The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[potagergirl]

Possibly but I don't know for sure, they are only 4 weeks old!

I think there is a possibility we have in the past, had both the vine borer as well as the ones we see all summer so that deepens the issue.

Since I am pretty sure I can't get playhouse coop upcycle done this week and get squash, pumpkin and watermelon as well as some of the repelling plants (and we are supposed to get rain all week) as well as get ready to go out of town and do the several other things we are supposed to do this week I think I will just bag it and try next year. By then the chickens should be big enough to really help all summer!

I love to plant in the rain. I know it sounds crazy but as long as it is not a storm of heavy rain to me there is something soothing about planting with the rain fall. I used to think it was because I
knew I wouldn't have to water when I got done but nope, it's just the idea in my head that with the rain comes something beautiful.
When it comes to companion crops like radishes, herbs, etc... you don't have to have the full fledged plant as long as you plant the seeds along side your squash (or around it if that is what you like to see). With the weather being warm it should take a week for your seeds to sprout and start doing their job. Rain is also a good thing for this it encourages the seeds to grow =)

 

[armorfirelady]

Okay I have a natural gardening question.  Anyone have problems with squash bugs and how do you overcome it?

My first year gardening I had a bumper crop of squash, cucumbers, pumpkin, watermelon.  My second year my neighbors planted and they squash bugs were all over there crop and started to head our way. I still got some but I did not have a bumper crop. It has been years since I have been able to grow anything the squash bugs attack.  I just stopped trying but I really want to plant all those things. I read that DE helps, but it did nothing for me - but i was not exactly sure how to use it to help. If I am going to try again I really need to get it in the ground this week before we go out of town.  But if the squash bugs attack right away the neighbor girl who tends the garden while we are gone will be devastated (as she has been in the past b/c she is fastidious but there is nothing to be done about those horrible buggers. They just suck the life out of the plants!) 

I will have to tackle how to keep the chickens from devouring my garden at another time.  My are still little so I won't worry about it yet!

If anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it!

Seriously, though, these are the things that caught my eye:

Plants that are purported to repel squash bugs to some degree are catnip, tansy, radishes, nasturtiums, marigolds, bee balm and mint. These can be planted near your squash plants with the goal of keeping squash bugs from finding a home in your organic garden.

Planting your squash later in the season, once the majority of the squash bugs have already hatched and perished can help you gain the upper hand against these pests.

Imhad the squash bugs last year. Nasty suckers. Pathos year I'm trying to keep them out by planting nasturtium and marigolds. The nasturtium are already 4 inches tall. The marigolds I bought as plants. I also planted onions this year. I need to get some more marigolds tho. I was trying the marigolds to keep the rabbit out also. I think I have bee balm planted also. To bad none of it is near the vine crops lol. But I figure once the nasturtiums get bigger I can move them around. I started them from seeds under the cold frame. Might try the radishes also. I don't like them but if they keep the bigs away I am all for it.

Naughty Stella is still getting in the garden so tonight I broke down & trimmed her feathers. She was NOT impressed. But yesterday she made it to the yard & was out for who knows how long. I got stuck at work for 16 hours. Luckily my son saw her out before he let the dogs out. He got her back in. She was out in the veggie garden an hour later when my mom stopped over. The game cam shows her out but didn't catch how she got out "sigh"

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Imhad the squash bugs last year. Nasty suckers. Pathos year I'm trying to keep them out by planting nasturtium and marigolds. The nasturtium are already 4 inches tall. The marigolds I bought as plants. I also planted onions this year. I need to get some more marigolds tho. I was trying the marigolds to keep the rabbit out also. I think I have bee balm planted also. To bad none of it is near the vine crops lol. But I figure once the nasturtiums get bigger I can move them around. I started them from seeds under the cold frame. Might try the radishes also. I don't like them but if they keep the bigs away I am all for it.

Naughty Stella is still getting in the garden so tonight I broke down & trimmed her feathers. She was NOT impressed. But yesterday she made it to the yard & was out for who knows how long. I got stuck at work for 16 hours. Luckily my son saw her out before he let the dogs out. He got her back in. She was out in the veggie garden an hour later when my mom stopped over. The game cam shows her out but didn't catch how she got out "sigh"

Sort of love and admire Stella like crazy.

