NY chicken lover!!!!

[Metella]

I am using cardboard too - so this is not trying to pick your actions apart !!

But - I know a few years ago I learned about not burning cardboard because of the toxic chemicals and not breathing the fumes ... I am wondering how much and what kind of gunk can be leached into plants .... ??? Anyone know ?

 

[armorfirelady]

I am using cardboard too - so this is not trying to pick your actions apart !!

But - I know a few years ago I learned about not burning cardboard because of the toxic chemicals and not breathing the fumes ... I am wondering how much and what kind of gunk can be leached into plants .... ??? Anyone know ?

I have never heard of that but perhaps its the cardboard with lettering on it? I have been saving cardboard as well to put down in the garden but just the plain brown kind with no lettering. I have been saving newspapers to use as well but the the black & white lettering no sale ads

 

[rancher hicks]

I have never heard of that but perhaps its the cardboard with lettering on it? I have been saving cardboard as well to put down in the garden but just the plain brown kind with no lettering. I have been saving newspapers to use as well but the the black & white lettering no sale ads

As far as I know it's perfectly safe. Today's inks are not made with the lead in them as when I was younger, but using Soy. My idea to use cardboard is from what I've read.

Newspapers should be fine too. I wouldn't use those glossy inserts and cardboard with plastic coatings. The cardboard breaks down leaving behind a thin layer of plastic. I pull off the plastic tape. I also do not use wax coated boxes either. There are many web sites commenting on using newspapers and cardboard.

How stuff works:

Cardboard is an amazingly useful thing in the garden. Warren has written before over at TreeHugger about creating a no-dig garden using cardboard, and I've also tried my hand at clearing old weeds with cardboard boxes. But while I was watching a video of my old friendMike Feingold's permaculture allotment, I learned that he incorporates a cardboard mulch into his regular crop rotation. So that's what I'm going to try this year, simply placing a layer of cardboard over the soil and planting through it with garlic and onions. (I just punch a hole through with a trowel and push the bulb in.) I then place a layer of earth, compost or leaf mold over the top to hold it down.
The idea is that cardboard acts as a permeable mulch - allowing water through to the soil, but preventing perennial and annual weeds from sprouting, hopefully stopping weed problems from building up over time without the need for digging. The mulch should also prevent excessive evaporation, and slow down any soil erosion. Add to that the fact that cardboard provides much needed organic matter as it rots down, and it also contains air spaces that help feed microorganisms in the soil, and it seems like an all-round win-win situation.
This final benefit is a little more speculative, but I've also noticed that cardboard left on the ground becomes a perfect habitat for fungi, which seem to love moving along the corrugated ridges. I'd postulate that a regular addition of cardboard may encourage mychorrizal fungi which are known to form beneficial relationships with a wide variety of plants.
And for those who argue that recycling or reusing cardboard boxes is a greener alternative, I'd note that I live in the country and have to cart my recycling on a good 15 mile round-trip. While I try to combine trips wherever possible, I'm pretty sure that finding a useful, zero energy, close-to-home use for my waste products is going to beat recycling any day. And as part of my philosophy of making gardening easy, if it allows me to grow more food with less effort, then I for one am convinced it's a winner.
Need proof that it's possible to balance being green and still be a supportive partner and parent? See how Ed Begley, Jr. does it on Planet Green TV's Living with Ed.

 

[Tab's chicken obsession]

If anyone is interested in free OE roos let me know. This is their one and only chance. DH wants to cull them because we don't need them and don't want to feed them any longer. One is barred the other is straight combed and took after the blue cuckoo maran father.

 

[boskelli1571]

Neat ideas Rancher. I'm going to try it as a top layer of mulch and plant through it! I already use it over areas I want to convert to garden and it works well.

 

[rancher hicks]

Neat ideas Rancher. I'm going to try it as a top layer of mulch and plant through it! I already use it over areas I want to convert to garden and it works well.

I'm afraid I can't take credit. I've been reading Mother Earth News of and on since it began in the 70's. They do have all the back issues available on CD. I just haven't splurged and bought it.

Oh FYI Garlic is coming up.

I hope I get a bigger crop than last year. No sign of the Chives though.

We do have a gardening thread on BYC too if you have not joined.

Keep in mind folks I trade chickens for whatever you have that I can use. I could use some Horse manure. I have these BR's I'll trade for a reasonable trade. I'd like to keep them and they are laying but I expect to increase my Columbian Rocks if I get enough chicks hatched with the eggs I'm expecting.

 

[horsekeeper]

I filled the kiddie pool and the ducks have finally ventured in. They still run everytime I come near though.

The secret is peas.

Frozen peas run under hot water to thaw them out a bit. It's like crack for ducks. After they get a taste they will just about climb your legs to get them, even if you are the scary human. Little bits of bread work, too.

 

[PhoredaBurds]

I used thick yarn & made hobbles. Put her in a used deli container for a few hours, just wide enough so the legs had to stay under her body. Next day she was fine.

That's great that hobbles worked for the gosling. It's amazing how fast they grow & heal at that age.

 

[PhoredaBurds]

Anyone good at reading yolk fertility? I had to turn it in the bowl bc of how it landed, but I think I'm seeing the concentric circles around the blastoderm.

Thanks!

 

[marquisella]

Anyone good at reading yolk fertility? I had to turn it in the bowl bc of how it landed, but I think I'm seeing the concentric circles around the blastoderm.

Thanks!

I'd say no. The rings are darker.