IK Monitor Articles (8-3)

Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor, November 2000

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Local poultry management practices in southwest Iran

By: Mansoor Shahvali, Houshang Moinizadeh, Mohammad Amiri Ardekani

Photo 1, 2 Kolah A kolah is a coop made of clay or wood for the temporary confinement of poultry. The rural women make the kolah themselves, using local materials. They are placed fairly close to the house (to make it easier to feed the poultry and inspect the chamber, as well as to hear the cocks crowing), and yet far enough away from a hygienic point of view. The use of kolah makes it easy to collect the manure, which the rural women use for their home vegetable gardens.

The photos show kolah in the Kakan region, a dependency of Yasuj town. One is made of clay (photo 1) and the other of wood (photo 2). Photos: Ali-Mohammed Moslehi, 1997

Photo 3 Korkor A korkor or korkory is a kind of cage made of branches taken from local trees, such as the wild almond; the material costs nothing and the cages are made by family members in their free time. The photo shows a korkor in the Basht region, a dependency of Gatchsaran town. These constructions weigh very little, so that they can be moved to a warmer or safer place at night. They are easy to ventilate and to inspect, and poultry droppings can be removed quickly; in addition, they retain their elastic qualities. In case of disease or contamination, their combustibility and low price mean that they can be burned in order to exterminate pathogenic agents. Photo: Morteza Kazemi, 1997

Tokhmna-tokhmi, or khaaygay-na khaayagi: the inspection of a hen about to lay an egg. Photo: Ali-Mohammed Moslehi, 1997

Photo 4, 5 Kahloo The kahloo is quite similar to the korkor and offers the same advantages (easy to inspect, to clean and to carry). The main difference is its shape: a kahloo is closely woven, with no openings betweem the twigs. Such baskets, which are usually placed over the animal, serve various purposes: they provide a kind of quarantine; they allow newly acquired animals to become accustomed to their surroundings; they encourage hens to lay their eggs in a certain place in the house; and they protect chickens from crows and other birds of prey, and protect the eggs from cats. The photos show a kahloo in the Kakan region, a dependency of Yasuj town, first uncovered, and then covered with cloths to simulate night. Photo: Ali-Mohammed Moslehi, 1997.