Today I was out roto-tilling the new garden area when just about the time i was ready to hang it up i notice the girls following me even with the noise of the tiller. They were eating something... Didn't have the glasses on so couldn't see what had them so excited.... Well I thought if they like this let me prepare a nice little treat for them.... I lifted the tiller into their run and went to town. Now I tell you even without my glasses the earth i was turning over just looked awesome... and the size of the earthworms fat oohwee. I'm wondering why is this soil so alive, you would think that after 3 years of chickens pooping all over it, it would be pretty sour... then i got to thinking and realized that i always have some type of cover in the run... wood chips, pine needles, straw, grass clippings, mulch all kinds of stuff... and all this stuff have been decomposing in the run with the added chicken poop.... long story short we took about 25 wheel barrels out of the run and spread some of it over the new garden area and rototilled it in. Well while i was doing this Rose next door came out and saw the soil and wanted to know if she could use some, said sure and gave her a couple of wheel barrel loads. Later three of my other neighbors came by (All the hardcore veggie gardners) and wanted some of the "chicken magic" as Rose had named the soil and told them about the it and how alive and loamy it was. I sold a wheel barrel for $15.00 dollars each (they set the price, ). A total of 7 loads.... The treat I planned for the girls became a treat for me.... Well we scooped so much soil from the run that I took 4 of my compost piles and placed them in there and I'll get some pine needles from the back and put in and maybe clean out the deep layer of wood shaving in the coop in there. We took 6, 8 or more inches from all over that run. the dirt level is low. Just thought I'd share this unexpected bonanza. And the girls still received thier treat as they had fresh soil and compost to attack.... Norm in N.CA
What a wonderful day for everyone! How great was that, to make yourself, so many neighbors, all your chickens and all those plants so happy, all at the same time!
How great is that! Now there is no way your nabors will complain about you little mulch makers! And, you made money to boot! Way to go!
I used to work in landscape supplies. We sold a "Landscape Soil" that was just composted mulches mixed with chicken poop and aged. We sold it for $28 a cubic yard!!! Yes, you did find a gold mine.
cool , now I will throw more cover in the penned outside area, instead of raking it away and moving it to the garden. thnaks
Wow Norm! Fantastic! This has my husband ready to dump our garbage on our chicken yard. What kinds of mulch did you dump on the run? How many chickens have you had in there? So while tilling, you were mixing all the things into the soil and then removing the "gold"?
I did the same this spring and spread it on the flower beds. We got an unexpected suprise, hundreds of sunflowers. We throw the hens handfuls of sunflower seed every day and the soil from the run was loaded with them...
Quote:lol, yeah i remember when i first got the girls and how much you help us JJ. Now i can't go the day without thinking of something to do with them or the garden.... these ladies have really changed the way I live my life, but it is a good thing.... I hope you are doing well, again expanding the family... Hope the boys are still enjoying themselves up there.... Jessica, my DD was actually looking at a school there, "Whitworth college" but Stanford came knocking and she chose it instead... Send more pics of your farm, I love that area.... Norm in N.CA