Eggs "Living in the orchards of Salento Lecce

Eggs "Living in the orchards of Salento Lecce


Antonio Bruno *



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Each year in the territory of the European Union are raised over 400 million laying hens, about il'68% of which are locked in battery cages of factory farms. In 2008, the number of domestic poultry flocks of laying hens was 58 million head. In battery farms, each hen has at its disposal an area of only 550 cm2, slightly smaller than a sheet of A4, in which it is impossible for the animal to make natural movements, stretching, opening their wings or simply turn in the cage without difficulty. In this note the suggestions of Professor. Donno for the planting of orchards in the outdoor area of farms "organic" of laying hens in order to reconcile the need for shadow areas with a production of fruit.

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To improve the welfare of laying hens triggered by the January 1, 2012 prohibiting the use of cages. No referral is possible. He spoke of December 28, 2010 in Lecce, in the meeting held all'Aprol, the chairman of the Agriculture of the EU Parliament Paolo De Castro, saying that it is a problem that tends to underestimate and that the contrary had to be faced in time. Speaking also of the new Pac President De Castro noted the tendency to refer all Italian has become a rule, an anomaly that, mind you, you pay the real cost increase and reduction of the space market. About the rules on the welfare of laying hens has described as "sensational" non-application of a law whose effect was announced 11 years ago.

If the chickens can not be more in the cages, where they will be raised? O enriched cages, or in shelters closed or runs, but you can also raise them organically with mobile warehouse. For the latter method that provides outdoor area (possibly with gray areas and vegetation to provide shelter from predators) with area of 4 square feet per hen I will report the research done in 1937 by prof. Giacinto Donno which shows the fruit in the hen houses. I recommend searching for a scientist to the many poultry farmers of Salento Lecce Salento Lecce. In 1937 the factory farms were rational in Italy with a population of 453 154mila chickens. In short, an infinitesimal compared to 58 million head today. Prof. She claims in her research that you can plant a fruit tree every two hens, and then at that time could have been planted about 77 thousand fruit trees in the hen houses, but today we could plant 29 million fruit trees, and from among those in " endangered "could become" custodians of biodiversity "!

The FAO estimates that in the last century are gone three-quarters of the genetic diversity of agricultural crops. For this has created, in 2008, the global seed bank, a deposit of genes built inside a mountain in the frozen islands Svabard, Norway.

In addition to the presence of the tree shading us from the fruit. Prof. Donno recommended in the choice of woods and fruit trees to be planted in the house of a directed to deciduous species. These are a few for himself and each of them represented by very few varieties. The recommendation is to choose varieties that should be collected during the vesting period as if they were subject to the posting of the fruit would become food for chickens.

Professor Donno also recommended that you choose varieties that serve the consumption of workers for farming for most of the year.

Species of fruit recommended by prof. Women are the Rosaceae and between both pome apple, pear, mountain ash that the stone fruit peach, almond, cherry, apricot and plum trees. Prof. Donno also recommends walnut, fig and mulberry. And just about the mulberry tree is to keep in mind that can compete for feed for chickens, because, as you know, the ripe fruits are easily disarticulated falling into the ground.

Even a tent would screw needed for that purpose because the chickens in that case would not reach the grapes.

Having said that we pass to the choice of varieties that will have the feature to be vigorous, with compact foliage rather than expanded. For the apple then click the Annurca variety, but it would be appropriate for the variety and butyrate Cure Hardy, for the plum varieties Catalan, Claudia and damask.

And now some advice of Professor. Women who as everyone knows has been long been the Director of tree crops, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Bari on cultural practices to be implemented for the success of these fruit trees.

For the training system to recommend the vessel and the dome. However, today the most popular implant systems have abandoned the idea of rigidly geometric forms

favor of semi-free crowns, which follow no particular constraints on its growing trend.

In recent years, in fact, are very common forms of free and low breeding tank vessel delayed.

The growth of the trees down and a tank vessel is characterized by delayed responses from trimming of the shoots during farming and a light pruning in the early years not to encourage the development of foliage and encourage early fruit development, giving preference to interventions summer than in winter.

The planting distances between 4.5 - 3.5 x 5m - 5m and a height of 2.5-3 meters of the plant.

The shade does not need to be spread over the entire surface of the house because, as noted by prof. Women, as well as chickens also need shade in the summer sun. The choice of rootstock is a critical step in the execution of the system because it depends on: the final size of the plant, its environment to the ground, its steady expansion, its resistance to pests and diseases and better pollination. And for that reason you will choose what will give the utmost vigor as we wrote that the tree has as its primary function to provide shade.

It would be desirable for many farmers Hens del Salento Lecce follow these tips to produce and market organic eggs from Lecce in Salento, a land where freedom would spread among the animals. If you want to eat organic eggs must first look at the code number of the egg, if it is a zero, then it is an egg made by a chicken free! The purchase is a powerful act, from now on I buy only eggs laid by hens free of Salento Lecce and verified by checking that the code number of the egg starts with a zero! Enjoy your meal with the egg laying hens are free of Salento Lecce!



* Agronomist (expert in urban and regional diagnostic entitled International University Master's Degree in Diagnostic IMD Urban and Regional Urban and Territorial Diagnostics).



Bibliography



Dossier Anti-Vivisection League, The breeding of laying hens. 40 million still imprisoned in battery cages

Fulvia Bovera, alternative technologies for the breeding of laying hens

Angelo Gamberini, Egg 'happy' does not allow extensions

Giacinto Donno, Poultry and Fruit - Journal of Poultry N. 10-1937

R. Rinaldi Ceroni, distribution and size of industrial poultry farms in Italy - Italy Agricola N. 5-1934

Laying hens Lav http://www.lav.it/index.php?id=384