Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[satay]

Some chooks will ringbark young trees, so you need some protection around the base of the stem,
but the fruit is a valuable source of extra food for them.  They will eat all fallen fruit.

Thanks ash. I have chooks in my main fruit tree grove but all the plants are large and they have never bothered them. I will look into some trees and use the protection you suggest. Hmmm just hit 36c at 9am think the weather people got it wrong again....

 

[Fancychooklady]

We use the off cuts of the black ag drain pipe around the base of our trees to stop the rabbits ring barking them. I also put chicken wire around the roots to stop the chooks digging them up. They love plum and nectarine trees too. A free feed is always a good feed.

 

[K Spot]

No losses suffered here yesterday. My diligence paid off in keeping everyone alive.
Much cooler here today with a pleasant breeze

 

[satay]

No losses suffered here yesterday. My diligence paid off in keeping everyone alive.
Much cooler here today with a pleasant breeze

Wanna share.. We are just about 41c. Slightly cooler than yesterday but I am getting over the heat of the last week.

 

[LordStark]

We didn't quite hit the 40 mark, came closer than I'd like though. Cold change and rain came through on saturday which was most welcome.
Sunny again but quite pleasant, even drenched a few hundred lambs this morning. Managed to sell ten of my chicks to a neighbour yesterday which is great because I didn't really have much room for them. Plus feeding is getting a bit intense. And now I've got three more broody chooks sitting on eggs, another reason I needed to move them along.

Congrats on your chicks sandee and good luck with your exams.
p.s I'm from the central west aswell

 

[appps]

Do they try and eat them when the plants eat young though? I have a custard apple outside the main pen but the other 4 pens only have gums in them so would be interesting to try. Someone said citrus trees are good for chook runs I have a lot of them planted around the place so was kinda hoping for something different... Hmmm I'll have a think about it.

It's not so much them eating the plant as choosing that spot to dig out for a dust bath and digging out the root ball. I've found I just need to cut a square of chicken wire then cut a gap through to a hole in the middle (like a donut) and peg that to the ground around the tree. Works well around my herbs to keep them from digging them up too.

My mandarin has had it's best year ever, not sure if it was running the dripper system round it or that we extended their run round it. Definatly hasn't bothered it though. I tend to stick to citrus because I get fruit fly in everything else. Hoping the fig fruits early enough they don't get in that.

 

[IamSamSam]

I have little bitty black figs growing now and olives and plums but we lost a lot of flowers due to wind so not so many plums this year.

 

[cwrite]

I think you are right about the weather people getting it wrong Satay. We were supposed to get rain today, it's hot and humid and I don't think the clouds are going to amount to anything.

I have pawpaw growing in tyres in the run and have had to put fencing around that. They haven't fruited yet, but apparently the leaves are very tasty. I planted black berries in the tyre recently. I figure that the chooks can keep the tendency to spread under control.

Teila, I'm going to use your idea when my rose gets taller. I take the fencing off (it's in the run) every now and again so that the chicks can eat the grass but if I leave it off too long they dig it up. I think it's because I keep it damp so it's nice, cool soil.

I brought my hens inside for 3 hours yesteray. I swore never again because it smelt so bad. My hubby who has never been that keen on them said, well maybe, to save a life.

 

[satay]

It's not so much them eating the plant as choosing that spot to dig out for a dust bath and digging out the root ball. I've found I just need to cut a square of chicken wire then cut a gap through to a hole in the middle (like a donut) and peg that to the ground around the tree. Works well around my herbs to keep them from digging them up too.

My mandarin has had it's best year ever, not sure if it was running the dripper system round it or that we extended their run round it. Definatly hasn't bothered it though. I tend to stick to citrus because I get fruit fly in everything else. Hoping the fig fruits early enough they don't get in that.

Thanks appps

 

[satay]

I think you are right about the weather people getting it wrong Satay.  We were supposed to get rain today, it's hot and humid and I don't think the clouds are going to amount to anything.

I have pawpaw growing in tyres in the run and have had to put fencing around that.  They haven't fruited yet, but apparently the leaves are very tasty.  I planted black berries in the tyre recently.  I figure that the chooks can keep the tendency to spread under control.

Teila, I'm going to use your idea when my rose gets taller.  I take the fencing off (it's in the run) every now and again so that the chicks can eat the grass but if I leave it off too long they dig it up.  I think it's because I keep it damp so it's nice, cool soil.

I brought my hens inside for 3 hours yesteray.  I swore never again because it smelt so bad.  My hubby who has never been that keen on them said, well maybe, to save a life. 

Yes it sure is humid today. No signs of any clouds out here... bummer...