Topic of the Week - Gardening with Chickens

[tmarsh83]

As most of us who free range their flocks know, gardens and chickens don't always coexist happily! Chickens eat plants, dig holes for dust bathing, etc. But they can be beneficial for the garden as well, by means of fertilising the soil with their droppings and taking care of bugs and slugs. This week I would like to hear you all's thoughts on everything garden and chickens. Specifically:

- How do you chicken proof your garden (I.e. minimise damage done to plants etc by free rangers)?
- What plants do chickens not eat?
- Composting with chickens?

I've got a rather ambitious garden plan for the coming year, and chickens play a big part. First, the original questions.

I keep the chickens in the run until the plants can fend them off. I built tunnels to protect the lettuce. Mostly, things were fine, I didn't lose much to the birds, but I have a couple acres they can roam. That helped.

They don't seem to bother beets...but then again, neither do I...

Working on that now. I deep litter my coop, and accumulate until late fall. I partition off part of my garden and use one hog panel bent into a U, with another hog panel across the front as a gate. I cleaned out the coop and dumped it my little enclosure. It's to protect from the poop-seeking dogs as much as anything. When the leaves came off the trees I blew them into the U as well, when it was full, the rest went into the run. It will compost over winter, and be distributed to the garden in the spring.

Now, to the larger plan.

I'm going to start a duck, hog, poultry rotation on the garden. I'll be adding ducks in the spring. The garden will have temporary fencing, likely green snow fence (dogs patrol the ground so predators aren't an issue, and with two acres, they don't try to scale much of anything, they just keep walking). The fence will keep the ducks in and chickens out. Since the ducks aren't as hard on plants, and their manure isn't hot, they will benefit the garden during the "grow" phase.

As the garden is harvested, I will remove the duck fencing and expand the fencing of the feeder pigs. They will come in behind the garden, clean up the plants, root up the ground, and continue the fertilization process. Once the garden is more hog than duck, the ducks will range with the chickens, while the hogs have full run of the garden to keep weeks from establishing and keeping the soil turned. I plan to butcher in mid October.

Once the hogs are gone, the fencing goes back up, and the poultry are turned loose on the garden again to clean up what the hogs missed, and fine till the ground.

I'm also toying with a two-leveled duck swim pond that uses overflow duck swim water to water the garden.

Ambitious, maybe. But I'm curious to see how it works....

 

[lazy gardener]

I've got a rather ambitious garden plan for the coming year, and chickens play a big part. First, the original questions.

I keep the chickens in the run until the plants can fend them off. I built tunnels to protect the lettuce. Mostly, things were fine, I didn't lose much to the birds, but I have a couple acres they can roam. That helped.

They don't seem to bother beets...but then again, neither do I...

Working on that now. I deep litter my coop, and accumulate until late fall. I partition off part of my garden and use one hog panel bent into a U, with another hog panel across the front as a gate. I cleaned out the coop and dumped it my little enclosure. It's to protect from the poop-seeking dogs as much as anything. When the leaves came off the trees I blew them into the U as well, when it was full, the rest went into the run. It will compost over winter, and be distributed to the garden in the spring.

Now, to the larger plan.

I'm going to start a duck, hog, poultry rotation on the garden. I'll be adding ducks in the spring. The garden will have temporary fencing, likely green snow fence (dogs patrol the ground so predators aren't an issue, and with two acres, they don't try to scale much of anything, they just keep walking). The fence will keep the ducks in and chickens out. Since the ducks aren't as hard on plants, and their manure isn't hot, they will benefit the garden during the "grow" phase.

As the garden is harvested, I will remove the duck fencing and expand the fencing of the feeder pigs. They will come in behind the garden, clean up the plants, root up the ground, and continue the fertilization process. Once the garden is more hog than duck, the ducks will range with the chickens, while the hogs have full run of the garden to keep weeks from establishing and keeping the soil turned. I plan to butcher in mid October.

Once the hogs are gone, the fencing goes back up, and the poultry are turned loose on the garden again to clean up what the hogs missed, and fine till the ground.

