Flock and coup size for "The Master Plan".

[Johntodd]

Got a new idea:

Growing food for chickens around the inside perimeter of the fencing. That way, all season long they'd have fresh stuff to nibble on. This is in addition to the 3000sq.ft run they have to browse in, plus supplemental feed, etc.

Now, I have 2 questions:

1. What to grow in Zone 7b?

-and-

2. Do I need to protect the young plants from the chickens?

Thanks so much!
-Johntodd

 

[aart]

Got a new idea:

Growing food for chickens around the inside perimeter of the fencing. That way, all season long they'd have fresh stuff to nibble on. This is in addition to the 3000sq.ft run they have to browse in, plus supplemental feed, etc.

Now, I have 2 questions:

1. What to grow in Zone 7b?

-and-

2. Do I need to protect the young plants from the chickens?

Thanks so much!
-Johntodd

1. don't know
2. absolutely

 

[Johntodd]

Thanks for playing.

 

[Johntodd]

Another update:

So the split system has been operating for a year now. It was a resounding success! Here is the breakdown:

I have a 2-split system, one side garden, the other side chicken run, and swap yearly. Each side is 3000 sq. ft. This year's chicken run is always next year's garden.

We now have 14 chickens. My wife wanted to see little fuzzballs out there so we hatched some chicks. They hatched ~May 29th, 2017, and are big now. We are still using fermented feed.

The hay is breaking down incredibly fast due to the agitation and manure. On the chicken side of the system, I have put down about 9 big round rolls of hay this year! Currently the hay is 6" thick and the chooks are having a ball with it.

There seem to be no more bugs on that side. But there were two species of plants the chooks won't touch: one is a clumping grass, and the other a flowery weed with small leaves. I had to deal with them manually.

Additionally, we tested the idea of sequestering a section of the run to plant spinach for the chooks to eat. In the end it was *not* worth it. We got spinach, but also weeds to deal with. After it was said and done, that very large spinach patch only lasted 2 days when the chooks were released into it. Not enough payback for the labor involved.

Originally, I was to swap the sides once a year, but the learning process here has showed me something. So, in April the chooks spent 2 weeks on the garden side (prior to planting) and debugged it for me, and then after the summer garden was done, they were put back there for another week for more debugging. Then I planted fall veggies. The result of this? Minimal insect damage in the garden. In my area, insect damage is a notorious threat to all gardens. The fact that I actually have cabbage growing right now is a testament to the power of only 3 weeks debugging time.

So the chooks have been inhabiting the run side (mainly) since last October. I can only imagine how many bugs they've destroyed, along with bug eggs and larvae. Add in weed seed consumption and the addition of all that manure, and I think I've got something really good going on. I will have to broadfork the ground in spring, I will not use a tiller.

I expect the results of the 2018 summer garden to be outstanding. 2017's summer garden (and now fall garden) are/were both fantastically productive and almost labor-free for me.

Remember, under my system, this year's chicken run is always next year's garden. The soil in the run is looking like the best stuff I've ever seen.

Thanks!
-John

 

[Mrs. K]

I am glad you updated thanks!

 

[Johntodd]

So, how about it? Anybody got any thoughts, questions, or suggestions?
-John

 

[aart]

It sounds awesome and it's great write up. Adding some pics would be great.
Wide shots of the whole thing, and some closer ups of coop, birds, etc.
Tell us about your chicken plans.
Will you harvest and replenish your layer population....
...or are they just fertilizers and bug eaters?

Put your location in your profile? It's easy to do, then it's always there.
TN is a great climate for this setup.

Using the birds to debug for a couple weeks between summer and fall crops is great.

That sounds like a lot of hay....will be interesting to see how the soil is for planting there next year and I imagine enough might remain to act as mulch between crop rows?

 

[Johntodd]

It is a lot of hay. But during my fall hay-in last year, I didn't put enough down for this year's garden. We have been gardening (only) this plot since 2009, and were not putting enough back into the soil. So when I started putting hay down, the soil started eating it like candy. I failed to anticipate how much it would break down over last winter. The result: I had lots of invisible tiny gaps in the hay, which proceeded to allow weeds to emerge. So this winter (next year's) garden plot is getting the deluxe treatment!

We will replenish our layers. We love the eggs we get - they are the best we've ever had. So thick whites and yolks, armor-plated shells, delicious flavor, and wonderful cooking and baking properties. When I bake a cake from a box mix and add 3 of those eggs people think I made the cake from scratch! LOL!

The debugging swap-outs worked like a charm. This year's run is being debugged all year for next year's garden! The chooks will be debugging it until late May, when I plant. By then, most of the spring bug-and-weed rush will be over.

And a touch of sadness: Last Saturday, our beloved RIR hen Gigi died. I wish she could have seen the coop expansions that are coming. We have renamed it "The Gigi Memorial Coop".

But her genetics live on in her offspring, which were born May 29th.

I'll try to get some photos posted soon. We've got foul weather here for a little bit.

Thanks!
-John

 

[Johntodd]

Another update:

Since I let the chickens into the garden to "debug" it before the fall planting, we have been able to grow a bumper crop of cabbages this year!

The reason this matters: We were NEVER able to grow any brassicas out there. The soil was rich, the sun full, the rain plenty, but so were the bugs. In past years we only grew "bug food"; they always ate it all!

2 weeks debug time on a 3000 sq.ft garden with 13 chickens was all it took. There was very minor insect damage, I'd say a 99% reduction over any previous year.

We're still eating those cabbages. Savoys keep really well!

Thanks!
-Johntodd