Chicken Coops for Sale in Port Townsend, Washington
Chicken Coops for Sale in Port Townsend, Washington
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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Baby Chick Care in Port Townsend, Washington
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Port Townsend Washington" 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 Port Townsend Washington chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Port Townsend, Washington With the substantial increase in poultry maintaining there has been a just as big increase in the range of poultry materiel for sale. Chicken housing is a proceedings in factor. It's also a timeless instance of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as different prospective chicken housing specialists market an array of cottage asserting to be the optimal option to your chicken housing needs. Typically the rate looks eye-catching, the house looks desirable, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Definitely they understand a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous low-cost and also unpleasant cages flooding the market. I recognize this as I've examined a number of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed pail showed up. The outcome was only a costly pile of fire wood as well as a tiny flock of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop For Sale Near Me in Port Townsend, Washington
Generally these standardized models are built of fast grown wood - come the first decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that will not shut, or ripping the doorway furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking citizens. The initial cozy day means the timber dries as well as fractures, the really felt roof bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the chickens choose not to enter. This is not as a result of their disappointment at the decrease of their once desirable commercial property yet due to the fact that the hovel is currently a haven for, and most likely crawling with, the poultry caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it claimed on the blurb that it would match four huge chickens when that equipping density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also exactly what are you entrusted? A few joints and also some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you around ₤ 300 though this could depend upon whether you elect for a totally free standing house or one with a run connected. Assuming you are varying your birds in a huge area and also the pop opening door allows enough for the type you maintain, after that the primary requirements of housing come down to 3 points which will specify the number of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. Many types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch ought to ideally be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off edges so the foot rests pleasantly on it. The perch needs to be more than the nest box entry as chickens will certainly additionally naturally try to find the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they produce the most poo) leading to stained eggs the list below day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries might occur when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is certainly much less), plus if more than one perch is installed in your home they should be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors but are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally your house must have a least one nest box for every single 3 birds and also these must be off the ground and in the darkest location of the house. Your house ought to have sufficient ventilation: without it then condensation will accumulate every evening, also in the coldest of weather. Be aware, air flow deals with the principle of cozy air leaving via a high space drawing cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a set of openings on other wall surfaces of your house as well as at the very same level, this is just what's known as a draft. If you have a house with a run attached after that the factors above are still real, however you must also consider the run size. The EU optimum legal stocking thickness for a free range bird is (as well as let's face it, among the motivations for keeping some chickens in the house is potentially boosted or far better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m squared. Take a close take a look at some of the bargain houses - it could well be your house has the appropriate perches, proper ventilation and adequate nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the stating goes, "you get what you spend for". You may assume you've got a deal, yet you and your flock might rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house as well as it will last for a couple of years, otherwise longer offered the appropriate therapy. In the end your fowl and your chicken keeping experience will be considerably the far better for it.chicken chickens
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