I'm also toying with a two-leveled duck swim pond that uses overflow duck swim water to water the garden.

Ambitious, maybe. But I'm curious to see how it works....

How big is your garden? My big concern with this plan (BTW, admirable plan!) is that you may end up with over fertilization. This can actually be more problematic than underfertilization. I did a quick google search and found this article. https://soiltest.umass.edu/fact-sheets/over-fertilization-soils-its-causes-effects-and-remediation

Harvey Ussery in his book: "Small-Scale-Poultry-Flock-All-Natural-Approach" warns about over fertilization of soils in the small yard by constant application of manure from the flock. Recommendation is made for soil tests now and then. A lot depends on your soil type.

 

[silvertail]

Gardening with chickens is actually easier than I thought I chicken wire most of the plants.Some vegetable plants have been disturbed over the years but now I grow them in a shed after I read a blog that offered some tips on how to convert a storage shed into a vegetable garden .i really don't mind having the chickens around the garden and it is fun and relaxing to watch them while I work.

 

[hommie]

I fence off my veggie garden, I have compost pile with cow poop and clean out from coop, girls love working it. I also have a worm farm that I use for veggie, flowers and house plants. And the girls love the worms as a treat.

 

[tmarsh83]

How big is your garden?  My big concern with this plan (BTW, admirable plan!) is that you may end up with over fertilization.  This can actually be more problematic than underfertilization.  I did a quick google search and found this article.  https://soiltest.umass.edu/fact-sheets/over-fertilization-soils-its-causes-effects-and-remediation

Harvey Ussery in his book:  "Small-Scale-Poultry-Flock-All-Natural-Approach"  warns about over fertilization of soils in the small yard by constant application of manure from the flock.  Recommendation is made for soil tests now and then.  A lot depends on your soil type.

25'x75' and likely expanding.

Understand the concern but i do several soil tests a year and don't expect if to be an issue.

 

[tarahharlin]

what a beautiful set up you have!!

Lovely

Thank you so much!

From spring-fall, we spend so much time in the yard/garden with the ladies. They are so much fun to hang out with and add such life to our space!

 

[tarahharlin]

Howdy everyone

Another good Topic of The Week .. these ToW’s are great and so very educational.

I would like to answer the second question first as my answer will be short.

What plants do chickens not eat?
Those they can not reach or get to

Seriously now .....................

How do you chicken proof your garden:

I have opted for mostly potted plants in the garden for a couple of reasons. 1. Water conservation in the Australian climate and 2. Not so easy for the little bantam girls to dig out the plants. I am more of a green person as opposed to flowers so tend to sway more towards large leaves and grasses:




They have their own garden beds and sweeping of the paths is a daily exercise

When I let them out every morning I use a garden hoe or a spade, depending on how deep I want to go, to turn over their garden beds so that they are loosened up and in the girls mind, an exciting new place to scratch

That is a towel rail which I cut down and buried and they love it as a day time roost. The grasses I planted in that garden bed, which is one of theirs, have actually survived.



My very tiny vegetable garden is hidden around the side of the house and also raised, just in case they do find it

Composting with chickens?

I also use the deep litter method in the run.

With our climate the coop has a slatted timber floor and each morning I simply dust pan and brush the overnight poops, and toss them in the compost bin. I then give the under roost area a quick wipe over and nice and clean for another day.

I love your space! Just beautiful and your girls are adorable too!

 

[lazy gardener]

25'x75' and likely expanding.

Understand the concern but i do several soil tests a year and don't expect if to be an issue.

You're well on top of the situation then. I bring up the idea of pigs with hubby, but he doesn't buy. Also suggest goats. No sale there either!!!

 

[tmarsh83]

You're well on top of the situation then. I bring up the idea of pigs with hubby, but he doesn't buy. Also suggest goats. No sale there either!!!

I'm not saying the wife is 100% on board. but she's kind of given up arguing...lol

Thought I can't blame him about the goats. Not on my list either...lol

 

[Ridgeback303]

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