Gaerfechan

Gaerfechan have diversified into a free range egg production enterprise comprising of 32,000 bird unit. To complement the project the need for tree planting to establish woodland areas has been identified as wooded environments replicate some of the conditions that encourage natural behaviours linked to the chicken’s ancestry, including foraging, scratching and dust bathing.

Project aims:

• Tree planting design, species choice and protection.
• Tree care and maintenance best practice techniques for establishment with ranging birds.
• Mitigate against issues such as compaction.
• Identify the benefits and value of trees to health and welfare of poultry units.
• Investigate economic benefits that establishing tree cover can provide for poultry units.
• Potential for tree cover to help to reduce nutrient loading.
• Establish the project as a good example of Agroforestry.
• Target linear woodland design to intercept ammonia emissions and particulates.
• Identify the impact of tree planting on ranging practice of birds.