composting and gardening

[gapeachy]

does anybody else compost? I recycle almost everything in my compost pile even my fireplace ashes.....well this will be the first year for yard chickens we always had game fowl that ran around on our land ...they never bothered my garden or flowers....I take pride in my garden and flowers and herbs....that is what I do in the spring and summer......I have a fence around my garden but not flowers and herbs ....I let all my chickens free range during the day and probably this summer all the time....well will the chickens eat my garden and herbs and flowers?

 

[crazy hen quartet]

We garden and compost.

Our girls will get into and try to eat almost everything, so we had to wrap our beds in mesh (like heavy gauge bird net) to keep them out. Broccoli, Cauliflower, lettuce greens, onions, spinach, tomatoes... I think about the only thing they leave alone is the basil and only because there is so much other good stuff.

I don't know about other herbs and flowers. I know mine will taste test everything, I have some ornamentals they totally leave alone and some they go crazy over and will strip to the ground if allowed.

You should also check and see if any of the plants you have are toxic to them

http://www.poultryhelp.com/toxicplants.html

 

[waynesgarden]

Chickens will eat just about anything growing. I've fenced the veggies but like you, the flower beds are fair game. I had a hard time keeping them out of the impatiens this year. (They prefered the red flowers over the whites.)

As for compsting, I have a very large garden and make tons of compost. Each day I add a garbage bag of wood shavings and a 5 gallon pail of coffee grounds to the ever-growing piles. Two weeks ago, I cleaned out the coop, added the litter to one end of the pile, mixed in 2 pails of water for moisture and within 24 hours it was cooking at 145 degrees.

Wayne

 

[gapeachy]

I bet you will growing some serious tomato's this year.....do you also home can?