POULTRY
How to choose your first chickens
O
ne of the first things
newbie smallholders
do is acquire a few
chickens for the
yard, (and one of
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the first mistakes they make is
to acquire a motley bunch of
the first available scrawny
“plot-hoenders” they can
find , convincing themselves
FENCING
Information on ModuPost
finances become available to products is available from
allow for this. (It simply means www.modupost.com, or
that the customer can extend contact Arno 082 494-2819
his barrier to a higher level
[email protected].
from the ground should this
become necessary).
Colour pigments can be
mixed with the thermoplastic
granules used to extrude the
posts should the customer
require a particular colour.
One of the major disadvan-
tages of a conventional
electric fence is the occur-
rence of false alarms caused
by cracked insulators. This
creates arcing between the
fence conductors and fixed
posts in both wet and dry
weather conditions. A large
and obviously expensive part
of fence maintenance and
time wastage is expended on
this problem. Being plastic the
ModuPost product limits the
occurrence of false alarms
significantly.
The design (and materials of
construction) of the ModuPost
electric fence posts adhere to
the SANS 10222-3 regulations
as required by the SA Electric
Fence Installers Association, to
ensure that these posts not
only align with the stringent
regulations as directed, but
also to ensure safe installation
and use in compliance with
standard electric fence
construction and require-
ments .
The posts are made of a
composite material that has
been UV protected and f ire
treated. According to the
SANS specifications in
extreme fire situations the
post should not deviate more
than 20% in form. The post
might lose its shape at
o
temperatures above 250 C.
that they will settle on
something more pure-bred
and fit-for-purpose later).
But choosing which breed
you want is easier said than
done, given the confusing
variety that is available. So
what are the factors that
should influence your choice?
One of the first decisions you
must make is whether you
are going to allow your “girls”
to wander free range or
35
www.sasmallholder.co.za
whether they are going to be
kept in a chicken run. If you
have inherited a run from
previous owners it might not
be very large, which will
influence your choice of
breed as size, in this case,
might count.
The idea of a flock of
chickens wandering your plot
is very appealing. They help
to keep down insects,
Continued on page 36