Gardens for your run and chickens

[kellypepperk]

Well gang it looks like we're on to something! In the latest issue of Backyard Poultry (I just picked one up yesterday) there is a book review of "Free-Range Chicken Gardens - How to Create a Beautiful Chicken-Friendly Yard by Jessi Bloom. Amazon, here I come!

 

[c2chicks]

Great book! And inspiration for our "outlaw chicken yard". We just finished, so no sense putting in too many plants at this time of year. There are three separate pens for rotating, keeping grass alive and poop management. For just 3 girls (an in a suburb that does not allow chickens

)...

it's perfect!

 

[strid8]

We did this without planning to with our Topsy Turvey planters. The cherry tomato plants grew down almost to the ground and the girls just jump up and get the tomatoes. Our girls are free range pretty much whenever we can be out to supervise them (as they are festivals of misbehavior), so they have a lot of other greens to eat. For the most part they avoid 'stuff they shouldn't eat'--although, we do pretty much keep forbidden stuff out of their way.

BTW--I'm so happy to have found this thread. We're moving at the end of the month to a place with a bigger yard and some better gardening opportunities. I was thinking for the poultry garden I might buy plants rather than growing from seed. We have a share in a CSA so we usually have more veggies than we can consume (although, with the new bigger kitchen and more storage I might actually get around to canning!), so we won't be counting on the garden for the bulk of our vegetables.

 

[Sallysec]

Thanks for the book information, might see if I can request it from my local library. I am with you strid, we can't eat everything the garden produces, and after giving a lot away, I feel like the chickens will consume a lot of what I would normally throw into compost. I was going to try and start canning this year...its on the list of to dos, but chicken keeping is higher on the list lol.

I was thinking of building a rock garden with some plants built into sections on the side of the coop space. The rock idea because there isn't too much light. I also debated a container garden...containers large enough to allow the plants to grow nicely and maybe keep chickens out until the plants happened to be big enough for the chickens to 'trim'.

I was sad today to see one of my sunflowers looks like it is dying without producing any seeds, the head of the plant flopped down and it just looks like its dying a painful death. We have had such temperature swings and weird weather this year. That is the only thing that I can imagine killed it.

 

[PartyOnARoost]

My chooks run round garden all the time, may add one in their run next spring... The love it

 

[maizy'smom]

Thanks for the book information, might see if I can request it from my local library. I am with you strid, we can't eat everything the garden produces, and after giving a lot away, I feel like the chickens will consume a lot of what I would normally throw into compost. I was going to try and start canning this year...its on the list of to dos, but chicken keeping is higher on the list lol.

I was thinking of building a rock garden with some plants built into sections on the side of the coop space. The rock idea because there isn't too much light. I also debated a container garden...containers large enough to allow the plants to grow nicely and maybe keep chickens out until the plants happened to be big enough for the chickens to 'trim'.

I was sad today to see one of my sunflowers looks like it is dying without producing any seeds, the head of the plant flopped down and it just looks like its dying a painful death. We have had such temperature swings and weird weather this year. That is the only thing that I can imagine killed it.

Sallysec,
My one experience with sunflowers was not very successful, in part due to the fact that insects, like cut worms, killed them as seedlings, or that ground hogs and squirrels attacked the ones that survived the seedling stage. Could be a possible reason in your case...?

mm

 

[Sallysec]

Sallysec,
My one experience with sunflowers was not very successful, in part due to the fact that insects, like cut worms, killed them as seedlings, or that ground hogs and squirrels attacked the ones that survived the seedling stage. Could be a possible reason in your case...?

mm

I dont think so...it grew to be like ten feet tall, beautiful huge head.....i saw four to five bees on it everyday, next thing I knew, it was flopped over at the head and looks like its dying. As I have never grown them to seed, I left it ...but it doesnt look like anythings happening..

 

[Gallina Sarda]

I've been harvesting my sunflowers. When ready they do droop over & the petals begin to wilt and wither. Maybe yours is ready. Have you tried rubbing some of the "covering" off by the outermost edges of the flower head? If you see plump seeds underneath, it's ready. Good luck!

 

[Sallysec]

I've been harvesting my sunflowers. When ready they do droop over & the petals begin to wilt and wither. Maybe yours is ready. Have you tried rubbing some of the "covering" off by the outermost edges of the flower head? If you see plump seeds underneath, it's ready. Good luck!

lol I just googled sunflowers that are ready for harvest after reading your post....I really hope that is what happened. I didn't see anything like a seed popping out so I figured it couldnt be ready...never thought that it might be hidden a little. Also the thing is like ten feet tall and I cant exactly get a close up while looking straight up at the sun....Going to check it out today and if I can't tell, I will take pictures. THANK YOU....I am going to feel so silly if its ready and I have been thinking it was dead...I did see some of the leftover pollen on it so now I have hope....will respond later.

 

[Sallysec]

bahahahaha....so i came right back in to share my happy news....lol I also feel kind of silly...

This is what I saw....thought it was dead


I brushed off the pollen and guess what was underneath...lol


Hopefully the pictures help someone else lol and again GALLINA....THANK YOU! lol I never would have googled images to find out without your post.