Poultry Workshop Series in Massachusetts

The New Entry Sustainable Farming Project Poultry Workshop Series will consist of five workshops and will cover all aspects of raising pasture poultry.  A focus will be on meat bird production, ranging from coop design to processing. A listing of workshop titles, times, and information is presented below (click 'read more'). Please email lysisson@gmail.com or sanderson@comteam.org with any questions.

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Workshop I: Intro to Poultry Farming

February 3, 2011 6-8pm

New Entry Office, Lowell, MA
$15 (free for Farm Business Planning course students and graduates)

Register here

In our first workshop we will introduce different poultry enterprises and discuss material sourcing and regulations that affect poultry production.We will host a guest poultry farmer and take time to answer questions and concerns within the group.

Workshop II: Coop Construction

April 6, 2011 4-6pm

New Entry Training Site, Dracut, MA

This field training will cover mobile poultry coop construction and electric fencing equipment. Training will include how to select housing, fencing, feeders, watering, transportation needs, storage, and equipment necessary for poultry.

Workshop III: Brooding

May 25, 2011 4-6pm

New Entry Training Site, Dracut, MA

This field training will cover, selecting breeds and breeding programs by discussing breed selection and genetics, how to match breeds to market and pasture systems and information on selecting a hatchery.  We will also cover how to construct a brooder and holistic chick health care.

Workshop IV: Care

June 22 4-6pm

New Entry Training Site, Dracut, MA

In workshop four we will cover general care while birds are out on pasture.  This will include feed and nutritional requirements: feed rations, sources, nutritional supplements, how to analyze feed labels; pasture requirements: rotational grazing, weed management, fertility, forage quality, and pasture blends; and manure management: poultry manure and litter management and compost regulations.

Workshop V: Processing

July TBD, Aug. TBD, Oct. TBD

New Entry Training Site, Dracut, MA

These hands on field trainings will cover food safety training: including requirements for processing poultry to meet state and federal food code requirements for sanitation and HACCP protocols, product handling, and storage; and slaughter and humane processing: review local, state, and federal slaughter regulations and post-harvest storage and transportation; cover processing options and conduct hands-on MPPU field training to practice using equipment and implementing food safety protocols.