Raising Meat birds in a garden for compost.

[chop92778]

Last year I started a 30 X 40 foot garden with very little success. The soil was mostly clay and very dense. I had trouble turning the soil and had lots of weeds and grass popping up. The garden is already fenced in and I have been adding my bedding and manure from my layers into the enclosure along with compose from the house like produce scraps and grass clipping. What I would like to do is put tarp over top of it and raise some meat birds in there to help loosen the soil and fertilize it so my garden is ready for next year. My concern is will the compost effect the birds in any way? Weather it be disease or flavor or even safe to eat? I know that they need to have more food then what is in the enclosure but would like them to forage in the enclosure as well. Also what kind of meat bird would be most successful in that environment?
Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[Kilkenny]

Can't imagine what the problem would be. Kitchen scraps are fine for chickens. The straw and manure you clean out from your layers has had some time to break down at this point and is likely populated with lots of bugs for the meat birds to go after. Probably should not plan on taking the fouled bedding from the layers and putting it in with the meat chickens after you have them started, but the stuff you have already laid down there shouldn't be a problem.

You're planning on keeping the meat birds in a limited area, so they're going to be running around in chicken poop before long anyway - but you don't need to add the other hens' into that too.

 

[Life is Good!]

What I would like to do is put tarp over top of it and raise some meat birds in there to help loosen the soil and fertilize it so my garden is ready for next year.

I know that they need to have more food then what is in the enclosure but would like them to forage in the enclosure as well.

Also what kind of meat bird would be most successful in that environment?

I personally would choose either a dual purpose breed - knowing they'll take longer to grow out (therefore more 'help' in your garden!) OR a red broiler. CX weren't that interested in bugs in our experience, but I know others who do have foraging CX. Our Freedom Rangers however, were very good foragers. Very active. Very very good bug catchers - our neighbor's horse manure pile didn't have a fly on it all spring/early summer while the FR's were here! (eewwww)

 

[chop92778]

Thanks for the info I will try it and see how it goes.
Thanks Again