No Nonsense, chickens are livestock, advise. Tell me like it is.

[wsmith]

We used to let the chickens into the garden to eat potato beetles and grasshoppers. We would let them stay there for an hour or two a couple times a week. They didn't bother the plants because there were too many tasty morsels to munch on. Very entertaining.

Then we had to get them back into the run......

Ever tried to herd chickens.....?????

 

[WishboneDawn]

Quote:
I inherited some beautiful flower gardens when I bought this house. I am NOT a gardener however. I know how to, I just don't enjoy it. I've watched the flower beds deteriortate over the last 2 years and felt extremely guilty about it. So when I got my layers and they attacked the flower beds I was thrilled.

I was meant to raise protein, not plant matter.

My best common sense advice? Enjoy them. We get eggs, meat fertilizer, etc. from our chickens but there greatest value is the laughter and stress relief they bring us.

 

[wsmith]

Another tidbit:

Chickens are great for converting table scraps into eggs (and sometimes chicken and dumplings)......, then into CP (chicken poop) which then becomes compost, which then becomes more veggies, which become food and table scraps, which then become chicken food, etc, etc, etc.......

 

[galanie]

Regarding the hole digging, even that wouldn't have worked when I wanted to put up a new pen this summer during the incredible drought we had. So here's what I did. I dug a little round impression, a sorry excuse for the beginning of a post hole, just enough to make a little puddle. I filled that with water and kept refilling it for a few hours as I was going about doing other things. Once I stopped to test it and was able to easily get out around 5 inches more of dirt, or mud at that point really. Once I had a hole that held some serious water all I had to do was fill that thing up and wait. Filled it again after 30 minutes then got the post hole diggers and BOY was that an easy dig. I'm probably making this sound more complicated than it is but let nature help you out sometimes, don't be hard headed enough to try to dig out soil hard as concrete in a drought

The chickens were pretty interested in the hole but they didn't hinder nor help much.

 

[loanwizard]

Quote:
Zrossk, I wasn't asking for a flame war, nor would I want this thread or any other thread shut down. I simply was informing browsers the intent of this thread so that they could choose to read it, or not.

If anyone wants to know why I post something, just ask me

I am easy to get along with.

Even though Ellie May Clampett and Paris Hilton would likely not get along well together, I can talk to both equally comfortably.

Somebody said that it is not natural for someone to kill animals. I can understand that thinking. I don't agree with it, but I understand it. I am a neanderthal I guess. I eat meat and fish. That meat and fish were living creatures at one time. When I catch a fish, I do it with a line, a hook and bait. I like the way the American Indian respected his catch. I in turn kiss my fish when I catch them and usually turn them loose thanking them for allowing me the pleasure of catching them. By the same token, I don't particularly relish killing a chicken, but that is what they were raised for..... at my place. I thank them for letting me enjoy their presence in the short time they have been there. I hunt rabbit, squirrel and deer as well. I am a hunter gatherer.

As a society, we have no problem taking the lives of innocent babies before birth, we have no problem killing those who break our laws. Do I necessarily believe in those tenets for myself personally? Does it matter? We live in America, a country designed with civil liberties for all, that society shall not infringe upon the individual freedoms we hold dear.

I guess I am rambling.....

Anyhow, I was proud of my dogs last night. It was raining hard and I let them out while I was checking my chickens. They brought me back a possum. There will be mixed emotions from the varied paople who read this, but as I ran inside to get the 22, the poor possum got away. I thought the dogs would keep it around or at least point me in the right direction but no.... The critter was long gone when I came back out.

 

[loanwizard]

Quote:
That there is pretty good thinking.... Sometimes we work hard to make things easier.

 

[desertskynm]

oooohhhhh yaaaaaaaa...... Chickens need to come with warning labels... WILL BE INSTANTLY ADDICTIVE- RESISTANT IS FUTILE

Quote:
Oh yes you will!

 

[desertskynm]

Easy Peasy...

I wait until an hour from sunset and then let them out in the larger yard. Come bed time/sunset - they are all back in the coop...

Goodness, I hope my ducks will be as smart....

Cheers

Quote:

 

[ninabeast]

I did this until I lost one at dusk to a fox. Now they go in at 3pm, whether they like or not (and they don't). It's amazing what they'll do for a piece of whole grain bread, though...

 

[desertskynm]

Yea... I live in the city... Forgot about that kinda stuff....

Ok, yep- bread works great too!!

Cheers

Quote: