Chicken Tractors - Small Scale Poultry

We purchase whole chickens directly from a farmer who raises them and kills and gets them ready for us to put them into our freezer. We currently pay four dollars a pound when we pick up at his farm. We have bought from five or six different farmers over the years. All became friends and it is always a special occasion to make the trip to the farm for another pickup. I get at least six at a time. Because I pickup at the farm, USDA inspection is not required. All of these farmers used a confinement method called "chicken tractors" where a small bottomless coop is dragged at least once a day to a new grassy spot right next to the previous grassy spot. The chickens get to eat greenery and bugs, and so have the benefits of free range without the risks of predators. The manure is invested directly into the ground, and gets spread thoroughly by the methodical moving of the coop. A fertilized strip is created. The farmer I intend to pick up from in October is raising 100 birds this batch.