Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Ladies-Eight]

I have to do stretches most mornings or take a bunch of pain pills.

I'm taking Tylenol capsules x 2 every six hours, Baclofen, and Gabapentin.

 

[Shadrach]

I would be obliged if you make an article to set this kind of wrong ‘received wisdom’ straight for people who can truly free range their flock/tribe.

I researched a bit if such an article exists, but the only one I found about fermenting feed by our one and only Shadrach. There are many more myths in this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-myths-rumors-true-or-false-please-share.1508403/

Interested in more myths?
This is for beginners/ children and really needs a part II for the more advanced chicken lovers.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-myths-and-truths.67711/

I agree that Perris should write an article. They made a first class job of the last article they wrote and a bit of push back or undermining of the status quo is long overdue.

 

[Shadrach]

You should read up about no-till agriculture. It supposedly has many benefits to the soil as well as reduced labor.
It is a hot topic right now so there will be plenty to read about the theories on why it helps retain biological activity in the soil - but for starters here is a USDA piece on it.
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/11/30/saving-money-time-and-soil-economics-no-till-farming#:~:text=No-till adoption also reduces,We're here to help.

Of course with chickens nothing is ever completely 'no till' as they are little tilling machines!

We unfortunatley have that bit of fashion at the allotments.

 

[Shadrach]

Very interesting. Appeals to my laziness for sure.

And that is about all it's good for.

 

[Shadrach]

I basically use Ruth stout method. I rack back the mulch, shallow plant potatoes , cover with mulch.. I pull weeds until ground warms up. Then I cover with grass or spent straw or leaves. which become mulch.
https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/ruth-stout-hay-mulch-zmaz99fmzraw/

Now that is more like it.

 

[Shadrach]

We have tried for a few years no till. I took a permaculture class my last year at work so I was pretty sure it was the right thing to do. My partner and I had a few quarrels about it !
It doesn't work anymore for us now that we are in drought though. Even with mulching and cover crops our soil is turning to dust and it doesn't sustain enough life to keep it malleable.

I do the lazy potatoes as well - every year we throw 5 to 10 kilos under hay.
They yield bigger potatoes than the traditional method but more of them turn green (develop solanin).

We have the same saying- aerate the soil.
We also have a saying "I prefer drinking / eating with excess, he's more fun than moderation" .

Amadeo is more beautiful than ever. Does he still squeal ?

That is something like what has happened at the allotments. No dig is fine for a few raised beds but even those turn to dust eventually. You can reduce the dryness by using cardboard.
Better is to look at the complete cycle. Dig to loosen the soil. Weed and compost what you weed. Put the chickens on the land out of growing season. Put the weeds you dug up back into the soil as compost.
Yup it's a lot of work but life is.

 

[Sally PB]

One post about gardening, with tax at the end.

I buried some half rotten/rotting logs in my soil. I added a bunch of chicken run compost on top. I mulch with wood chips, leaves, whatever I have. I add something to the soil when I plant my tomatoes, etc.

I have two gardens. One is VERY sandy, the other is heavy clay. The above method helps both.

I have a rototiller, rarely use it. If I do, it's to turn under compost/mulch or break new ground in the clay. (I'm not going to do that with a shovel.)

Ever since I got chickens, my compost and garden have improved. Their poop is the "other" gift they give.

Tax:

 

[Shadrach]

Sunny all afternoon. For a while I forgot where I was. The chickens dug along side me. Henry can really shift some dirt when he gets going. I stopped, they stopped. Henry didn't scratch my hand once despite being a couple of millimeters away at times. Carbon spent more time on the spade than she did on the ground. She would wait while I dug the spade in and as soon as the ground started to lift she would be on the top of the mound going through the soil before it was fully out of the ground. Carbon and I have come a long way in just a couple of weeks. Fret still frets, particulalry when I throw the weeds in the barrow. None of the others worry about the flying weeds and earth clods anymore.
I got four hours there today. I bet they'll sleep soundly tonight. They didn't even bother with the extension roost bar and went straight off to roost although Carbon and Fret did come back out for a couple of minutes.
Lima is not herself. Usually her crop is bulging at roost time. Tonight while far from empty it wasn't the usual size and when I got there there was hardly anything in it.
The long range crystal ball weather gazers reckon we're in for another seriously hot spell in the summer. I'm going to have to get cracking on some serious shade. Under the coop stays cool, but I plan on a further cool spot in the run.

I seem to have attracted some visitors recently. One middle aged women who comes out for an early evening walk, one Quaker who says I have a calm and kindly manner who comes to chat about life and two teenage girls from one of the houses that back onto the allotments who come to talk about politics and travel.

The Quaker has volunteered to at least feed the chickens and change their water should I want a couple of days off which is very handy because I have a visit to my elder sisters next month.

The ground is now dry enough for the hens and they bathed today while Henry kept watch.

Second dig on my plot before I plant stuff.

A bit of mixed corn as a treat.

And so to bed.

 

[Perris]

Amadeo is more beautiful than ever. Does he still squeal ?

He toots; it's an improvement on the squeal, but still unbecoming for such an elegant bird. He reminds me of a silent movie star; he's better left out of talking pictures

 

[Perris]

I would be obliged if you make an article to set this kind of wrong ‘received wisdom’ straight for people who can truly free range their flock/tribe.

It's very nice of you to suggest that (and Shad to endorse it) but I think chipping in on feed-related threads has more impact. Few articles get found or read.