Chicken Coops for Sale in Rock Falls, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Rock Falls, Illinois
Agrotop's Green Henhouse Hotel For Humane Poultry That Matches EU Standards
Chickens won’t cluck at this: Aside from making life more comfortable for the hens, Agrotop’s henhouse incorporates wind and solar power, recycles wastewater, and even processes chicken waste into biofuel.
, but many people aren’t happy with the way chicken arrives at their table – both from a humanitarian and an environmental point of view. Most of the poultry you buy in the market is raised in factory farms, where the birds contend with overcrowding, disease and worse.
To correct this foul situation, beginning in 2012 the European Union (EU) will require farms to provide more space and more fresh air – and even a mattress or a pillow – for each bird. To comply with these regulations, farmers in the EU and in countries like Israel that sell poultry products in Europe are going to have to upgrade their henhouses. Israel’s Agrotop is poised to help, with its award-winning “henhouse of the future.”
For Agrotop, “award-winning” isn’t just corporate marketing fluff. The company really did win an award from the Ministry of Agriculture this year for its new industrial chicken coop design, which not only meets the new EU standards, but is also completely “green,” says Gaby Pelleg, one of Agrotop’s partners and directors.
A clean, green, aesthetic, humane coop “We designed the coop to physically match its surroundings, so that the natural beauty of the area where it is built will not be compromised. Plus, we use wind and , recycle the wastewater for use in the coop, and in addition we process the chicken waste to manufacture biofuels. Farmers can sell the power to the electric company, and thereby enjoy an additional stream of income,” Pelleg tells.
Chickens had it rough before, but the new EU regulations, which cover all fowl that are raised for food – and which Israel is planning to adopt as well – will make life much more pleasant for them.
Henhouse cages must provide at least 116.25 square inches of space per bird (nearly double the current standard) and provide enough space for birds to move around in freely, with access to fresh air and natural light, enabling them to flap their wings, etc. Cages will be equipped with natural or artificial grass or sand, imitating the birds’ natural environment, and each cage will even be equipped with soft material – a sort of ‘mattress’ or ‘pillow’ – for the birds to rest on.
The regulations were developed in part because of the impact of the animal rights movement, but polls show that most consumers, including those who don’t consider themselves animal rights activists, prefer to see animals well treated.
How green is your coop?
The Agrotop coop complies with the new EU rules and does them one better – by turning the coop into a model of green technology and environmental responsibility.
Industrial chicken production has also been the bane of environmentalists for years. For example, chicken manure has high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, which when discharged into the water “steal” oxygen from fish. Many areas with large poultry production facilities report occasional “fish kills,” where large numbers of fish die off, with scientists connecting their deaths directly to manure levels in the water, and environmental activists demanding that henhouses be closed down.
So in addition to being a boon for animal welfare, Agrotop’s henhouses are good for the environment, too, “The coops are built of recycled material wherever possible,” says Pelleg. “In Israel, most of the coops are in the Galilee, so we designed a low-slung building for Israeli farmers to fit in with the natural topography. The coop is raised off the ground, built on piles, ensuring that it remains a closed system that does not affect the surrounding environment – not even the grass or topsoil on which it stands.
“The roof of the building has wind turbines and , for the production of [solar] electricity. And we recycle the birds’ manure, turning it into a methane-based gas,” Pelleg continues.
While the energy produced by the coop could be used to power the building and its equipment, Pelleg says he recommends to farmers that they sell the energy back to the electric company, because they can make more money that way. “So besides lessening the birds’ impact on the environment, our coops provide farmers with an additional income stream,” he contends.
Long-lasting henhouses ready soon
It was these green innovations that pushed Agrotop’s design to the top of the Agriculture Ministry list, says Pelleg, enabling the company to beat out four other competitors for the crown. Although there was no cash awarded for the prize – just recognition – Pelleg believes that the honor will help the company to sell more henhouses, both in Israel and Europe.
Agrotop, which has been in existence for decades, is Israel’s largest manufacturer and builder of turnkey poultry production systems, and has clients in 35 countries. In Europe, Agrotop’s chief partner is Germany’s Big Dutchman, one of the world’s biggest animal husbandry companies. According to Pelleg, European customers of Big Dutchman are itching to get their hands on Agrotop’s coops. Production has just begun, and the first coops will be ready to ship at the beginning of next year.
Changing their entire production system to comply with new government regulations is expensive, and both Israel and the EU countries will be subsidizing the cost of the new henhouses.
“Our design is engineered to last a long time, because we know that even with the subsidy, most small farmers are going to have a hard time finding the funds to buy a new coop. On average, farmers buy a new coop maybe once every 20 years, and we want to ensure that the coop they buy from us lasts at least that long,” Pelleg says.
(This story was written by David Shamah and first published on ISRAEL21c – )
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Chicken Coop Near Me in Rock Falls, Illinois
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Rock Falls Illinois" into any one of the numerous search engines and a wealth of information will pop up. This information will provide links to other websites that will be informative and will provide the right direction for finding Rock Falls Illinois chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Rock Falls, Illinois With the massive boost in poultry keeping there has actually been a similarly large increase in the variety of poultry paraphernalia for sale. Poultry real estate is a proceedings in point. It's also a timeless example of the great old bandwagon being got on as numerous potential poultry real estate experts pitch an array of cottage declaring to be the perfect option to your chicken housing needs. Commonly the cost looks appealing, your house looks eye-catching, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Surely they recognize a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous low-cost and also unpleasant coops flooding the marketplace. I recognize this as I've checked a variety of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed bucket showed up. The outcome was just an expensive heap of firewood as well as a tiny group of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Baby Chick Feeder in Rock Falls, Illinois
Usually these standardized models are built of rapid grown hardwood - come the first decline of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that will not close, or tearing the doorway furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking residents. The initial warm and comfortable day means the hardwood dries and fractures, the really felt roof covering bubbles and also boils, and also come nightfall the hens refuse to go in. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decline of their as soon as desirable commercial property however considering that the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, and possibly crawling with, the poultry keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly match four huge chickens when that stocking density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as just what are you left with? A number of hinges and some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run attached. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a big room and also the pop hole doorway is big sufficient for the breed you maintain, after that the primary requirements of housing boil down to three points which will specify the number of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as air flow. Many breeds of chicken will perch when they visit roost at night, this perch ought to ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch ought to be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will also normally look for the acme to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they create one of the most poo) leading to dirtied eggs the list below day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries could occur when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is obviously less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in the house they must be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally your house needs to have a the very least one nest box for every three birds and also these need to be off the ground and in the darkest area of your house. Your home must have adequate ventilation: without it after that condensation will build up every evening, also in the chilliest of weather condition. Be aware, ventilation works with the principle of cozy air leaving via a high space attracting cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a collection of openings on contrary walls of your house and also at the exact same level, this is what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run attached then the points above are still real, but you must also take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful stocking density for a totally free variety bird is (as well as let's face it, among the inspirations for maintaining some chickens in the house is potentially enhanced or better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m made even. Take a close look at several of the deal homes - it could well be the house has the best perches, right ventilation and adequate nest boxes for a reasonable variety of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the saying goes, "you obtain just what you spend for". You could assume you've grabbed a deal, yet you and also your flock might rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house as well as it will certainly last for a few decades, if not longer given the appropriate treatment. In the long run your poultry and your chicken keeping encounter will certainly be much the better for it.chick chickens
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