lease. But to those people who still say that ownership is a prerequisite for farming, the patchwork leasing model proves there is another option.

A bold prediction: An increasing percentage of the meals eaten in the coming years will:
• Be smaller than they are now
• Include more locally grown food (vs. that from industrial agriculture)
• Contain more vegetables
• Have less sugar
• Be less likely to include a large meat entree such as steak, hamburger, pork tenderloin, etc.)
What’s my basis for this, given the overwhelming evidence that folks are doing just the opposite right now?
The trend-setting baby boomers began turning 65 on Jan 1. As folks age (I speak as one of them as I became 65 last year) their dietary preferences change because:
• The future (declining health, retirement homes and death) can no longer be ignored. So steps likely to extend their healthy years begin to weigh heavily into their choices. That means fewer soft drinks, less alcohol, fewer fatty foods, more vegetables and smaller portions.
• They want something different — one reason they are so keen to travel in retirement. The foods they ate previously, hamburgers, pizza, big steaks/tenderloins and slabs of chicken or turkey, may still taste good but it bores them. “Been there done that,” is a common phrase for these folks.
• They can afford more expensive food choices. I know the recession damaged many folks’ retirement funds but many are still well heeled and their kids, now age 25-40, are no longer as dependent upon them. So when they eat at restaurants and when they buy food from stores, taste, health and perceived quality matter more and price less.
Taste buds decline in capability with age. So the search for flavoursome food (often associated with smaller portions) will increase.
For every action there is always a reaction. The obesity epidemic and the food choices that have produced it will, in time, produce an opposing response. We can expect an increasing percentage of people will quietly increase their resolve to eat less, eat better and exercise more. 

This reactive trend will appear first in the areas in which a higher percentage are more educated and more affluent. 


Example? In late April I was on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts (for a farm event not a vacation) for two days. My hosts took me out to breakfast. The little restaurant’s ambiance was ordinary and the prices not that high (it was off season). But the portions were noticeably smaller than breakfasts offered in 99% of Iowa restaurants. The flavour was excellent. Much of the food was both locally sourced and attributed.
The costs of the obesity epidemic will become ever more clear. Expect taxpayers to pressure the government to take more active steps to prevent it — just as was done for smoking. As with smoking the producer groups whose foods most contribute to obesity and excess weight will oppose it, and they are well organized and well-financed. But over time, the huge cost to the taxpayer to fund the costs of obesity and excess weight will force the government’s hand. Already there is talk of a tax on sugar-laden drinks. That’s the thin edge of a long-term trend.
So who will be the winners?
Folks who produce quality food and sell it locally in stores and farmer’s markets.
Sheep (I’m biased here) and goat producers, because the smaller meat cuts that they offer have for decades suffered in competition with pork, beef, chicken, and turkey. This will gradually change-particularly for those producers who focus on increasing the eating quality of their lamb and chevon (goat meat).

Head to Tail By Mark Hall
Butchering to get the most from your beef

BC’s mobile bottler By Brennan Clarke
Unique plant helps keep costs down for small vineyards

Swarm! By Amy Hogue
How to catch a swarm of honey bees

What the pig knows By Shirley Byers
Jeff Wickstrom has picked up the tradition of spleen reading from his celebrated uncle

Night feeding for day calving By Shirley Byers
Help prevent early-hours birthing by feeding the herd later

Good news for small farmers! By Stan Potratz
Boomer driven trends will increasingly favour local, healthy products.

Departments
Editor
Letters Volunteer farm labour an indication of unsustainability; hey, SFC, get off the fence!
News & Notes Here comes in vitro meat, dandelions = rubber tires, nasty energy juggernaut rolling over Canadian farmland, less waste could equal more food
Q&A The truth about worm fractions, how to prevent tools from rusting
At Pasture Save $ in fertilizer by calibrating your manure spreader
Practical: Installing a tractor tool box and safety sign Easy afternoon project pays off in convenience