In a previous post I mentioned the turkeys' impending adolescence. Well, they sure do grow up fast. Just a few weeks later the birds have already moved out of the house ... I mean, the barn.
Their new digs? A mobile coop that Omar designed and built. The main shelter of this poultry palace is on rollers; the outdoor section is spacious but lightweight - chicken wire stretched over a pine A-frame - so that we can easily carry it around the property.
The turkeys seem to enjoy this arrangement and its concomitant fresh air, fresh food, sunlight, and exercise. But the crop land benefits as well.
Right now the coop is in the olive grove at the top of the hill. In addition to their milled feed (and some overripe fruit left over from the farmstand), the turkeys are free to snack on any weeds and insects they might find within their confines. This diminishes weeds' competition with the crops over moisture, sunlight, and growing space while reducing insect pests' predation on the crops.
Perhaps the biggest benefit from the mobile coops, though, is increased soil fertility from the nutrient-rich droppings that the turkeys leave behind. After a season of moving the coop through the orchards, vineyards, and fields, we will have to add less compost and fertilizer to the soil next year.
Thanks, turkeys! We will spend less money and use less fuel by recycling your nutrients on the farm.
