/ Register

  1. If this is your first time on BYC, we suggest you start with one of these three options:
    Raising Chickens Chicken Coops Join BYC
    Not a member yet? join BYC here & then introduce yourself in our community forum here.

What a gold mine i found in my run

Discussion in 'Managing Your Flock' started by nmantime, May 27, 2007.

Most Liked Posts
Page 1 of 4
  1. May 27, 2007 #1
    nmantime

    nmantime Songster

    139
    6
    141
    Jan 12, 2007
    S.F. Bay Area
    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, [​IMG] ). 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.... [​IMG]

    Norm in N.CA [​IMG]
     
  2. May 27, 2007 #2
    WoodlandWoman

    WoodlandWoman Crowing

    5,717
    52
    283
    May 8, 2007
    Wisconsin
    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!
     
  3. May 27, 2007 #3
    justusnak

    justusnak Flock Mistress

    6,016
    14
    286
    Feb 28, 2007
    South Eastern Indiana
    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!
     
  4. May 27, 2007 #4
    Napalongtail

    Napalongtail Longtail Longtimer

    420
    2
    151
    Jan 31, 2007
    NE Washington
    And to think Norm, You just wanted some eggs to eat [​IMG]
     
  5. May 27, 2007 #5
    Southern28Chick

    Southern28Chick Flew The Coop

    3,893
    2
    231
    Apr 16, 2007
    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.[​IMG]
     
  6. May 27, 2007 #6
    jkm

    jkm Songster

    218
    2
    141
    Mar 28, 2007
    Forest Grove
    cool , now I will throw more cover in the penned outside area, instead of raking it away and moving it to the garden.
    thnaks
     
  7. May 27, 2007 #7
    Motherhenandflock

    Motherhenandflock Songster

    439
    2
    139
    May 17, 2007
    Southeast Idaho
    Wow Norm! Fantastic! This has my husband ready to dump our garbage on our chicken yard.[​IMG]
    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"?
     
  8. May 27, 2007 #8
    mudhen

    mudhen confidently clueless

    2,104
    14
    203
    Jan 15, 2007
    Shepherdstown, WV
    Isn't it wonderful how chickens give and give and give.... [​IMG]
     
  9. May 27, 2007 #9
    Mac in Wisco

    Mac in Wisco Antagonist

    3,479
    55
    256
    May 25, 2007
    SW Wisconsin
    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...
     
  10. May 27, 2007 #10
    nmantime

    nmantime Songster

    139
    6
    141
    Jan 12, 2007
    S.F. Bay Area
    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 [​IMG]
     
Page 1 of 4

BackYard Chickens is proudly sponsored by: