Chickens are working their magic!

[Ladyhawke1]

"Chickens are ultimate gardeners (when it's toward their own ends!) I like to topdress my blackberries with compost, but almost immediately they go to and sling it everywhere to get the worms and other tasty bugs out. I raked it back on thinking they'd probably got them all and would leave it alone--nope they tossed it all off again."

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Hey that is their job!

 

[curly_kate]

My chickens lost interest in the manure, so I figured it was safe to scrape it back into place. That must have reminded them it was there or something, because it was a free-for-all as soon as I did that.

 

[gapeachy]

my chickens are getting into my flower garden and my chocolate mint is just now popping up and they go to scratching and the smell is wonderful but I dont want them to kill the early sprouting....seems like when I let them out and we have 11 acres they go straight to the flower beds and my vegetable garden...I hate to keep them up all the time but I do alot with my gardens....lol

 

[wifezilla]

Fence off the plants and give them the pathways.

 

[vfem]

Fence off the plants and give them the pathways.

Yeah, I agree.... even if its a temp fence until the plants are good and thick and can hold their own. Right now I'm having problems with my chickens scratching up my new blueberry and raspberry beds!!! The one place I ran out of fence.

 

[Mattemma]

Our red sex link hens laid all winter despite being in a rather dark and uninsulated metal shed. I was expecting to buy eggs this winter,and was so happy we never had too.

 

[curly_kate]

Our chickens have a permanent smallish area that they quickly get bored in. We use snow fencing and metal stakes to create a movable area to give them new stuff every so often. I'm actually going out to fix some low spots where my BPRs have discovered that they can escape. Wouldn't be so bad, except they make a beeline for my veggie garden. They already destroyed my snow peas. Little buggers!!

 

[vfem]

I let the chickens out the day before yesterday to get all stretched out for the WHOLE day (usually they get 4-5 hours at the end of day after everyone is done laying). Those little brats got in, and ripped up my entire strawberry bed!!!

I was out for an hour trying to replant and save my berries.

They seem fine now, but I have to get a larger coverage area for them now. Little feathered brats become obsessed and you can't win the battle nicely.

So did you decide on a new design fence kate?

 

[wifezilla]

I started planting in my pond system (pond filter feeds in to trays that water large planting pots). The ducks saw me. They have been plotting their escape ever since

 

[freemotion]

Just a note on the lack of eggs during the moult....I start saving up eggs (second fridge really helps!) late summer and dating them and stashing them in the fridge. They will keep for four months (MEN tests.) No buying icky store eggs here! Maybe one dozen if I misjudge, but it is dh who buys them. I'm willing to wait the hens out.