Loafers - My Chickens Will Not Destroy My Vege Patch

[MasAhora]

If they were on the tee vee show The Apprentice, they'd be fired!!
They have had full access to the end of summer vege patch for 3 weeks; I also recently cut their feed back from twice a day to evenings only and the vege patch is cooler and closer than the paddock.
So far they are quite useless at cleaning up the vege patch which means I will have to exert effort clean/weed it for my winter crop.

I am resorting to scattering a few sunflower seeds in the morning and now dumping their evening feed onto the beds; at any point in time 6-10 chookens like to hang out in the patch
All I get from the loafers is an intensive preening show when they see me walk by, I'd rather see fluffy bums with beaks in the ground or feet busy scratching at the soil doing the tremendous damage folks speak of with such frustration.


A few making sure I am looking as they start to preen.


A preener, 2 loafers and my 2 Thunder Thighs waiting for a snack.

Can't even lay an egg or scratch up a garden - Loafers R Lunch

To be fair the previous nights storm did bring out a few frogs for french cuisine....I just watched a pullet run off with one in her mouth. How charming, another first for me to observe, flailing frogs' legs hanging out my sweet pullets' beak.

I'd like to fully weed and compost-mulch in a week for planting seedlings early April. I guess they can hang out on the compost mulch until I plant?? So, how does one get them to tear up a garden? My free loading loafers should be helping me 14 are DP/layers and decent foragers except the 3 larger loafers in the last photo.

 

[cavemanrich]

CUT OFF THE FEED for 2 days or so. They wont die. see if it encourages them to find their own food. Hunger really works. Sometimes my spoiled flock of pets leaves too much less select feed on the ground and wants treats persistently. I just put them on a 1 day diet where they only get fresh water. ALL the scattered feed from the previous day gets consumed. PROBLEM SOLVED...

 

[Den in Penn]

It can take some time for them to make a dent in cleaning off the garden. When I let my 20 some chickens loose in the five thousand square feet of garden in the fall, it takes well into the winter the winter to see them really have an effect. I do have another third of the garden they are fenced out of that I use for the late crops so the chickens can take their time on the rest. I see that you are still fairly green there. I take that there is still a fair amount of other thing out there for them to eat other then the left overs in the garden.

 

[MasAhora]

CUT OFF THE FEED for 2 days or so. ...

Gosh I thought I was being tough cutting them back to one feed a day sufficient to be cleaned up in about half an hour!
Thing is, I have 11 pullets/cockerels ranging from 2 to 4 months old.... they are always starving, STARVING I tell you!! *sigh*.

It can take some time for them to make a dent in cleaning off the garden...... I take that there is still a fair amount of other thing out there for them to eat other then the left overs in the garden.

So I need to be patient, Dear Mom just said that to me

.
What my loafers do not know is half the next season vege garden is planned for them!

Haven't mentioned that to my family yet

Well at least I know my small flock is spoiled for choice...so in theory they should be getting a good diet.