Gardening with chickens (and other poultry)

[SkyeSchazade]

Is this where I can ask about composting chicken manure with Thoroughbed wood chips? I put some in an old plastic trash barrel about 3-4 months ago. Added some water now and again. When and how can I use it? I am growing some green beans (just sprouted) and probably a tomato plant this Spring/Summer. Thanks.

If it is still pretty solid (large pieces of woodchips) You can use it as a mulch on top of your beds once the plants have come up. The nutrients in the shavings/poop will be washed down into the soil whenever it rains or you water. If it is decomposing and in small chuncks you can mix it into your soil, or if fully decomposed and all fine and crumbly lay it on beds and plant seeds directly into it. Really you can use it however you like! Chicken poo is amazing that way lol.

 

[SkyeSchazade]

I like the idea of using them in the garden, but in the past when I let them free range they often eat up or peck at my tomatoes. I'm thinking about making a smaller wire tractor to go between the rowsand put them in for a short period of time.. that may be worth a try.

I have had the same problem with both my tomatoes and strawberries in the past. I have had lots of sucess using poultry netting/ chicken wire/ hardware cloth and some stakes. I just attach the netting material about 3 inches off the ground to some stakes placed a few inches away from the bed. This lets the chickens at the bottom of the bed to snack up on any slugs but keeps them far enough away from the ripening fruit. Or the tractor method works just as well too!

 

[VkyVky]

SkySchazade, thanks for the info!

 

[SkyeSchazade]

SkySchazade, thanks for the info!

Your very Welcome! Threads like these make my inner farm nerd rejoice!

I could seriously talk about this stuff all day, much to my hubbys dismay lol.

 

[laughingdog52]

Way to go, Sky. I had some little flying bugs living in my Chicken manure/compost pile. I turned the chicken on it and they turned the pile, ate the bugs, and gave me the most beautiful compost I have ever seen. I loaded it into old feed sacks and saved it for my garden. I will have more that I can use. I am a little unsure how "hot" it is and would like to test it, maybe a ph?, too. Anyway, I luv this thread. I was switching to the easy garden for this info. I'm not ready to turn the chickens out in my tiny garden, but I will fence in my compost area(off their run) and let them scratch their little hearts out!

 

[snoggle]

I'm not ready to turn the chickens out in my tiny garden,

I think that's the key to all gardening with chickens. When I tell some people about trying to use chickens in the garden, their response is, "but they'll tear your garden up". No one can completely turn their chickens loose in a veggie garden all the time. The idea is to use them as tillers, compost turners, etc., while limiting their access to plants they will damage or eat.

 

[SkyeSchazade]

Woooohooo, way to use your chickens wisely!

If you are worried about how "hot" it is mix it into the soil around plants instead of planting directly into it. If you ever have too much, send it my way, I never seem to have enough!

Way to go, Sky. I had some little flying bugs living in my Chicken manure/compost pile. I turned the chicken on it and they turned the pile, ate the bugs, and gave me the most beautiful compost I have ever seen. I loaded it into old feed sacks and saved it for my garden. I will have more that I can use. I am a little unsure how "hot" it is and would like to test it, maybe a ph?, too. Anyway, I luv this thread. I was switching to the easy garden for this info. I'm not ready to turn the chickens out in my tiny garden, but I will fence in my compost area(off their run) and let them scratch their little hearts out!

 

[hennyfarm22]

Thanks, that's also worth a try. love this site and eveyone's ideas.

 

[Panth]

I did Skye's idea last year and it works great. I till the garden, let the chickens in for a week, till the garden again, let them in for another week (someone actually asked me if I raked it out afterward it looks so nice). They get in there and work all the clumps out and eat all of last years weeds seeds as well as grubs. I don't fence my chickens, they freerange - I fence my garden

. Then after planting, I let the plants get to a decent size before letting the chickens back in. And I use bird netting, like they use on fruit trees, on anything I don't want pecked.

 

[SkyeSchazade]

I did Skye's idea last year and it works great. I till the garden, let the chickens in for a week, till the garden again, let them in for another week (someone actually asked me if I raked it out afterward it looks so nice). They get in there and work all the clumps out and eat all of last years weeds seeds as well as grubs. I don't fence my chickens, they freerange - I fence my garden

. Then after planting, I let the plants get to a decent size before letting the chickens back in. And I use bird netting, like they use on fruit trees, on anything I don't want pecked.