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Rock Home Isle said:
4 years with chickens in the backyard...and I still have lush green grass. :)

1000



Now I just need to keep 'em out of the garden....still working on that one.
Click to expand...

How do you DO that? I do not have a lawn, just field grasses and weeds that I don't even water or mow. That is OK with me, still, but I have CRATERS, where the chickens dust bathe, and PITS where the dog excavates. These are NOT OK. Am thinking to plant shrubs or flowers where they've dug a hole for me, and fence them off. Just filling in the holes tickles the chickens to death with the new bathing material.

Word to the wise - maybe "unwise" if you are trying to garden with chickens - if you are using potting soil, most potting soils contain perlite; chickens LOVE this stuff. Maybe it's OK, maybe it just goes to the gizzard and does its thing of grinding up food, but if you have second thoughts about this, don't use potting soil. Use good top soil, coir, and compost. The coir (coconut husk) will retain moisture and help maintain an aerated mix. It doesn't degrade or get sour like peat moss. If you HAVE to have perlite, consider large grade vermiculite as a substitute. But FIRST determine if your chooks are attracted to it. May be that the perlite is a better deal for them, but think about it.
 
The yard usually looks rough in the spring. Areas of the yard that have always been bad spots tend to attract the girls attention for dust bathes and digging.

Pearlite is an inert substance...I don't use it in my garden, but I don't worry about it if an old potted plant gets dumped in the garden either.

I like to manage my small flock, and I enjoy having a lush green lawn.
 
That is so good to hear, Rock. Your yard and your flock are an inspiration to me. Maybe one of these days I'll get a good small patch of lawn together from which I'll be able to sit back and watch the sunsets. Nice lawns are hard to come by around here. I mention the Perlite only because it is ubiquitous and it is lethal to the box turtles that I keep. Seems not so with chickens. My chickens are NUTS about styrofoam and will go to great lengths to get to it. Am quickly getting to the point where I will not keep ANYTHING styro on my property. Take care.
 
Rock Home Isle said:
You keep Box Turtels? :eek:

That is AWESOME...I love Box Turtles.

Great minds.... :)

1000
Click to expand...

YES I've had several in the past, and I kept them in outdoor pens when I could. My breeding group was stolen years ago, and I was never able to replace the females. All I have left are three males of the western type box turtle, like those in your photo. I've had them for almost 16 years now, and they are very adapted to captivity. I myself am quite addicted to them.
 

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