Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

Anyway, in my experience, double dug beds aren't worth the work. It's like the marathon run or English channel swim of gardening. Bragging rights for over achievers. Or masochism. I never noticed any real increase in what grew from a double dug or once dug garden.

I don't have much experience at this allotment/vegetable/herb growing.
What I do know without ever having to lift a fork or spade is dig depth should be governed by ground conditions. We had a vegetable garden in Catalonia; a large one. Yup, stuff was growing when I got there but nothing like the other local vegetable plots. I dug that garden, 800mm deep at some points. It took me ages. The reason this vegetable plot was underperforming was about 30cm down (variable) was a thick layer of clay and below that rubble that had been used to extend the natural rock spit the house and close surrounding were built on. The productivity of that particular vegetable garden once deep dug and compost dug in with the broken up clay improved dramatically
At the allotments, it's not clay but stones, about six inches below the surface.
One deep dig all over with compost replacing the volume of stones (barrow load after barrow load some as big as house bricks) I hope will provide a decent starting point and next year I should just need to add compost and give that a light dig in.

 

[Ribh]

I tend to do no-dig (I am lazy) but combined with rotation (I am lucky to have enough space for that).
I heap up leaves and sometimes cardboard and leave it to rot down for a year. And then I sow in the prior year's area.
I am not sure where plastic comes in to play on no dig. What is the plastic used for?
I started this routine because I have very bad soil - mostly it isn't even top soil because it comes from when the septic field was dug - so my method is really a way of letting the worms create top soil for me. I have also had some success with a 'chicken dig' approach - but my Princesses are a little hard to direct to which areas need tilling so I suspect I end up doing at least as much of the work as they do!

Yes, I'm a no~digger when I can get away with it. Where I am presently I have 4 raised beds that were filled from the hole made when the neighbours put in a pool. The soil is awful: leached, sandy & full of stones. I keep finding bits of plastic everywhere & the owner seems to have put down black plastic matting in the orchard to keep the weeds down then covered that with mulch. ??? WT...?

I have just ordered a bunch of heritage seeds that I will germinate in egg cartons that can then be planted directly in the soil without disturbing the roots. They should be self germinating ~ or @ the very least, the seeds harvestable & viable, unlike most of what is sold in nurseries these days. We have had a very hot start to summer which hasn't helped the garden & I am battling the possums for any fruit @ all but if I can get my hands on either some cow or horse manure I will make up some liquid fertilizer & see if that helps.

 

[no fly zone]

My lovely wife made a fantastic turkey (pasture raised of course). This is about halfway through the cooking process.

 

[Shadrach]

A dry day around 9C (cold according to my thermostat ) with a moderate wind. I was greeted by almost perfect droppings all round when I went to clean out. Is this because of the change in diet I wonder.
Dig and Mow do join in at the main food station at the begining but Henry usually drops not so subtle hints that they should go elsewhere until he's finished eating. He's even a bit tetchy with Fret and Carbon when the amount in the tray decreases. Problem is he doesn't stop eating until there is hardly anything left.
This is normal when the hens are not laying in my experience. It's a case of find your own food. It all changes back to "after you dear" once eggs are involved. I supply two food bowls and as it show in the pictures Mow and Dig eat from the smaller bowl which I top up as required.
Henry is pretty funny to watch at times. I was digging over my plot. The rest came over and hung around waiting for something they fancied to be turned up. They are all right off worms at the moment which is a shame because I dug up plenty. Henry comes barrelling over and heads straight to the spot I had just stuck the fork in and does a very effective, while a bit frantic, bit of digging. After a few rounds of dig in fork, Henry standing pretty much above the tines and a flurry of digging Henry wanders off back to his resting spot no doubt muttering about how he showed Bucket Boy how to do a proper job and that is it for Henry for the day pretty much. He does forage for himself and if Carbon is hanging around him, which she does, if she's quick she can grab what he finds but it isn't exactly Henry's generosity that's feeding Carbon: more her speed while he's concentrating on digging.

The wholegrain feed met with full approval again, bar the green peas. Nobody touched the pellets I provided. The geese got them.

Henry doing a bit of digging and foraging.

Rest time close to Bucket Boys chair; something Dig needs reminding of.

The mystery of Fret.

Over the last three months I estimate that Fret has eaten on a daily basis less than 50 grams of food. She's the most active of them all, still foraging and giving most of what she finds to Mow and Dig. Even now if I try to give her a treat she will either drop it for Mow and Dig, or have it practically grabbed out of her beak by Dig. Fret has eaten very little of the commercial feed over the last three months. She's done/doing a partial moult in these conditions and frankly she looks fabulous but feels underweight. She has been eating more over the last couple of weeks but far less then Henry and Carbon and during the last couple of days has eaten what I consider to be an adult ration of the fermented grains.

Dig and Mow who I haven't handled and haven't interfered in their upbringing by Fret have reached the make your own mind up about Bucket Boy stage. It's looking okay. Dig is as cheeky as his age demands and Mow, unlike her mother Fret is very relaxed around me. I can give both a stroke while they are roosting without drama. I have a small tub which I keep any fish and meat I take them and I give this out by hand to all now; Henry first of course. Seems to be working as it has in the past. Mow and Dig will get a warning peck if they lunge for something out of turn but otherwise everyone seems to accept that this food is different and Bucket Boy says who gets what and when. I usually go Henry, Carbon, try with Fret, Mow and Dig last. Fret has been senior to Carbon since I've been going to the allotments but while Fret has been mothering Mow and Dig hierachy disputes have been an issue. Today Fret let Carbon know with a call and a brief hackle flash at the food tray that she is still the senior hen.

