High Desert, California!!

[opalwednesday]

thanks for saying that. I never even thought about that aspect because I planted them in a way that the girls wouldn't be able to reach them, they're just for shade ya know, not fancy chicken food. i feel bad for not knowing that though, so thank you.
as google has just informed me, it's the seeds and the flowers of the morning glory vine that will harm your dogs, it makes sense that they'd be bad for chickens too. lol, i guess i have to move my set up before the vines catch the barn and sprinkle posion down into my run. you probabaly saved my whole flock. i feel pretty dumb right now but thanks amillion.

 

[NoseyChickens]

Quote:
I'm looking for a vine like plant that is safe for my flock that I can plant and have grow on the chain link fence and give them shade. I havent done much research yet though. But its so hot out here in the summer, the more shade the better.

 

[flower]

Well here is my experience. I am crazy about plants and have many that are established before I imported chickens. Last summer there were morning glories growing everywhere including in the coop which the chickens ate with no residual issue. In fact I am sure that I saw some little nips from the Oleander bushes and I know that they love tomatoes and that includes leaves and all. Potatoes and tomatoes are from the same family called the deadly nightshade. Not that I want to loose any of my birds from eating my plants but this year they even are a Daffodil flower. I have never seen any other animal eat a daffodil including deer, which eat almost all plants down to the ground. This is very surprising to me but like I said, I have had these plants established and never thought about the chickens until I saw my plants disapear. I know that it is not rabbits.

 

[flower]

As far as vines, my yard has Clemantis, Trumpet flowers, Passifora, Wisteria and Morning Glories. Plus I am just starting a very thick woody vine called Japonesia. It has tones of clusters of little white flowers all summer long. I brought it from my house in Az. Also just started a Jasmine flower vine last year but it is slow to grow here. My son and DIL have two or three hugh vines in the center valley area. I would bet that you could get the Jasmine vine to grow East of Edwards. But then I thought that you are planning on relocating after your husband retires from the service.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I love wisteria and have been reading its poisonous as well. I have goats too so I have held myself back. I m in the desert too just not in you guys's area. Is there a prennial green bean or pea that you can grow. YOu know edible for people as well? I am not a gardener never have been but I can follow instructions... I know mesquite beans are edible I have wild mesquite the kind thats called bird of paradise. I need to go dig in my xeriscape websites.

 

[flower]

Perchie although I belong to the local garden club, I rely on my experience for information. One thing that I learned as I have homesteaded from the east to the west, is that the soil always needs help. When I want to plant in a spot, I remove the soil as far down as a couple of feet and add several type of carbon based junk. Including old garments and as much paper and cardboard as seem appropriate for the space. Then when refilling the spot add as much organic stuff such as pine needles and dry leaves etc. I try to avoid weeds with seeds. This environment allows the worms to move in and help enrich the soil. Good gardens need a lot of work, time and worms. Can't garden without worms. And of course your horses provide you with a lot of garden amendment material. I do not follow the xeriscape ethic. But I use many other means to save water and use it wisely. Such as my washing machine water takes care of the trees in the front.

I got into chickens after I read a book called "Gardening With Guineas" Beetles destroy roses but guineas and chickens destroy beetles. Also I am a heavy user of companionship gardening. Planting a spicy bush such as rosemary and sage between rose buses . NO BEETLES Chickens and gardening go together very well.

 

[ChicksterJo]

I don't have any grass in my backyard and I obviously can't put my chickens in my front yard where the grass is. This year there is a lot of natural grass growing from all the rain so I feed my chickens that. I also started to grow some wheatgrass for them (and a little for myself) indoors. I use vermiculite but I could probably use some amended soil. Anyway, the chickens love the stuff!! So much so that they mowed the wheatgrass down. I put the grass outside expecting it to wilt but it's still growing

We have a compost bucket in the house that's emptied daily in the garden and now where the compost was thrown in, there are lots of earthworms.

 

[perchie.girl]

I have Gardening with Guineas as well some where..... heres a view of my house as you come up the driveway My guineas would walk around on the roof and hong at you when you came out the door....LOL.

My land is very much like that Subaru commercial where they cant find their car....

This was around November 2003 doesnt look much different. Not enough water to do grass at all. since that pix i added a chicken coop and believe it or not the chickens freeranged quite well with supplementation. Lots of bugs and seeds no grass except for the winter. I now know I can supplement with alfalfa pellets wetted down. I feed these to my goats as an enticement to get back in their yard. All the green you see is in the form of either Redshank Chamice Saltwood Mosquite and Federee. Federee is loaded with protien its a very very small weed that makes a corkscrew seed Horses, goats and chickens scarf it up. And of course so do the rabbits, quail, mousies, and Chipmunks. Once water is put into play here come the wild life. Anything I plant will have to be protected from the wild life and I have seen rabits go over a three foot fence. My neighbors only grow veggies in a cage covered with hardware cloth, which is also buried a couple of feet deep.

I am thinking of doing raised beds eventually with hardware cloth fastened on the bottom. Then a hoop house over the top. Then I can fill like you said with compost made of chicken and horse manure. The soil is not really soil its simply decomposed granite. But one saving grace it is very water permeable so mixed with the compost will allow all sorts of critters to make it into soil.

 

[CheerioLounge]

Hey All!! Love this forum and I am so glad to see other folk from the California High Desert! We are about 10 miles outside Twentynine Palms!

After 2 years of refurbishing our old homestead cabin and clearing some desert brush, we have begun to start to try our hand at homesteading ourselves. We have started our flock with 5 RIR. We were told they are all hens, but I think we have 1 rooster and that actually makes me pretty happy!!

We have also started a large "Neighborhood Garden" on our place with a few of our neighbors. It has been an awesome way to build relationships and community out here in the boonies!

Looking forward to getting tips from other desert dwellers! Thanks in advance!!!

 

[ChicksterJo]

Hi Cheerio! Welcome!

I love the idea of a neighborhood garden. It's a great way to get to know one's neighbors. See you around the forum!!