Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

A long time in the making Synapto.... but a great end result... take a bow Sir....

I want to do something like this Synaptoman. But have all the hens over the pond at night. How big should the quarters be for sleeping per hen? I will free range in tractors by day. Even if it is raining... just have rain covers. It is not only the poop value at night but easier to keep them safe this way I think.
What do you think?

If they are only over the ponds at night, I'd say that they need very little space. Ask these guys;

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/

They've taken a very keen interest in my experiments.

Cheers

very impressive the whole setup, as someone said before, my only concern would be the salmonella, ive seen it in action before caused by chooks, but then we use it in normal earth type gardens and it seams ok, might research this some more

Bree

Yep, very impressive

Very nice! Are you adding minerals or are the chickens providing all the minerals?

Thanks. Much appreciated. Good site.

Can chicken poop add all the minerals?

Pretty much all. Anything the plants need you just add to the chicken feed and it ends up on the plants (via the fish).

We have discovered that with the chickens over the fish the plants are suffering less from iron deficiency (yellow leaves etc.) Clearly the chicken feed contains more iron than the Tilapia pellets. Who know what else, but the veggies are thriving.

Cheers

This is excellent news!

What is given to the chickens.... just the normal grain poultry mix with sunflower seeds? Scratch around and find themselves some bugs....... ? Anything else?

Chickens are messy eaters and waste a fair amount of food. How about free-range chickens with the feeder located above the tilapia tank so any waste falls in? You could also have roosts there to bring in that manure (night-soil, anyone?). A screen (one cm?) should catch any feathers....

I should probably be posting this on the chicken forum!

how perfect would this be for a system or hatchery,not being used but in perfect working order

mega hatchery

Looks fantastic! I wouldn't waste it...... can really do stuff there!

Where is it?