 

[Kassaundra]

Won't your chickens eat the squash bugs?

Mine eat them, but a lot of people say their chickens won't. Most do not plant their squash (or other veggies) where the chickens have access.

 

[flyladyrocks]

I love to plant in the rain. I know it sounds crazy but as long as it is not a storm of heavy rain to me there is something soothing about planting with the rain fall. I used to think it was because I
knew I wouldn't have to water when I got done but nope, it's just the idea in my head that with the rain comes something beautiful.
When it comes to companion crops like radishes, herbs, etc... you don't have to have the full fledged plant as long as you plant the seeds along side your squash (or around it if that is what you like to see). With the weather being warm it should take a week for your seeds to sprout and start doing their job. Rain is also a good thing for this it encourages the seeds to grow =)

Actually what is in was done a few weeks ago in the rain and I found I kinda liked it! The ground was ultra soft from days of rain which helped too!

 

[lazy gardener]

I also love being out in the rain. A good rain coat, a soft rain, and all is well with my world! Do you ever notice that when you're out in the garden during the rain, that the world becomes very quiet?

 

[lalaland]

very stressful day yesterday.

one of the 3 week old chicks was limping badly, couldn't figure anything out by examing her. she lookes better this morning.

drove two hours to pick up day old cream legbar chicks - was hoping for 4 but there was a problem hatching and only one pullet hatched (you can id sex at hatch), one possible pullet and one cockeral. So I went home with the pullet, the possible, and a 10 day old pullet. The return 2 hour trip wasn't too bad - I used a polar fleece hoodie as a liner in the carrier, and stuffed water bottles filled with hot tap water in there. The chicks crawled into the hoodie next to the water bottles and slept.

Got back and popped them in the brooder with the brinsea brooder I won in a byc contest last fall. babies not too happy. brooder was on its bottom rung (closest to the floor). showed babies how to drink, the 10 day old was miserable and cheeping loudly.

This morning, found one baby in the far far corner from the heat. I stuck her back under the brooder, checked the temp. It is a rainy dark dark dark morning, and the chicks were not content and acted cold. Gave up and put up a heat lamp at the other end of the brooder. babies and 10 day old pullet were immediately happer - stopped frantic chirping, starting relaxing and stretching and falling asleep. Could be that is was pretty dark in the coop because of the rain storm. I am really disappointed in the brinsea - aoxa and others had such good things to say about it.

Really don't want to use the heat lamp. I might try to rearrange things and use a regular lamp to give them light and see if I can get them back to the brinsea.

 

[aoxa]

I brought home some Welsummers yesterday. 7 of them. 4 are boys. 3 girls. It's a start. They are about 5 weeks.

Also got two more Marans that are a week younger.


We are excited for the dark eggs!

I will be breeding:
Blue and Black Copper Marans
Welsummers
White Ameraucanas
Black Ameraucanas
Barred Plymouth Rock
Naked Necks
Mottled Houdans
Easter Eggers (maybe)
Buckeyes
and Silkies (Blue, Partridge and White)

No matter what, my Barred Plymouth Rock are me #1 priority. I just adore them.

 

[armorfirelady]

Aoxa I'm going to ship Stella to you so she learns some manners I also like the barred rocks. Their personality is wonderful even tho Stella drives me bonkers some days. Her egg is a jumbo that makes closing the egg cartons hard to close.

Aoxa have the feathers on your BR every turned a brown color? Stella's are still brown in areas & I upped their meat protein thinking that may help, she has some bare spots on her bottom we saw yesterday but while one area is pink it looks like new pin feathers are coming in. Her feathers have that disheveled look which makes me think she may be starting to molt?

 

[Leahs Mom]

@lalaland @aoxa

Lala - I have the premier (comfort chicks) heat plate so I don't know for sure on the Brinsea but..
The Comfort chick says to give it an hour to come up to heat. Not sure on the Brinsea. But that comfort chicks was hot to touch so I actually put it on a lamp dimmer and ran it at less heat. I can also put the back lower than the front so I set it lower on one end than the other thinking that if it was too hot on the shorter end they could go to the taller.


Did you set it low enough to the ground? They're supposed to touch up against it. It's not supposed to radiate heat so putting a thermometer under it isn't a good measure. Pressing up against it to warm is how they're supposed to work so it needs to be relatively low.