Polytunnel proves “user-friendly”
Penny Jackson may have cut her free range teeth on a large static unit but claims her new polytunnel building housing 4,000 hens is far more user-friendly.
“I don’t know how many female free rangers there are but I can certainly recommend this system,” says Penny, who operates the unit single-handedly.
“I can step over everything easily and all the equipment is at a convenient height. I can even climb up to the water tank without a ladder. It has a nice feel about it.”
While Penny did not envisage the switch to sole-operator, the sudden loss of her partner and a complicated set of circumstances surrounding the business, left her having to vacant the farm which had built up to sixteen thousand birds.
“As well as supplying a packer we had established very good retail sales and not only did I want to continue free ranging but I didn’t want to lose these either,” said Penny, who is based near Fordingbridge in Hampshire.
This meant she quickly had to be up and running so agreed to rent a field from a local farmer. Having seen the polytunnel on display at this year’s Pig and Poultry Fair Penny felt it would suit her needs well.
“My new landlord has been absolutely wonderful but at the end of the day should the arrangement go pear-shaped I can pick the lot up and take it wherever I want.
“Another reason that I went for the polytunnel is that the manufacturer, Macgregor, is only up the road and has had years of experience putting them up.”
The building is 56 metres long and consists of two polytunnels put end to end. The inside of the shed has been kitted out by Jansen UK and features the company’s nests and plastic slats.
One interesting design point is that because the building includes low-level steel cross-members stretching the width of the shed, it has meant the scratch area has been raised off the floor and is just a few inches below the slats.
“This will certainly help to keep the litter dry and means the birds will knock the worst of the mud off their feet when they climb up the ladders from the range,” said Penny. “But the only thing I’m a little unsure about is the fact that they are not all going up onto the slats to roost.”
When the Ranger spoke to Penny the birds—which are Lohmann Tradition—were only 21 weeks and although they were laying some floor eggs, Penny felt it was too soon to jump to conclusions.
“When we had static houses we were able to shut the birds up on the slats at night until they were fully trained,” she said. “We are getting more floor eggs than I would like to see but it’s early days yet.”
Ventilation is controlled by adjustable side curtains but Penny has also insisted on the fitting of two fans to aid air circulation.
“This is a long house and the fans help keep the air moving,” explained Penny. “I’m also wary about opening the curtains in bright sunlight.”
With the shed running north to south, Penny takes care not to open the curtain too much on the eastern side in the morning, and adopts a similarly cautious approach on the western side of the building in the afternoon.
“I know from bitter experience how hens can react to strong sunlight,” said Penny.
At a finished cost of around £15 a bird, Penny is more than pleased with a building that has the flexibility to suit her potentially nomadic lifestyle.
And she is not the only free ranger to opt for this cost-effective housing system. Ewan McGregor, managing director of McGregor Polytunnels, told the Ranger his company has been inundated with enquiries following their presence at the Poultry Fair.
Although the company has in the past supplied the occasional building for use as poultry housing, this is the first time it has put together a product specifically aimed at free range egg production.
With the mobile housing market in mind, the buildings are made up in 28 to 30 metre sections, says Mr McGregor. But the company has already taken an order for a 120 metre unit and is proposing to move it on a system of rails and roller bearings.
As for durability, the company has dispensed with any wood and construction is based on steel and plastic. Although the buildings are staked down as a precaution, Mr McGregor insists they will not blow away.
“A polytunnel never blows down,” he said, “because it acts like an aerofoil and will only try and lift off the ground. The weight of the equipment inside will prevent that happening.”