Designing a Tilapia Hatchery (low-tech)

RupertofOZ

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

Cyara

synaptoman wrote:

We've got 40 hens (all free-range) and they all have to have a turn doing "toilet duty" for a few hours every week

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?

synaptoman

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

Bridgette

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 :flower:

Outbackozzie

Yep, very impressive

DanDMan

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

Cyara

synaptoman wrote:

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

Thanks. Much appreciated. Good site. :flower:

Cyara

DanDMan wrote:

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

Can chicken poop add all the minerals?

synaptoman

Quote:

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

Cyara

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?

hydrophilia

synaptoman wrote:

We've got 40 hens (all free-range) and they all have to have a turn doing "toilet duty" for a few hours every week

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!

sa aqua

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

Outbackozzie

mega hatchery

Cyara

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

synaptoman

Quote:

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

Where is it?

Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics