NY chicken lover!!!!

[baunlee]

The chicks are growing fast and the roosters are starting to pop out. I'll be giving them away soon. I'll post pics.

We've been discussing gardens attached to our coops on the Homesteaders thread. Anyone here have gardens attached to their coops that they let their chickens have access to?

Hi Rancher! I have a plant addiction. Like literally. So of course I have plants in my chicken pen and also inside their pen. I had to troubleshoot and do a bit of research first to find out what they would leave alone. I used a book from my local library that is specifically related to chicken gardening. I took shots of the photos I wanted to save and then kept them but I have had computer issues and I believe I've lost them. If you can't find anything, I can go back to my library and then message you the pics. Anyways, some of the suggestions are Yarrow and Hostas. Ferns survived inside the pen and so did the Rosemary bush (but bought a big starter plant for that). My Russian Sage inside the chicken pen is gigantic.

Free-Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken-Friendly Yard By Jessi Bloom


Since I DO have a gardening addiction, I knew before I even got my chicks that I wanted growth inside the pen. For this reason I began growing plants before I got the chickens so perhaps them being established helped prevent against loss due to bird scratch activity. To me it looks nicer compared to beaten down dirt. I grow grass seed inside the pen and it looks quite nice along with those plants. Outside of the pen area they are allowed to free range on most summer days. They have access to my herb garden and asparagus plot, though they seem uninterested in both. They do not bother my patch of mint, or spearmint. They do not bother my multiple lavender plants in the herb garden. They are uninterested in my Rue, Chamomile, Thyme, Oregano, Winter Savory, Hyssop, Red Fennel and Pennyroyal.

If I were you I would start with herbs or russian sage just because you can get russian sage cheap this time of year, bees love it, provides shade to chickens and they don't mess with it.

Speaking of plant addictions, for anyone in the Western New York Area: the same greenhouse that has the 49cent sale each season (i usually post a reminder on here) is now having a perennial clearance sale with gallon pots for $5. I got * 8 * Gogii bush plants and now have a plot of Gojii bushes in my backyard!! How cool is that!!! it was only $40.00 for 8 bushes and in the regular season gojii bushes that are slightly more filled out cost about $30 bucks. So glad I waited on that one. But this place is worth a little drive if you have a plant project and are semi-nearby so I thought I'd mention it. Plus, how many places have gojiis!! I found out about the sale on facebook so I'm not sure their perennial clearance is mentioned on their personal website but you can see it through facebook, or just call the number below to check. I know it's still going on as of today though

• Mischlers Florist and Greenhouse: 118 S Forest Rd, Williamsville, New York 14221,
  (716) 632-1290, http://www.mischlersflorist.com/, m-f 8-5, sat 9-5

for anyone in the lockport area/buffalo/rochester:: "Herbal Acre is having a plant sale this Saturday. Due to extensive wind damage to our greenhouse, the plants need a home. The sale prices are as follows:
All small plants: $2.00 each
Mixed pots (3 plants): $5.00 each
All of our plants are grown organically. Different varieties include: cilantro, patchouli, basil, parsley, assorted mints and many more."

I think I'm going to go, and get some patchouli to add to my herb garden because Ive NEVER seen that for sale before.

 

[Metella]

aalissa - good to hear from you - was hoping to see you at chickenstock.

Gramma - Cowboy should be a pure Marans - I have grey and grey splash hens ... and the white daddy with huge leg feathers ... so it looks like he got the best of both parents All have great temperments.

 

[rancher hicks]

Hi Rancher! I have a plant addiction. Like literally. So of course I have plants in my chicken pen and also inside their pen. I had to troubleshoot and do a bit of research first to find out what they would leave alone. I used a book from my local library that is specifically related to chicken gardening. I took shots of the photos I wanted to save and then kept them but I have had computer issues and I believe I've lost them. If you can't find anything, I can go back to my library and then message you the pics. Anyways, some of the suggestions are Yarrow and Hostas. Ferns survived inside the pen and so did the Rosemary bush (but bought a big starter plant for that). My Russian Sage inside the chicken pen is gigantic.

Free-Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken-Friendly Yard By Jessi Bloom


Since I DO have a gardening addiction, I knew before I even got my chicks that I wanted growth inside the pen. For this reason I began growing plants before I got the chickens so perhaps them being established helped prevent against loss due to bird scratch activity. To me it looks nicer compared to beaten down dirt. I grow grass seed inside the pen and it looks quite nice along with those plants. Outside of the pen area they are allowed to free range on most summer days. They have access to my herb garden and asparagus plot, though they seem uninterested in both. They do not bother my patch of mint, or spearmint. They do not bother my multiple lavender plants in the herb garden. They are uninterested in my Rue, Chamomile, Thyme, Oregano, Winter Savory, Hyssop, Red Fennel and Pennyroyal.

If I were you I would start with herbs or russian sage just because you can get russian sage cheap this time of year, bees love it, provides shade to chickens and they don't mess with it.

Speaking of plant addictions, for anyone in the Western New York Area: the same greenhouse that has the 49cent sale each season (i usually post a reminder on here) is now having a perennial clearance sale with gallon pots for $5. I got * 8 * Gogii bush plants and now have a plot of Gojii bushes in my backyard!! How cool is that!!! it was only $40.00 for 8 bushes and in the regular season gojii bushes that are slightly more filled out cost about $30 bucks. So glad I waited on that one. But this place is worth a little drive if you have a plant project and are semi-nearby so I thought I'd mention it. Plus, how many places have gojiis!! I found out about the sale on facebook so I'm not sure their perennial clearance is mentioned on their personal website but you can see it through facebook, or just call the number below to check. I know it's still going on as of today though

• Mischlers Florist and Greenhouse: 118 S Forest Rd, Williamsville, New York 14221,
  (716) 632-1290, http://www.mischlersflorist.com/, m-f 8-5, sat 9-5

for anyone in the lockport area/buffalo/rochester:: "Herbal Acre is having a plant sale this Saturday. Due to extensive wind damage to our greenhouse, the plants need a home. The sale prices are as follows:
All small plants: $2.00 each
Mixed pots (3 plants): $5.00 each
All of our plants are grown organically. Different varieties include: cilantro, patchouli, basil, parsley, assorted mints and many more."

I think I'm going to go, and get some patchouli to add to my herb garden because Ive NEVER seen that for sale before.

I have some Spearmint planted near the outside of my Chicken runs and I plan to plant some more herbs. Once established they don't seem to bother them Oregano has taken over some of my garden. Planted around the chickens runs I can just mow it down and it comes back.

I didn't know they don't eat Hosta. I thought they did. I have some to divide up.

Let me ask. I have some wild black eye susans two types. Can I move them now? I also have been planting flowers around the outside of my garden to attract bees. There are also some Road Lilies, though they don't look so good right now. If kept weeded they crowd out the weeds eventually. I'm also letting Milk weed grow on the edge.

Russian Sage is very popular and I didn't see much at the farmers market this year. I did plant some one year but it died. I will try again.



When my daughter lived in Lockport I would stop at Baddings. They would have season end sales too.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Mine do... but only wnen they are in the fence with it

 

[fireredcannon]

Two eggs today!

 

[rancher hicks]

Mine do... but only wnen they are in the fence with it

I have some in the yard and they have been around it but haven't eaten it. The Marsh daisies like to hide under it. I'm almost sorry I sold them. I have just one pullet and she's a nice bird.

 

[tao chick]

@Chicken girl 15 , how's girlie? Do you have any Mojo babies? I have one cross with a Black Copper Marans and she is a very cool looking chick. I call her Joxy because I was writing MojoX for Mojo cross and Joxy just clicked. FYI, the crooked toe thing is common in Brabanters and genetic- although doesn't seem to bother them too much. Joxy does not have crooked toes, though. Mojo walked funny, but at your place he ended up roosting just fine. I have a cockerel that I'm selling that I just noticed has it, but he doesn't seem affected by it. It's a fault and "shouldn't" be carried on but some of these breeders and breeding club people are less that honest about their own birds and more than critical of other's birds.

Every once in a while I think I have my chicken addiction under control. Today I have a new broody (my first broody!!! I'm so excited!) sitting on 14 eggs. I know that's a lot for a new broody, but I figured I'd let her try, and my incubator is already running so I can take over if needed. My hatches have been odd, anyway. Some have had fertility issues. Some have had trouble hatching. Hopefully she has it all figured out and can get a few little ones running around with her. Her name is Puppy and was one of two that hatched from a large group of eggs back in October. Do you think 10 months is too young for a broody to commit?

I'm waiting on someone who wants to buy my extra Brabanter. She has some stuff to work out first. I'm hoping to sell some hatching eggs. I have 35 eggs going strong in the incubator- due to hatch on Monday-Wednesday. I have someone lined up to buy the chicks already. The only hazard in all this is if all of these buyers fall through and all of the hatches go well. Then I'll be building an addition to my coops to survive the winter. I have all the supplies for a quick hoop coop so I will whip that up if needed. Scary thought.

The medical treatments my chickens needed have gone well.

Garden is great. Zucchini and Squash are prolific. Finally found the basil growing. Almost ready to harvest a bunch of beets. We have to get them all canned before the plethora of sauce tomatoes and pickling cukes are ready.

Back to school planning is in full swing. Supply lists and new teachers and new schedules oh my.

Hope all is well with y'all. Good night.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

@Chicken girl 15
, how's girlie?  Do you have any Mojo babies?  I have one cross with a Black Copper Marans and she is a very cool looking chick.  I call her Joxy because I was writing MojoX for Mojo cross and Joxy just clicked.  FYI, the crooked toe thing is common in Brabanters and genetic- although doesn't seem to bother them too much.  Joxy does not have crooked toes, though.  Mojo walked funny, but at your place he ended up roosting just fine.  I have a cockerel that I'm selling that I just noticed has it, but he doesn't seem affected by it.  It's a fault and "shouldn't" be carried on but some of these breeders and breeding club people are less that honest about their own birds and more than critical of other's birds.    

Every once in a while I think I have my chicken addiction under control.  Today I have a new broody (my first broody!!! I'm so excited!) sitting on 14 eggs.  I know that's a lot for a new broody, but I figured I'd let her try, and my incubator is already running so I can take over if needed.  My hatches have been odd, anyway.  Some have had fertility issues.  Some have had trouble hatching.  Hopefully she has it all figured out and can get a few little ones running around with her.  Her name is Puppy and was one of two that hatched from a large group of eggs back in October.  Do you think 10 months is too young for a broody to commit?

I'm waiting on someone who wants to buy my extra Brabanter.  She has some stuff to work out first.  I'm hoping to sell some hatching eggs.  I have 35 eggs going strong in the incubator- due to hatch on Monday-Wednesday.  I have someone lined up to buy the chicks already.  The only hazard in all this is if all of these buyers fall through and all of the hatches go well.  Then I'll be building an addition to my coops to survive the winter.  I have all the supplies for a quick hoop coop so I will whip that up if needed.  Scary thought.

The medical treatments my chickens needed have gone well.  

Garden is great.  Zucchini and Squash are prolific.  Finally found the basil growing.  Almost ready to harvest a bunch of beets.  We have to get them all canned before the plethora of sauce tomatoes and pickling cukes are ready.

Back to school planning is in full swing.  Supply lists and new teachers and new schedules oh my.

Hope all is well with y'all.  Good night.

Girlie is great!!! She is currently helping a hen raise 8 babies that hatched Saturday. She finally moved her 2 Mojo babies out from under her. They now sleep in the coop, just not roosting yet. Their feet look good so far. One is crossed with Girlie I think and one is a white leghorn. I will get pics tomorrow of them. I'm still upset about Mojo, it's not even like he had other males in tormenting him. He was king of the little coop. He was my favorite simply because he was amazingly mean to and roo that snuck in and approached HIS Girlie. For malformed feet he was fast and brutal. He was perfectly healthy so I think something just scared him stiff. Sorry bad joke.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Is there a cure for morehens disease?? This weekend I will be passing the 150 bird mark. Everyone has space and feed isn't a problem, however my husband is starting to think I'm a bit crazy.

Do any of you know off hand the number of birds I have to register as an actual farm?

 

[Pyxis]

I'm pretty devastated right now. I'm not sure if I mentioned it in here but I have had my neighbor's five ducks and two turkey jakes coming over and eating all my feed because I'm guessing the neighbor isn't feeding them enough.

Well, today I didn't leave food out free choice for my birds like I usually do because I was sick of feeding the neighbor's birds and planned to feed mine in the coop tonight. The turkeys (I don't blame the turkeys for this, I want to say ahead of time, I blame the humans that have left them so hungry it drove them to do this) went into my coop and broke into my brooder area to eat the feed out of the chick feeders.

While in there, they trampled to death all my sultans but one, all of my AC chicks including the ones I had hatched from CJ's game eggs except one, several of my guinea keets, one of my baby turkeys, and one of my peachicks.