Mow, like her mother doesn't put up with the rats. I've seen her go for one a couple of times now. This is a good thing because Henry, Dig and Carbon don't seem to care about the rats. Dig on the other hand doesn't like the doves or the crows. He'll chase the doves but finds the crows intimidating.

 

[Shadrach]

Yes, I'm a no~digger when I can get away with it. Where I am presently I have 4 raised beds that were filled from the hole made when the neighbours put in a pool. The soil is awful: leached, sandy & full of stones. I keep finding bits of plastic everywhere & the owner seems to have put down black plastic matting in the orchard to keep the weeds down then covered that with mulch. ??? WT...?

I have just ordered a bunch of heritage seeds that I will germinate in egg cartons that can then be planted directly in the soil without disturbing the roots. They should be self germinating ~ or @ the very least, the seeds harvestable & viable, unlike most of what is sold in nurseries these days. We have had a very hot start to summer which hasn't helped the garden & I am battling the possums for any fruit @ all but if I can get my hands on either some cow or horse manure I will make up some liquid fertilizer & see if that helps.

Why don't you use the chicken droppings? It makes wondefull fertilizer when mixed with some reasonable quality earth. I've got vats of the stuff brewing.

 

[Shadrach]

My lovely wife made a fantastic turkey (pasture raised of course). This is about halfway through the cooking process.View attachment 3690131

Thanksgiving is today isn't it?

 

[no fly zone]

Thanksgiving is today isn't it?

Yes.

 

[Ribh]

Why don't you use the chicken droppings? It makes wondefull fertilizer when mixed with some reasonable quality earth. I've got vats of the stuff brewing.

I do ~ but I'm fighting the dogs for the chicken poop. They are disgusting.

 

[Shadrach]

I do ~ but I'm fighting the dogs for the chicken poop. They are disgusting.

I don't recall any of the dogs in Catalonia being particularly interested in chicken droppings. The chicken howeverwould spend many happy hours cracking open sheep droppings for the small grain particles or digging through the donkey middens for bugs and grubs. I won't go into detail about what they fished out of the compost heap. Given I don't kiss dogs or chickens I don't see it as a problem.

 

[fluffycrow]

A dry day around 9C (cold according to my thermostat ) with a moderate wind. I was greeted by almost perfect droppings all round when I went to clean out. Is this because of the change in diet I wonder.
Dig and Mow do join in at the main food station at the begining but Henry usually drops not so subtle hints that they should go elsewhere until he's finished eating. He's even a bit tetchy with Fret and Carbon when the amount in the tray decreases. Problem is he doesn't stop eating until there is hardly anything left.
This is normal when the hens are not laying in my experience. It's a case of find your own food. It all changes back to "after you dear" once eggs are involved. I supply two food bowls and as it show in the pictures Mow and Dig eat from the smaller bowl which I top up as required.
Henry is pretty funny to watch at times. I was digging over my plot. The rest came over and hung around waiting for something they fancied to be turned up. They are all right off worms at the moment which is a shame because I dug up plenty. Henry comes barrelling over and heads straight to the spot I had just stuck the fork in and does a very effective, while a bit frantic, bit of digging. After a few rounds of dig in fork, Henry standing pretty much above the tines and a flurry of digging Henry wanders off back to his resting spot no doubt muttering about how he showed Bucket Boy how to do a proper job and that is it for Henry for the day pretty much. He does forage for himself and if Carbon is hanging around him, which she does, if she's quick she can grab what he finds but it isn't exactly Henry's generosity that's feeding Carbon: more her speed while he's concentrating on digging.

The wholegrain feed met with full approval again, bar the green peas. Nobody touched the pellets I provided. The geese got them.
View attachment 3690078

Henry doing a bit of digging and foraging.
View attachment 3690080

Rest time close to Bucket Boys chair; something Dig needs reminding of.
View attachment 3690081

The mystery of Fret.
View attachment 3690079
View attachment 3690077

Over the last three months I estimate that Fret has eaten on a daily basis less than 50 grams of food. She's the most active of them all, still foraging and giving most of what she finds to Mow and Dig. Even now if I try to give her a treat she will either drop it for Mow and Dig, or have it practically grabbed out of her beak by Dig. Fret has eaten very little of the commercial feed over the last three months. She's done/doing a partial moult in these conditions and frankly she looks fabulous but feels underweight. She has been eating more over the last couple of weeks but far less then Henry and Carbon and during the last couple of days has eaten what I consider to be an adult ration of the fermented grains.

Dig and Mow who I haven't handled and haven't interfered in their upbringing by Fret have reached the make your own mind up about Bucket Boy stage. It's looking okay. Dig is as cheeky as his age demands and Mow, unlike her mother Fret is very relaxed around me. I can give both a stroke while they are roosting without drama. I have a small tub which I keep any fish and meat I take them and I give this out by hand to all now; Henry first of course. Seems to be working as it has in the past. Mow and Dig will get a warning peck if they lunge for something out of turn but otherwise everyone seems to accept that this food is different and Bucket Boy says who gets what and when. I usually go Henry, Carbon, try with Fret, Mow and Dig last. Fret has been senior to Carbon since I've been going to the allotments but while Fret has been mothering Mow and Dig hierachy disputes have been an issue. Today Fret let Carbon know with a call and a brief hackle flash at the food tray that she is still the senior hen.

Mow, like her mother doesn't put up with the rats. I've seen her go for one a couple of times now. This is a good thing because Henry, Dig and Carbon don't seem to care about the rats. Dig on the other hand doesn't like the doves or the crows. He'll chase the doves but finds the crows intimidating.

View attachment 3690076

Big Red has a big issue with doves. Once I was convinced he was going to kill a dove, but thankfully it has yet to happen. Funny enough, Cruella has an issue with sparrows. She's just not as bloodthirsty about it.







What is your long-term plan for Dig? Do you expect him to be driven out by Henry eventually?