Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

The grains both we and our chickens eat as staples are just particular kinds of grass seed, when you stop to think about it

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

My girls have access to chook pellets all day. I give them a sprinkle of free range scratch mix to eat most days as well.

When I reseeded the lawn I used a mix of pasture seeds which they are out on from morning to night. Lately they have been picking at my native violets and Baby's tears.

 

[Iluveggers]

Grass is much overlooked. It's the key to the success of 'pasture-raised' anything. It has enough nutrients for a cow! The trouble is, people overstock, so the grass in chicken runs and small lawns is stripped beyond its capacity to regrow. That itself is, of course, an obvious clue to grass's value to a chicken as food. It isn't just scratched up to get at bugs under; it is eaten. My lot typically graze for a period after breakfast and dinner, as if it was dessert

I am so excited to not have to carry the weeds from the garden all the way to the back woods on my lot…Im dumping the weed bucket right in thr chicken run! I’m sure they’ll love the dandelions and clover that pop out between my tomato and onion plants!

 

[BY Bob]

My girls have access to chook pellets all day. I give them a sprinkle of free range scratch mix to eat most days as well.

When I reseeded the lawn I used a mix of pasture seeds which they are out on from morning to night. Lately they have been picking at my native violets and Baby's tears.
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Spectacular pictures!

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

The temperature is 54 and partly sunny.

Have a great day!

 

[Sally PB]

Last night when I couldn't sleep, I was thinking about my garden and had a thought. I can't get the chickens down to the garden to work on the sod creeping in at the edges, but I could dig up the sod to take to the chickens. Piecemeal "free range" brought to them.

The roots don't break down in the compost pile very well, but the chickens will take care of them.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning X Batts. We opened the garden fence to the birds a couple weeks ago .. they have done a great job.

 

[ManueB]

That's a lovely spot. How high up are you?

We're only at 1050 meters high (3500 feet), but very close above us we have 2500 m mountains so it feels like we're higher.
I love this place but I'm kind of biased since it made my wannabe farmer dream of leaving the city come true .

 

[ManueB]

Yes, I added me with a nonlethal weapon standing guard. They do not free range without me standing guard. I am going to put up some netting to cover some of the danger zone but I can't cover everything.

That's basically what my partner wants us to do. But since we turned the small run into a safety pen for the bantams, the girls would be locked in the coop, and I hate that.
Netting is a good solution but not for big spaces or very accidented like ours.

 

[RoyalChick]

Last night when I couldn't sleep, I was thinking about my garden and had a thought. I can't get the chickens down to the garden to work on the sod creeping in at the edges, but I could dig up the sod to take to the chickens. Piecemeal "free range" brought to them.

The roots don't break down in the compost pile very well, but the chickens will take care of them.

I don’t know your set up but I do from time to time get my princesses down to my garden to do a bit of weeding and soil tilling. I usually work along side them and I often cage them in an area to keep them focused where the most work is needed.
They follow me down there. I often carry one and hold a fresh ear of corn to entice them. And at the end of the day they race back home ahead of me.
In full transparency I did once have a strike when they got distracted by a weeping crabapple on the way and wouldn’t come out to go to work. There have been union negotiations since then.
Anyway, long winded way of saying you can get the chickens to a distant site to deal with a garden issue.