Case study farms to see what plant species and how farms establish and maintain vegetation on the range.

Development of a guideline package on what and how to plant a range.

The planting of perennials to enhance the outer range areas to increase utilisation by hens.

Perennial pasture plants are very important, in the case study farms both perennial grasses and perennial legumes were utilized.  When annual species had died off for the season, perennials provided some green ground coverage, this was most evident on those farms in the temperate (Mediterranean) zone during summer.

It is difficult to achieve even usage by hens across the range. Hens utilize the areas closest to the shed more often. Temperature and wind strength have a big impact on the hens willingness to go further out on the range. Hens are less likely to venture to the outer range if temperatures are above 25 degrees celsius and it is windy. 

As a result of hen ranging behaviour, botanical composition of the ground cover species will change according to the distance from the shed; with more activity and hen numbers closest to the shed and less activity and hen numbers furthest from the shed.  Weed species tend to be present closest to the shed.

Drier climates and/or drought conditions limit the opportunities for free range farms to re-sow ground cover on the range and plant trees/ shrubs.  However, free range farms in drier climatic zones can benefit from growing shrubs like Oldman saltbush. 

In the case study farms, tree and shrubs played a vital role on the range providing shade, shelter and dustbathing sites.  All farms were actively planting trees and shrubs with hardy local species used. Furthermore, trees needed protection around the root zone from hen activity especially ranges stocked at 10,000 hens/ha.