Chickens have functions far beyond just eggs, and by properly harnessing the natural behaviors, we can create productive systems that expand the benefits of raising free range chickens.
SCOPE Zimbabwe understands that permaculture favors ethical systems that can maintain themselves or regenerate. As such, we have adopted the same model in our chicken and egg production. Chickens are an affordable element that constitutes a perfect closed cycle, from a permaculture point of view. Chickens eat waste from the gardens, kitchen scraps and food waste after staff lunches and other meals, garden waste and supply eggs and meat. They provide manure which is used in the kitchen and food gardens creating more kitchen scraps and garden waste.
Chitubu currently has a stock of 169 chickens at a rooster hen ratio of 1:7 in order to have a truly self-sustaining chicken flock. This approach has ensured that the current batch of free-range chickens achieves a more calm and stable social order. As a result of this approach, the center has a productive stock with 22 cocks, 19 Laying hens, and 18 point of lay hens. In the last 9 months SCOPE distributed 65 chickens as seeds to schools so that they can integrate the chickens in their whole school landscape designs. In the month of August USD$140 was raised from the sales of chickens and eggs.
To ensure sustainable growth, a business plan is currently being developed to determine the best methods which permit the flocks to sustain themselves without requiring any external financing.
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