The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

I thought I had chicken proofed my veggie garden finally this year. Last 4 evening Edie & one of the peepers is found in the garden in the late afternoon. One sits on the bird house and flies over the 6 ft fence while Edie flies over the gate, by using the lattice work I out on top to keep them in, as a balancing point.

They havent bothered my garlic but I planted onions and peas this weekend so I need to come something else before the peas start growing................chickens are not dumb lol


Last year I planted marigolds and nasturtium around my vine plants and had no squash borers. The only squash bugs I had were in the random pumpkin I didn't plant therefore it didn't have and marigold or nasturtium near it.

How are your chickens doing this year? We haven't seen any photos lately and I don't know how many you have left...

I wonder if the Mountain Mint would work too? I'm trying to figure out how you could keep the borers out from below./

 

[Leahs Mom]

Leah

depending on how you plant your garden there you can keep bugs out a couple of different ways naturally, marigolds are always good to intersperse but planting mountain mint around the outer edge works best for keeping bugs outta your garden naturally, it may be called other things in your specific area but it's all over the place, here in Idaho it's called hoary mint

I am trying a different garden this year that I heard about doing a homesteading summit, it's compact and in a circle. if this works here won't even have to plant a garden again and it's alot less work, no watering it weeding it and biggest bonus is should not have to replant it again

Though will see how this goes, the birds are all so interested in fruits and vegetables I may start them their own garden inside the run so they have their own and hopefully will leave mine alone when they are big enough to free range lol

Is that the "keyhole garden"? I saw a layout for that on the home grown food summit that looked interesting.

I'd love to get hold of some Mountain Mint. I wonder how it differs from regular peppermint which is the common mint plant around here.

 

[slordaz]

yep Leah I attended that same summit just couldn't remember the name of it , I call it the easy garden lol.

I only found one nursery that carries it in the area where I live and the mustard seed gonna have to order online, we went with apple and cherry trees and as grapes won't grow up north did blueberry and raspberry next to the tree adding in broccoli,cucumbers, zucchini, snap peas,jalapenos. onion,watermelon, cantaloup, bell peppers, tomatoes and the herbs around the outer edge we are going with dill,thyme, marjorum, mustard and the mountain mint

still doing the corn in rows though don't think i could fit that in there lol

I may be in trouble though the chicks really liked sweet peppers and tomato lol

Next week going to town as it's over 50 miles there and another back and getting some alfalfa, flax and clover to do in grow boxes and see if it will grow inside in a box so they have live forage for winter, anything else I should be putting in that mix as the snow gets to deep here for them to actually forage. Trying to decide if i want to put a few of the extra veggie seeds in there too. I figure if it grows should be able to let it go to seed and not have to make a trip to town to buy more too.

I am not sure I will be able to tell you next week if there is really a difference, I do know that it varies by it's name in different areas , i have mint and spearmint in containers gonna try some lettuce and onions in containers too as we cannot do an underground green house so it can grow protected year round

But from what I am reading about it it is favored due to it being more drought resistant
this looks like a pretty good site on herbs and other stuff grown organically

http://pantrygardenherbs.com

 

[Lacy Blues]

slordaz, make sure you check you alfalfa seeds (as well as the others) as someone on here got some for sprouting and found out they had been irradiated and wouldn't sprout!

There was a symbol shown that told of the irradiation, other than the black and yellow one we all recognize. It looked like a totally harmless, healthful symbol. Maybe they'll get on here and share that info again.

As far as growing stuff in boxes for your birds, you might want to consider grow frames so they don't destroy all your hard work and growing time by scratching up the roots and killing the plants.

 

[lalaland]

Lacy, that was me. Here's my post:
found out why my alfalfa seeds wouldn't sprout when I wanted to give the chickens some greens.

Who knew this was the symbol for irradiated foods treated with radiation? (and it looks like such a happy, innocent graphic!!!

