I need a chicken/garden topic...help!

[vfem]

Ok, I'm way behind on my next blog post and with spring here I need another gardening with chickens topic. I've used a bunch already in previous posts.

So throw some ideas at me!

If I've done it before I'll let you know... but chickens are so multi use in the garden, I know there is more I haven't even hit on. I'm just so drained mentally I can't weed out a thought to save my life. Writers' block I think.

 

[canesisters]

*egg shells as garden path surface
*clear-coated feathers as row markers (need a key to keep them sorted out)
*is it ok to compost eggs during wormer/medicine witholding period
*cats & chickens - coopmates?

 

[ninnymary]

Automated chicken doors. I LOVED my for 18 months until one day it malfunction and a racoon got one of my chickens. Wished I had know they malfunction so early and was going to be a minimum of $50 to send back to be fixed.

Keeping racoons out. As a result of the door we redid our run to make it predator proof and not to rely on the door. I've read about digging the hardware cloth and turning but didn't want to go this route. Instead surrounded it with bricks to prevent digging by animals. Researched and couldn't find much info on this type of barrier. So I went with 18 inches. The entire coop is surrounded by bricks and it's worked for 3 years.

Mary

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

how about coop clean out season. not always a good subject, more of a necessary evil. or ways to make clean up easier? i've heard of people using poop boards under perches to keep the shavings from getting messy too soon.

or maybe good veggies to keep around for chicken treats? ones that store well through the winter? like fodder or mangel beets. i'm going to be growing some patches of oat, wheat, alfalfa, and some other goodies this year for my bunny boy and the fluffy butts in the coop.

 

[897tgigvib]

Howbout...

Chickens as living decorations in your yard. Some are so colorful!


What breed of Chickens did Dorothy's aunt Em have in the original Wizard of Oz movie?

(If you look closely at the credits you will notice the name of one character that can't be figured. My guess is it was aunt Em's Chicken.)

 

[Ridgerunner]

Build a frame in the run and cover it with wire. They can eat the stuff that grows through but cant get at the roots to kill it.

Similar to the first, I built a frame to fit over my strawberries and covered that with wire. That stopped the chickens from scratching the strawberry plants up while digging through mulch and stopped them from eating my strawberries.

I built a fence around my blueberries to keep the chickens out so I could get some blueberries. Keeps the deer out too.

For lack of anything better to call it, build a tractor that fits over your raised beds. Keep chickens in there to kill the vegetation and fertilize it; preparing it for planting.

Maybe putting a bale of wheat straw in the run so they can rip it apart. Theyll eat a lot of the seeds that are left over after threshing and their scratching it apart will thresh it even more. Then use that as mulch. I find it easier to use with the flakes torn apart.

If you allow your chickens to have access to your compost, they will rake it for you. But build high sides so they dont scatter it all over the place.

 

[Kassaundra]

Using your chickens, and a water hose to rid your squash of squash bugs while simoteniously (sp I know but couldn't find the spell check) watering your squash and giving your chickens high protien treats.

 

[Nyboy]

After the 2nd time I tested postive for Lymes disase I got chickens for tick control.

 

[MontyJ]

I'm no help. Every time I try to think of chickens and gardening all I can see is fresh corn on the cob, dripping in butter with a nice fat chicken turning on the rotisserie. I blame Marshall.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

you have BBQ on the brain Monty!