How One Poultry Producer Uses Solar Power for Chicken Coops
AGRIVOLTAICS
Solar powered chicken coop harnesses renewable energy to support sustainable, free-range poultry farming in open landscapes.
The‘ Power’ of Poultry
How One Poultry Producer Uses Solar Power for Chicken Coops
By Mara Watts
Solar powered technology has become increasingly popular across various industries, including agriculture. Pasturebird, an American pasture raised poultry producer, has embraced solar to grow its regenerative farming practices. Their goal is to offer their animals access to a healthier life and, in turn, provide their customers with true pasture-raised chicken.
“ We wanted to scale the business and bring the cost down to where everyday people could actually access and afford pasture-raised chicken,” Paul Greive, founder and farmer of Pasturebird said.
“ That’ s what started our journey of designing and building the Automated Range Coop.”
The company’ s 6,000-bird Automated Range Coop( ARC) is a large, floorless barn-like chicken coop on wheels that automatically moves itself 50 feet across pastureland each day.
The solar powered coops allow the company to operate in a remote area without relying on the grid. Environmentally, this provides renewable energy benefits to the farm. However, that isn’ t the primary reason why Pasturebird utilizes ARCs in their operations.
“ Our coops are out on big, very remote, rural farm fields where power is not accessible,” Greive noted.“ We still need power, however, for moving the feed, controlling the thermostat and to move the window curtains up and down. All of these things are powered by solar only.”
20 Winter 2024 www. chickenwhisperermagazine. com