- May 31, 2011
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The girls have completely cleaned and gleaned all vegetation in their yard. I have hard clay so this has not helped the standing water problem for my "designated chicken area" part of my yard. I read some of the different fixes and have combined a couple that have so far been working for me. I know the best way to get rid of the water is to have some form of plant life....like that's a possibility with my girls around. I bought a huge bag of rye seed from the feed store. I have a couple big dog crates that I move around every week or so. I scatter the seed on the ground where the crates are. They can only reach in so far to eat the seeds. They sprout and grow very quickly. Then I move them to another area and start again. They get their fresh veggies and it briefly handles some of the moisture problem. I have also put out several bales of wheat straw that I covered with food grade DE. They had so much fun spreading the wheat straw and eating the wheat berries left after the harvest. I put boards around the bottom area to keep the straw in. They scratch and do what chickens do. The mud is almost completely gone. They love to dig in the hay. They are pooping and composting the deep litter. They are making me some great topsoil for my organic garden. I rake leaves and add them to the pen. I add my kitchen scraps. They have a blast. I got the basics from Pat Foreman's book called City Chicks and Chicken Tractor. They are full of very valuable information. She has some great ideas!
