This is my first year with a
chicken tractor and we are in the summer dormant season, so the little guys are just sitting there in one spot in the shade waiting until they can get out on the range. I have pondered this situation for a while trying to figure out how to modify the Salatin system to the Central Valley, California climate. In our climate, we get rain in the winter, and that is when the grass grows. In the summer it dies, and we would be akin to being in the winter so to speak. All the wild annuals die without
irrigation (not doing irrigation) during the six months from May to October without rain, and the strategy is to just stay cool during the 90-100 degree sometimes plus.
So, I have the little guys under a big shade tree and squirt them off a bit when it gets over 95 degrees. Its a shame to waste all that
poop, and I really dont want to shovel it into the
compost heap. Can I put a tarp underneath with
hay on top? Has anyone tried that? I would leave a little spot open for dust baths. They enjoy that too much to deny them this treat. Im just going to do that and see what happens unless I hear otherwise. Are there any concerns I
should be aware of?
