For the last ten years, my better half and I have run a small, 5-acre suburban farm. We grow mostly flowers, berries, and orchard fruits for market, and veggies and nuts for our own consumption. Year after year, we've dealt with bugs, mostly grasshoppers and slugs, and have tried all sorts of silly solutions (it's so fun to put organza bags on every bud on 2,500 dahlias).
We're on the brink of bringing fowl to our little homestead, both to control pests and to provide a source of eggs and meat. After countless hours of reading here (thank you!) and elsewhere on the web, we've settled on muscovies as probably the best fit to address our pest problems while also providing a source of protein.
My primary worry, however, is that our new roommates will simply devour our blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, while also flying over the fence to gobble up our lettuce and strawberries. We can accept some collateral damage, but not wholesale destruction.
The optimist in me hopes that with plenty of bugs, excess fruit, and a couple acres of orchard grass, dandelions, and comfrey, as well as a half acre of millet, peas, and beans (or something else?) planted just for them, that our commercial fruits won't be wiped out by our new friends. Is my optimism crazy?
We're on the brink of bringing fowl to our little homestead, both to control pests and to provide a source of eggs and meat. After countless hours of reading here (thank you!) and elsewhere on the web, we've settled on muscovies as probably the best fit to address our pest problems while also providing a source of protein.
My primary worry, however, is that our new roommates will simply devour our blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, while also flying over the fence to gobble up our lettuce and strawberries. We can accept some collateral damage, but not wholesale destruction.
The optimist in me hopes that with plenty of bugs, excess fruit, and a couple acres of orchard grass, dandelions, and comfrey, as well as a half acre of millet, peas, and beans (or something else?) planted just for them, that our commercial fruits won't be wiped out by our new friends. Is my optimism crazy?
to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!
