Poultry IPM Really Counts !

Follow Sound IPM and save work!

Integrated pest management (IPM) uses a set methodology to help control pests on the farm.  By looking for pests and counting (index) them you are seeing each week if controls are

Source: Sergei Frolov / Wikimedia Commons.

actually working.  Environmental controls, especially water spillage in the poultry house is critical to good fly control.  Be sure all waterers are adjusted properly to the size of the bird you are feeding.  Check for any leaks in the system.  Dry any wet areas in the house.  And, pick up any spilled feed eggs or any other materials that will attract flies.

If fly control is needed, consider using cultural controls to help control fly breeding in the house.  The addition of temporary drying fans to move or stir air in the house may speed manure drying.  Mechanical methods, such as fly paper and traps is a non toxic control that does not breed resistance into the fly population.  Biological controls can be deployed such as wasps and beetles that prey on the fly at certain points of the fly life cycle.

If considering chemical controls, be sure to read and understand the label for the material being considered for use.  Is spraying near poultry an acceptable use on the label?  If not apparent consider consulting a licensed pest control applicator or extension educator for your particular state for guidance.  It is important to rotate between classes of pesticides to help reduce pesticide resistance.  Apply to lower walls and posts where flies will emerge as they hatch.  Use baits indoors near birds to help reduce adults in the house.

Lastly, before spreading or selling poultry manure, make a final assessment to see if any flies are active in the manure that  is to be removed.  This will help keep the spread of flies in the area to a minimum.  Properly spread manure in the correct climate will dry down quickly to a point that will no longer support fly breeding.

By following good IPM controls, pests can be minimized on the farm.

Watch what you eat, let your grass grow

Allow grass to catch up before heavy grazing

photo: Live Springs Farm

With the advent of Spring, many organic & small flock farms are looking to release their birds outside.  Be aware that while your birds may be hungry, the plants may not be ready to grow to sustain them.  This in turn will then create bare spots on your range.  Allow your range areas to "spruce up" and grow to about 4" or longer prior to release.  This will allow a healthy root to sustain grazing by most classes of poultry.  Practice good range rotation when grazing to allow the grass a chance to catch up.  Move on range conditions rather than time for optimal results.  Also maintain feeders as a backup to slower growing spring fields.

Most food is a GMO…

There is more to this than a Label...

There has been a lot of debate regarding genetically modified organisms in the world.  I

Source: Wilson's Page

would suggest that unless you catch it wild that what you are eating is genetically modified.  So technically (in my opinion), in essence you can put a GMO tag on just about any food you can think of…

If we use corn for example, wild corn looks nothing like the corn we eat today.  Ever since Gregor Mendel, Luther Burbank and Barbara McClintock (a corn geneticist) we have been manipulating animal and plant genomes for years.  This has allowed man to keep producing more food on the same footprint of land.  It also has allowed more people to work elsewhere and spend a smaller portion of their time and money on food.

Well, what about buying “vintage” breeds of chicken?  Yes, unless kept in a random bred flock they too are modified in some way, and look nothing like their ancestors.  Poultry breeding companies adopted the same genetic tools to poultry breeding and selection and made todays birds more productive in the same environment of old.  Even organic raised birds are using the identical genetics of conventional birds.

And, for that matter, man is also a genetically manipulated species as well.  While we could argue that we are randomly selected, I would suggest that environmental influences and social customs, taste & preferences are still at play in forming the next generation.   I would also suggest that we look at the good that science has given to man, even in the food we eat.  I believe it does outweigh the bad.