Backyard Synergy, trip to haiti and how they mix chickens with garden

[claydoctor]

I have a friend that explained a set up he saw in haiti on a missions trip recently. Wanted to see what anyone thought of this for creating synergy between back yard projects. Their coop run area was on a concrete slab and fenced. The slab was pitched so that when they washed it off, everything went into the fish pond, where they raised fish for food and this fed the fish. Some of the chicken droppings were added to the garden compost. Table scraps and the garden compost was added to their worm farm, the worms were used to also feed the fish, and the fish left overs were added to the chicken feed. Being new to this, I wonder what anyone thinks of this, flaws or a great idea?

 

[MissPrissy]

Sustainable farming is always a good thing!

 

[scooter147]

Sounds like it would work.

My grandparents had two runs on their coop. They always had no less than 100 laying hens (grandma had a great egg selling business, she mainly sold those in her church, $1/dozen). The run was approx 100 x 200 and it was divided in half. So, for example, the hens had access to run "A" in 2009 and then access to run "B" in 2010. The garden was planted each year in the run the chickens were not. The chickens were given access to the entire run via one gate in the non growing season.
Grandpa always had a beautiful vegetable garden.
Always had a unique flock of laying hens as well. Usually White Rocks, Rhode Island Reds and Buffs. Made for a pretty flock.

 

[waynesgarden]

I'd wonder about the large amount of nitrogen that is constantly washiing into the water. It is a common problem in farmland and, more recently, in suburbia where fertilizer run-off pollutes open waters. The nitrogen feeds the algae, causing an "algae bloom" or excess growth of algae beyond that which the pond might support.

As the excess algae dies and decomposes, there can be a depletion of the disolved oxygen in the water, leading to fish die-off.

It's a delicate balance that must be achieved and excess nitrogen is never a good factor.

Wayne