I'm a firm believer in everything on our homestead has to earn it's keep.
That even goes for the chicks, although they're too small to lay any eggs or be really productive but I can get them doing something - weeding!
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| The chicks and mum needed a bigger home |
They needed moving out of their ark, but with the predators around here they still needed to be contained so I thought I'd build them a temporary pen in the veg garden. That way they can eat down (and muck) a veg plot and save me some work.
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| The plot on the end has gotten a little over grown! |
The pen didn't take long to put up as I got given some fence panels a couple of years ago and they're great for making something like this. I built a little coop for them to sleep in last year that's perfect for the size they are at the moment.
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| building a makeshift pen out of some panels I was given |
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| Happy in their new place |
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| Doesn't even look too bad in the veg garden |
Anyone else using "animal weeders" in a controlled way?
At last count, I had 56 chickens not counting 12 new chicks. They are all free range. The hens lay in hay nests, or hide the nests in the plants around the place. They all roost in trees. My chickens keep the snakes down, and I don't have to weed around the place because the chickens constantly scratching and pecking keep it nicely clean. The only draw back is them sometimes coming up on the porch and messing on it, but that isn't often.
ReplyDeleteI take it you eat them as well? sounds like a good amount of chickens. the fox put pay to keeping free range ones around here so I can only keep them in pens.
DeleteThis is my first visit to your blog.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic idea it is to make a small pen for chicks and mum and to make them weed in the garden!
thanks for stopping by! trouble is I have so many weeds I could do with more chickens!
DeleteI used to move the pet bunny run round the 'lawn'. Never had to cut the grass with Mopsy and Thumper to do it for me.
ReplyDeleteI keep considering it with rabbits for eating as their muck is meant to be really good for growing as well. Trouble is we've got plenty of wild rabbits and I should lessen their numbers a bit first!
DeleteI'm with Buttercup and the rabbits. I have also seen an idea where you keep hutches with rabbits in in a greenhouse in the winter. The rabbits warm the air and help with the over wintering plants or late tomatoes. My greenhouses aren't wide enough for this, but love the idea, you would need to ensure shading and ventilation if it became too hot on the odd day. Chicken run wise, I have moved an ark along deep beds pretty successfully after harvest.
ReplyDeleteGill
That sounds a great way to heat a greenhouse. Have you seen the under ground greenhouses or walipini? they keep goats and things in these over winter to keep the heat up. I'd love to build one but planning would have a heart attack!
DeleteGreat idea, when we get table birds they will be in a contained in a smaller run we will want them to put on weight and having a pen that can be moved around the veg garden would be great. The egg layers are free range in the field with the Alpacas.
ReplyDeleteTable birds are on my to-do list. I like the look of the larger chicken tractors that they build in Ozand Us for fattening them. something light weight but pretty large.
DeleteYour garden looks lovely! I need to get the chickens to help more. In the next garden I think we will plan to use our "chicken tractors" (just big versions of your ark).
ReplyDeleteThe garden is full of weeds! It looked great at the start of the year! I keep saying I'm going to build a large chicken tractor I just need to find some materials light and strong enough.
DeleteBrilliant idea.
ReplyDeleteAs we have to make great inroads into the woodland eventually we are leaving the hardest work until we get pigs again. Then they will do the rooting up, weeding and sorting of the earth for us. We will follow behind cleaning up and manicuring certain areas that they won't be going back into.
Yeah pigs would be ideal to start with. The chickens do a great job and soon turn a pen to muck and soil if it's not too big and then just move it on.
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