Chicken Coops for Sale in Vienna, Maryland
Chicken Coops for Sale in Vienna, Maryland
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 Pictures in Vienna, Maryland
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Vienna Maryland" 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 Vienna Maryland chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Vienna, Maryland With the big boost in chicken maintaining there has been a similarly big surge in the range of chicken materiel on sale. Fowl real estate is a case in point. It's also a classic example of the good old bandwagon being got on as numerous would-be fowl housing specialists market an array of cottage claiming to be the excellent solution to your chicken real estate needs. Typically the rate looks attractive, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks appealing, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Certainly they understand a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of economical and awful coops flooding the market. I understand this as I've tested a variety of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed pail showed up. The outcome was nothing but a costly pile of fire wood and also a little group of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Boxes in Vienna, Maryland
Usually these standardized models are built of fast grown up timber - come the initial decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either defending a doorway that won't shut, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to launch the squawking occupants. The initial warm and comfortable day indicates the wood dries and also splits, the felt roofing bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the chickens choose not to enter. This is not as a result of their frustration at the decrease of their when appealing property but due to the fact that the hovel is now a place for, and also most likely abounding, the chicken keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add that it said on the blurb that it would certainly suit 4 big chickens when that equipping thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and what are you entrusted? A number of hinges as well as some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run affixed. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a huge room and also the pop hole door allows sufficient for the breed you keep, after that the primary demands of housing come down to 3 factors which will certainly specify the number of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. The majority of types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off sides so the foot rests easily on it. The perch ought to be higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly additionally normally seek the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they generate one of the most poo) bring about soiled eggs the list below day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries could take place when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is clearly less), plus if more than one perch is set up in your home they should be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors however are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your house needs to have a the very least one nest box for every single three birds and these must be off the ground and also in the darkest area of your home. The house needs to have ample ventilation: without it then condensation will develop every evening, even in the coldest of climate. Understand, ventilation works with the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving via a high space drawing cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a collection of openings on contrary wall surfaces of the house and at the very same degree, this is just what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the factors above are still real, but you must additionally think about the run size. The EU optimum lawful equipping thickness for a complimentary array bird is (as well as allow's face it, among the inspirations for keeping some hens in the house is potentially enhanced or far better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m settled. Take a close consider several of the deal houses - it could well be your home has the ideal perches, right air flow and also enough nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you get what you spend for". You may assume you've got a deal, however you as well as your group might rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house and also it will last for a few years, otherwise longer provided the proper treatment. Ultimately your poultry as well as your poultry maintaining experience will be considerably the far better for it.plan chicken
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