- Jul 20, 2011
- 1
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My name is Melissa, and I live in an HOA community (ugh) in North Georgia. Thankfully, we live in the back of the neighborhood, bordering the Chattahoochee River, and have tolerant neighbors! I have a few questions to ask, but first, some background:
1. My husband put in a 40' x 40' garden in our backyard last year. It's bordered by a minimum of 4.5' hog wire. Some areas are higher, since he had to add a retaining wall because the land is wooded and sloped.
2. This year he has had a terrible time with cutworms, wireworms, hammerhead worms and aphids. Somewhere along the line I suggested getting chickens to eat the worms and add valuable fertilizer to add to our composter. He resists the idea because: a) we are in an HOA community. b) we have two Labradoodles, one that can jump the fence, one that can't. We also have two cats. One could conceivably eat a pullet.
So my questions are: Are there layers that are quieter than others? Is there a way to incorporate a coop into the garden so the girls can free-range the garden and eat the bugs? Are these the types of insects the chickens would eat? Is this a worthwhile investment? (We are preppers, by the way). And finally, how would you fit a coop into a 40x40 area, with the eastern wall bordered by forest, and the northern and southern areas being neighbor's property?
Thanks for the advice! I'd REALLY like to add some chickens to the yard, some fresh eggs to my fridge, and thumb my nose at the HOA at the same time.
1. My husband put in a 40' x 40' garden in our backyard last year. It's bordered by a minimum of 4.5' hog wire. Some areas are higher, since he had to add a retaining wall because the land is wooded and sloped.
2. This year he has had a terrible time with cutworms, wireworms, hammerhead worms and aphids. Somewhere along the line I suggested getting chickens to eat the worms and add valuable fertilizer to add to our composter. He resists the idea because: a) we are in an HOA community. b) we have two Labradoodles, one that can jump the fence, one that can't. We also have two cats. One could conceivably eat a pullet.
So my questions are: Are there layers that are quieter than others? Is there a way to incorporate a coop into the garden so the girls can free-range the garden and eat the bugs? Are these the types of insects the chickens would eat? Is this a worthwhile investment? (We are preppers, by the way). And finally, how would you fit a coop into a 40x40 area, with the eastern wall bordered by forest, and the northern and southern areas being neighbor's property?
Thanks for the advice! I'd REALLY like to add some chickens to the yard, some fresh eggs to my fridge, and thumb my nose at the HOA at the same time.
