My poor yard!

[mstricer]

Quote:
I planted winter rye in the garden and in their run under the elderberry tree they ate all my seeds too.

 

[ThinkingChickens]

This is why my chickens get half the yard and I get half the yard. Then in the winter months when my garden is dormant they can roam the whole yard depositing next year's fertilizer. The chickens can take out a whole lawn so fast! Oh, one thing I did notice is that they don't go after the tomatoes. So, next year I'm planting tomatoes along side their run.

 

[murdeb]

Quote:
LOL! What was I thinking!

 

[murdeb]

Thanks guys for all your suggestions! I think I will just let them "free range" during the "winter" (I live in south Florida, it was near 80 today) and in the spring Iwill fence off an area near the coop for them. I knew they would be "scratching" in the yard, did not know they could literally dig holes!

 

[Back on the Farm]

Quote:
My chickens love my tomatoes...peck at them right on the vine. I'll have to fence my veggie garden as I love letting my girls run all over the farm. I've also noticed a major decrease in the bug population around my house, stinkbugs included.

 

[rarely bored]

If you plant then lay wire flat on the dirt over your newly planted area, the seeds won't be disturbed and the plants will grow through the wire ok, and if the plants aren't considered edible by the chickens, you can have some flowers with your chickens. I use this technique in the garden when I'm planting since there is always one chicken who will figure out how to sneak in and scratch up the freshly planted seeds.