Who will do a better job, and less damage to crops?

[runbikegrrl]

I have chickens and ducks. From late Sept till March they are free range, however, I also run a small CSA (approx. 1,500lbs of veggies) , so during the "growing season" the chickens are in a mobile pen and the ducks are confined to the "pond side" of the yard.

So here is my issue, I have cabbage worm already, and my pepper spray is not doing the job. I grow to much to make it cost effective to buy commercial organic sprays....SOOOOO I was thinking maybe put one duck or one chicken in the main garden area to eradicate the worms. But I can not decide which.

Pro's to the ducks - Don't like kale or cabbage...so don't need to worry about them getting at that. I know they like cabbage worms to eat.They will go after the lettuce though...but I think they mostly root in the soil...so that is good.

Neg of ducks - The will yank on the plants and step on them. They will be hard for me to catch and get out if this does not work. Chasing may cause plant damage.


Pro's to the chickens - They will likely taste all the plants but will be gently pecking not ripping up. They are easy for me to catch, in fact they will run up to me. I think they like cabbage worms

Neg to the chickens - They scratch, scratch scratch and may uproot some plants.

Anyone think of other things....better yet what have you done....chicken or duck?

 

[Life is Good!]

I've not used our hens in active pest-control. The garden dirt is too enticing to take dust baths in! And a hen's nesting bowl is invariably smack dab in the center of our plants, thereby killing at least four plants (we intensive plant square foot garden method).

From damage I've seen other ducks do - I think they'd be more likely to do more harm than a few hens. You could also provide hardware cloth 'tunnels' in which the hens can go into, and exclude other areas of the garden you don't wish them in. Mother Earth News featured a story on that idea not too long ago.

I know paper wasps eat cabbage worms. Not sure how you'd go about getting those predatory wasps into your garden, ours are full of 'em! Unfortunately, they can't reach Japanese beetle larva...or I'd welcome them to stay longer!

 

[runbikegrrl]

Oh, cloth tunnels I had not thought of that! Thanks for a great idea!

 

[lazy gardener]

If you have a near by Habitat for Humanity store, you can buy some patio screens real cheap. They cover a lot of area for not much money. You might also check Salvation army or a similar store for sheer curtains. I've used remay in the past, but find that it has a very limited life. I'm preferring the concept of re-purposing where ever possible to keep the stuff out of land fills. The stuff is more durable, and a lot cheaper.