In Australia, chickens are being tested to improve soil quality on a cattle farm
At Gabion Station in the Murchison region of Western Australia, farmers Gemma Kripps and Helen Williamson have been raising about 150 laying hens alongside cattle for two years. They are investigating whether intensive grazing by chickens can improve soil moisture and plant health, according to ABC News Australia.
The farm is located about 500 kilometers northeast of Perth and covers 271,000 hectares, although the chickens use only a small portion of that area. At night, the birds are kept in a trailer that automatically opens and closes on a timer. To protect the chickens from dingo attacks, they are also surrounded by a large portable electric fence that is regularly moved across the pasture.
According to Kripps, chicken manure fertilizes the soil, and the chickens’ scratching helps improve water infiltration. She explained that in areas where chickens had previously grazed, the color of wildflowers changed the following year—from yellow-white to pink. The farmer speculates that this may be related to a change in soil acidity.
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After the winter rains and the emergence of green vegetation, the egg yolks took on a richer orange color. At the same time, according to the farmers’ observations, the chickens did not eat the wildflowers but instead foraged in the soil around them. Eggs from the farm are sold in the city of Geraldton.
Earlier this year, a dingo killed about 80 chickens in a single morning, which significantly impacted egg production. The farmers are also monitoring the risk of avian influenza following the detection in June of the highly pathogenic H5 strain in seabirds in Western Australia. The station is located 200 kilometers from the coast, in a remote area without a permanent water source. Krepps noted that the farm is considering raising its own chickens to enhance biosecurity.