And who knew you could put on the milk carton "electronically pasturized" and mean nuked?


http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm261680.htm

 

[Leahs Mom]

And also watch alfalfa.... most of it is GMO seed now so you have to specify non-gmo or organic.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I haven't watched all of the summit videos but plan to at least look at several still.

At my parent's property where I am right now, there was an over-grown wooded area that we are working on getting the fallen trees out of so that it can be used. Last summer we discovered one of his old grape vines growing high up a tree full of huge grapes. This vine hasn't been pruned in more than 30 years but it was still producing huge grapes. When we discovered it, we weren't able to get to it due to fallen trees and over-growth. When they took the fallen trees out of that area, I think that the grape vine stayed intact so I'm watching to see what happens this year. I can't tell if the vine that I'm seeing is the grape of an old Poison ivy plant. Time will tell.


2 summers ago my chickens LOVED the leaves on the green bell pepper plants. They wouldn't touch the peppers, but loved the leaves. At the end of the season I'd let them in the garden and they would eat those leaves...I even would pull up the old plants at end of season and throw some in the run when they couldn't get out and they'd devour the leaves. Last year they didn't pay attention to them at all.

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote:
I still have 7 girls. 2 of the original girls- 3 years old, Stella & Edie 2 years old & the 3 pullets (aka peepers) from eggs last year. They are all from @Sally8 except the big girls. One of the peepers surprised me with a green egg

Everyone is laying well. Edie & one of the peepers fly over the garden fence every evening. I need to get their wings trimmed up before my plants start to grow. They have been out in the yard since early April.

I still check in but still have our foster dog & 3 11 week old pups. They keep us busy. Hopefully they can get adopted soon

At my parent's property where I am right now, there was an over-grown wooded area that we are working on getting the fallen trees out of so that it can be used. Last summer we discovered one of his old grape vines growing high up a tree full of huge grapes. This vine hasn't been pruned in more than 30 years but it was still producing huge grapes. When we discovered it, we weren't able to get to it due to fallen trees and over-growth. When they took the fallen trees out of that area, I think that the grape vine stayed intact so I'm watching to see what happens this year. I can't tell if the vine that I'm seeing is the grape of an old Poison ivy plant. Time will tell.

How cool to see an grape vine that old. I certainly hope its not PI

 

[slordaz]

yeah I had all of my plants started and came home to my cat like newly sprouted veggies too lol.

Today the chicks and ducks were all wanting to be inside the coop which was unusual then a big wind storm started, but we did our own 5 gallon water bucket and got it hung up yesterday and the youngest duckling showed the chicks how to use it , they think that's a fun game.

We put a jail inside the coop and that worked really well had to lock up the older duck and the 6 week old chick for picking on the new duckling but the older pullets made short work of making a new pecking order and there was nothing the 2 jail birds could do about it, so 1 day jail was all it took to get them to be more accepting into the flock. Next day introduced 2 cornish cross chicks that had been in quarentine and not one caused any trouble with them or the younger duckling.

Discovered they all like the tops from broccoli and cauliflower today but still prefer oats and seeds or lettuce.

A bit of humor for you all: we call "here Duckie" and everyone comes running to see what she's getting that they might want, but you call the chicks and everyone ignores you.

 

[COChix]

Congratulations on all those chicks hatching and most popping like popcorn.  It's always nice when they come that way.  I don't like it when they have to struggle so hard... start zipping  and doing very well, only to rest for like 5 minutes and get stuck!  

Regarding the one in your yard that you found, my guess is that she died from egg binding.  Her vent protruding is a pretty tell tale sign.

I've got one that I need to determine which it is that either lays a soft shelled egg, no shell, or a nice hard shell that has the makings of another shell trying to form on top of it... another membrane and some white on the outside of the egg.  She will be culled.  She has a sister that looks almost identical to her and I don't want to get the wrong one so I'm waiting until I see it happen and can catch her right away.  That won't be fun.  But it is part of this project.

Thanks

@Leahs Mom thanks for the reminder in the avian flu, haven't seen anything else concerning with the flock. We don't have a pond and there are not any water fowl around us. It is still something to keep in mind.