Best breed for gardening. .

[TheRusticRebel]

Wasnt sure where to put this. But it does involve flock management.

So i tried having my laying hens free range a couple years ago. They tore upneverything.flower Bushes, tomato plants zuchinni. Nothing was safe from them and i only had 5 at the time.

Now i have 13. 5 rir 2 1/2 years old And 8 EE 18 months.

Id like to get some smaller birds to roam my garden. The layers are fenced into a 1/3 of an acre of their own.

Is there a type of poultry that woildnt be so destructive, can roam the rest of the property. Not fly over 6 ft fencing to get in with the bigger birds. And could i have a rooster without him getting to the bigger girls.

If i cant free eange id consider enclosing rhe garden and having it as part of a run.


What would i do with small eggs? Is there any business in selling fertilized eggs of smaller birds?

Kind of stream of thought questioning here. Sorry if it makes no sense.

 

[aart]

Is there a type of poultry that woildnt be so destructive, can roam the rest of the property. Not fly over 6 ft fencing to get in with the bigger birds. And could i have a rooster without him getting to the bigger girls.

<sings> dreeammm dreamdreamdreamdream drrreeeaaammmm
Sorry.


Might think about chunnels in garden paths for pest control without plant destruction.
it's lots of work but....or...fence garden beds so chooks can't get at plants.
Either way fence em in or fence em out.

 

[igorsMistress]

Hi there. It makes total sense!

Unfortunately you'd do better to enclose your garden and let the flock run the rest of your property if you're looking for more chickens. Usually smaller birds can fly higher and further. I have a smallish hen in my flock and she flies about 20 feet across the yard to catch up with everyone else. The bigger gals only get about half that distance.

Bantams are fairly popular, particularly for folks who want pets or a lot of variety. Obviously they're smaller so you can have more of them in the same space. You can use 2 or 3 bantam eggs to replace one standard egg in a recipe.

If you have a roo he may very likely fly over the fence to check out the big girls. Little guys have lots of nerve and personality from what I understand.

I don't know anything about ducks, geese or guineas. I can tell you coturnix quail are fun and I kept them in my garden for a while. The problem I had is the smell and the daily egg hunt. They don't lay in a nest like chickens, they just plop out an egg and move on. If you don't find them all they smell like death when they rot. They aren't as destructive because they can't reach things as high as chickens but they'll munch what they can reach. They are ground dwellers but don't go to roost. They prefer to hide under bushes and such at night. If your garden has no roof and you have owls or other predators you'll gradually loose them to predation.

I've resorted to putting a fence around my gardens and planting things my flock doesn't devour in the rest of the yard.

Good luck!

 

[NatJ]

Silkies don't fly (because of the hairlike feathers), and they are small.

Small eggs: cook them and eat them. For recipes that require a certain number of eggs, you can just measure the right total amount of eggs. Last time I checked, 3 of the eggs I buy from the store made 1/2 cup. (2 made 1/3 cup, 4 made 2/3 cup).

And small eggs make really cute sunny-side-up eggs. You just eat a few more of them for the same size meal

Selling small eggs for hatching: some people do, but I would not expect to sell very many, or to make much money from it. You will probably still have small ones left over.

Keeping small rooster apart from large hens: good fences are the only possible way. Some chickens are better than others at going over/through fences. It's one of those things that may take some experimenting. Separating them only matters if you want to hatch eggs from those large hens, and do not want the small rooster to be the father. If you're not hatching eggs from the big hens, then no need to separate.

Chickens in the garden: I would suggest a fence around the garden, and let chickens in sometimes under supervision. Or use portable fencing to let them have access to certain areas but not others.

Taking a particular crop for an example--chickens can be in the squash-area before it gets planted, fenced out while the plants are small, come in occasionally when the plants are bigger, and be allowed back full time in the fall when the plants will die anyway. There might be a stage when the squash plants are so big and sturdy that chickens can be present full-time, but that would have a lot to do with how many chickens and how much space.

For a different example, I would assume chickens should never spend more than a few minutes in the lettuce patch, except when you want the remaining plants killed and dug up

 

[Mrs. K]

One year, I did raise my chicks in the garden. I carried them out in a cardboard box, laid the box on its side, and they found the box again when it got dark.

BUT the garden was fairly established, they hatched in late May, and they did eat the baby grasshoppers and were not big enough to scratch hard. They hid in the beans, and under the tomatoes to get some shade in the afternoon.

However, within weeks - they were in the coop.

Mrs K

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Yeah, I agree with the others - I came in to say "None of them are good breeds for gardening!". Chunnels are probably wise, though, if you want pest control.

 

[lovesfarms]

It's hard to find a chicken that will stay in a fence. Once they get heavier, they will stay inside, or you can coop a wing. But if they free range I prefer then to be able to fly up in small bushes and trees to Safety, away from dogs and other predators. Its less frustration for you and then to just fence off a portion of flower beds or garden that they may get into, let them wreck that area and keep the others nice. It's so ingrained in then to scratch for insects and pebbles and to cool off and do their dusting that is near impossible to train them not to. Good luck in your decision!

 

[TheRusticRebel]

Thanks for the reply.

Id been considering getting small birds for possible breeding. And hatching just for a hobby or enjoyment. Maybe trying to sell of things but not for profit. Id even consider donating.

Id love some little silkies.

Im guessing a rooster and 2 females is standard to start?

Currently i have so many eggs. But indont sell them. I give them to a few co workers . but it is tiring to chase people down to give them eggs for free. They slip me cash for feed here and there or like one lady gave me a bunch of seeds and veg starts. So if i can do something similar here i wouldnt mind.

 

[Orpingtonsarecool]

sultans were named sultans because sultans favored the breed for not killing the ground
https://morningchores.com/sultan-chickens/

 

[Chicalina]

I recommend seramas too. teeny tiny and they do very little damage. plus super friendly and cute