Whether our oilseed
radish experiment
will add much organic matter to the pasture soil remains to be seen,
but the chickens are definitely fans.  I currently have two
popholes opening out of the coop — one goes into the oilseed radish
pasture and the other channels the flock out into the woods.  I’ve
noticed that the rooster leads his ladies over to the oilseed pasture
for at least a couple of hours every day.

The chickens have eaten
the leaves pretty hard, but there’s a large enough expanse of radishes
(and enough energy stored in each one’s tuber) that new leaves keep
coming back.  This is definitely a cover crop worth planting for
the flock if you have any bare soil in your pasture in the fall.

I’m probably going to
interseed white clover and bluegrass in the oilseed pasture next month,
then let it lie fallow all summer so the sod can get established. 
It will be interesting to compare it to its sister pasture, started the
same year and similarly shady, but without the benefit of oilseed
radishes.

I’ve mentioned Joel
Salatin’s rotational
grazing system
before, but I thought you might enjoy reading about it in more
detail.  Two friends of mine are emulating Salatin’s model on a
smaller scale, and I got to visit their farm (and take lots of
pictures) a couple of weeks ago.  I wrote about the experience on
my homesteading blog:

• Salatin-style
  pasturing — An introduction to our buddies’ farm.
• Colonizing
  livestock: Pigs and goats — You can use pigs and goats to break
  new ground.  Pigs emulate plows while goats are like bushhogs.
• Maintainer
  livestock: Chickens, sheep, and cows — Once you’ve created a
  grassy pasture, a combination of a ruminant with some type of poultry
  will keep the pasture healthy.
• Electric
  fences for pasture rotation — Joel Salatin’s model uses easily
  moveable electric fences.
• Bringing
  Salatin’s methods to the backyard — The pasture model outlined
  above is a great permaculture tool for moderate to large
  acreages.  But what do you need to tweak to get some of the same
  benefits in a tenth of an acre backyard?

I hope you enjoy the
virtual tour!