POULTRY
A chicken tractor for your garden
A
chicken tractor is a
mobile chicken coop,
wholly or partially
without a floor, which lets
From page 37
K Sheep & Goats
When you are measuring the
girth of a sheep, ensure an
accurate measurement by
compressing the sheep's wool
so that the circumference
reflects that of the body and
does not include that of the
body plus the wool. Body
length refers to the distance
your poultry forage freely on
the land, while protecting
them from the elements and
predators.
from the base of the ear to
the base of the tail (where it
joins the body).
For goats, the length of the
animal from the point of the
shoulder to the pinbone is
measured. The tape must be
pliable enough to bend
around to the point of the
shoulder and to the pinbone.
For sheep and goats calculate
body weight using Schaeffer's
formula for the weight in
pounds, which can then be
converted to kilograms, ie
heart girth x heart girth x
body length/300 = animal
weight in pounds.
Divide the result by 2,2 to
get the weight in kilograms.
For example, if a sheep has a
The thinking behind it is that
the chickens then do a
wonderful job of clearing a
patch of weeds, weed seeds, insects and grass, as well as
loosening the soil and
spreading their manure the
heart girth equal to 35 inches
and a body length equal to
30 inches, the calculation
would be (35 x 35 x 30)/300
= 122 lbs. Divide by 2.2 = 55.45 kg.
Alternatively, use the
Minnesota formula for the
result in kilograms directly.
Continued on page 41
ANIMAL HUSBANDRY
39
www.sasmallholder.co.za