Gardening with chickens (and other poultry)

[kacklinkelly]

This is our first time with backyard chickens. We chose the tractor set up and are curious to see what our
lawn looks like this year after the girls have had a go at detaching it this winter and fertilizing it. Not
necessarily gardening but it's a start!

 

[mymonkeybug]

This is our first time with backyard chickens. We chose the tractor set up and are curious to see what our
lawn looks like this year after the girls have had a go at detaching it this winter and fertilizing it. Not
necessarily gardening but it's a start!

A good start is always what works best in your situation. Keep us updated.

 

[dairygirl]

Have had chickens and a garden for awhile and try to keep them separated except in the winter. Guinias are great in the garden! Really missed mine last year (lost the last of mine to old age). I noticed last year that without them I had more weeds and tons more bugs! Plan on getting a new batch this spring. Thinking of getting a few runner ducks this spring, fell in love with them at the state fair. Does anyone know how they do running free range in the garden?

 

[AccidentalFarm]

As someone else said earlier in the thread, I fence my garden and let the chickens have everything else. I have a huge garden 'pasture' that I used to plant in, but it was just far too much to keep up with. Now I have a large, fenced, raised bed garden that is just a dream to work in. I love it.
I keep the garden gate open during the off season so that the chickens can go work through it at-will, but it stays closed when I've got seedlings coming up. Once the plants are established, the chickens are allowed back in whenever they want. Any plants that they show interest in, I fence off with hardware cloth.
Last year they discovered my crookneck squash and helped themselves to quite a few before I realized it and fenced it off, but they left the tomatoes and everything else alone for the most part.
I could leave the garden gate closed the entire growing season, but really, it's so entertaining to see the girls browsing around and getting so excited when they find a bug. They still holler like they've won the jackpot when they find one and then tear off like their tails on fire with the rest of the girls in hot pursuit, just like when they were little peeps!
So, for me, the entertainment and laughs are very much worth the random squash-donation.

 

[Mingming]

I have a bit of an unusual garden/chicken question..... I started a bunch of tomato seeds, broccoli, kale, and brussel sprouts about a month ago, and around the same time, had 27 baby chicks growing in my basement (different areas of the basement). The chicks grew enough to be put outside, and the plants were repotted - and put on the table above where the baby chicks had been. I cleaned the area - obviously - but don't use bleach or anything. And within days almost every plant has just about withered or died. I took the tomatoes upstairs and sprayed with a fungicide (copper sulfate) - and the ones that sitll had a few leaves seem to be doing better. But I'm wondering if anyone knows .... was there something in the chicken dander that could have affected the plants? It seems like the plants are dying of water - just completely withering and drying up (the leaves turn to dust in my hand) even though they are definately not lacking for moisture. There were a couple plants that weren't ready to be transplanted, so I left them on the other side of the basement - where the chicks weren't - and those are just fine. It's the strangest thing ever!

 

[DennisK]

As someone else said earlier in the thread, I fence my garden and let the chickens have everything else. I have a huge garden 'pasture' that I used to plant in, but it was just far too much to keep up with. Now I have a large, fenced, raised bed garden that is just a dream to work in. I love it.
I keep the garden gate open during the off season so that the chickens can go work through it at-will, but it stays closed when I've got seedlings coming up. Once the plants are established, the chickens are allowed back in whenever they want. Any plants that they show interest in, I fence off with hardware cloth.
Last year they discovered my crookneck squash and helped themselves to quite a few before I realized it and fenced it off, but they left the tomatoes and everything else alone for the most part.
I could leave the garden gate closed the entire growing season, but really, it's so entertaining to see the girls browsing around and getting so excited when they find a bug. They still holler like they've won the jackpot when they find one and then tear off like their tails on fire with the rest of the girls in hot pursuit, just like when they were little peeps!
So, for me, the entertainment and laughs are very much worth the random squash-donation.

I, too, enjoy watching that antics these birds display. Here is one I didn't expect:

This is my garden just before this spring's tillage. Mama turkey built a nest and is now settled in with her future brood. I'm not exactly sure what to do.

 

[Lacy Blues]

 

[blipit007]

Great thread. We just started with chickens and are avid gardeners. My husband is worried about what they would do to his tomatoes and other precious edibles. I think they will be fine. Also, I have a greenhouse where I grow about 100 exotic hybrid hibiscus. They all get fertilized, with non organic fertilizer. Will they reek havoc if they follow me into the Greenhouse? And if they eat a dropped leaf or flower, will that harm them?

 

[farmer9989]

Gosh I had a thought might fit this thread .
I have tractors that I connect to my chicken pens ,
I guess you can call them runs , they are movable.
Was watching them taking about mosquito and spraying and such.
Why don't we all have a 4/10 tractor that we keep two of three Muscovy's in and put a solar night light with dish pan full of water.
they would eat the mosquito and fly that came to the light and water .
Then you can use the water to fertilize
where the tractor was you could plant about any thing.
they would provide eggs
and numerous other benefits.
Maybe we don't have to spray poison all over.

 

[bnjrob]

Gosh I had a thought might fit this thread .
I have tractors that I connect to my chicken pens ,
I guess you can call them runs , they are movable.
Was watching them taking about mosquito and spraying and such.
Why don't we all have a 4/10 tractor that we keep two of three Muscovy's in and put a solar night light with dish pan full of water.
they would eat the mosquito and fly that came to the light and water .
Then you can use the water to fertilize
where the tractor was you could plant about any thing.
they would provide eggs
and numerous other benefits.
Maybe we don't have to spray poison all over.

We use the bt mosquito dunks but that doesn't get every mosquito from other water sources. Now you have me thinking.....sure would like to get rid of the rest of the mosquitos.