Chickens in Permaculture

[Leahs Mom]

Reading the books helped me understand way more than any other resource I read before.

The video is focused on top bar and helped me also because it was visual.

I would let you borrow the video if you'd like to watch.

 

[Leahs Mom]

PS: It's a lot of reading! But, for me at least, it was very helpful and worth the time.

 

[aart]

Reading the books helped me understand way more than any other resource I read before.

The video is focused on top bar and helped me also because it was visual.

I would let you borrow the video if you'd like to watch.

Thanks, will keep that in mind...tho there's a lot of videos out there already.
Starting to gain an understanding of the topbar concept...and it's becoming attractive.

@shortgrass I know you probably don't mind the thread drift turning to bees, but thought I'd acknowledge it anyway

Tho another part of my bee plan is to plant an old 'lawn' portion of my property, now called the 'east field' cause I only mow it when the saplings need taking down-which seems to be less the last 2 years, with some bee nectar forage.

 

[shortgrass]

Oh I rather enjoy the bee discussion; lol I think I might have brought it up


DH has some hives, but they are in a sad state of disrepair; we went out last spring and tried to piece together some good ones, but thought we'd look into new, as not to possibly start over in contaminated hives.

There are so many hayfields around, and I have things that need pollinated, plus who doesn't like honey?


Oh but that stuff is so pricey anymore, we picked up a BetterBee catalog and decided to wait one year and build up a few nice hives in the meantime...

We have a apucultirist with Cornelian bees, and that's what I was going to do, just get a nuc or 2 from her... Are Cornelian a good bee breed? Seemed like the more I researched, the more confused I got. Lol all I know for certain is I don't want "mongrels"?

 

[centrarchid]

Hopefully you have locally adapted honey bee stocks to start from. More likely than not they will be mongrels.

 

[shortgrass]

Oh, we most definitely have no shortage of good stock to pick from; it seems to be a highly popular hobby around these parts

Our last 3 big scores came from knocking down old outbuildings that they moved into, and now there's a huge cottonwood tree that has been literally buzzing for the last 2 years and I was thinking of how to get THOSE bees, but those would be the "mongrels", wouldn't they? I doubt they would stay put

Oh but the honey they make in their own natural hives is not even the same as " hive" honey; it spoils every bottle I buy local, and don't get me wrong, its delicious clover honey, but I have never seen honey like the kind we got out of those old buildings.. It was literally clear, and the taste was out of this world delicious!

 

[lazy gardener]

Could it be the difference between "wild" bees and "cultivated" bees?

 

[centrarchid]

Honey bees not cultivated in Americas are best referred to as feral. They are neither native nor had time settle down into naturalized populations in part because of the continued genetic inputs from cultivated bee stocks. The cultivated stocks (pure and otherwise) are being moved around too much which may also play a role in the disease issues beekeepers face..


Wild and feral are very different once you get into the realm of agriculture.

 

[shortgrass]

Oh I just got my Bountiful Gardens catalog!!!!


New this year, the BUTTERFLY COLLECTION! They have collections for bees, Biodynamics, permaculture, and...you guessed it, chickens


Here's the page with the bee, beneficial, butterfly attracting collections, etc...
https://bountifulgardens.org/departments/147

And here's a description of the one specifically for chooks
https://bountifulgardens.org/products/LPK-6735


I've got a little of everything going in on xt spring, to add to what I've got out there doing its own thing... I'm adding some omega blends to give them better legume options all year round, since winter here everything but the alfalfa dies down for winter. I did winter peas and they are doing great, really, handling 20 below zero like champs

I love digging through seed catalogs during winter, gives me great ideas and boosts my morale when my desire for some sun gets me down

 

[aart]

And here's a description of the one specifically for chooks

https://bountifulgardens.org/products/LPK-6735

:-|
I don't trust any source that has chickens in sweaters...

.....and says "PACKETS MAY HAVE SUBSTITUES"
What's a 'substitues'?

(mostly kidding, but really-Chicken Lettuce?)