Gardening with Chickens - Part 3

 

by Rebecca Nickols

This spring the Master Gardener chapter that I'm a member of is doing a series of gardening classes and I'm excited that I that I will be doing a presentation entitled "Gardening with Chickens." In my previous posts for Community Chickens I shared the first two portions of my presentation: Why Chickens? and The Set-up. Now, I'm moving on to the next subject: Gardening with Chickens

Gardening with Chickens

Why Chickens?

• Eggs
• Self-Sufficiency and Sustainable Living
• Free fertilizer
• Entertainment-Easy-Enjoyable-Rewarding

The Setup

• Coop-Run
• Chicks
• Heritage Chickens
• Ordinance Requirements

Gardening with Chickens

• Advantages
• Disadvantages
• Solutions

Conclusion

• Resources: online, books, local sites

Gardening with Chickens

Sure backyard chickens are a great addition to any home, but if you're a gardener like me you'll want to know how you can use your flock to aid you in your gardening and how to protect your crops and plants from the voracious foragers. 

Advantages

• Free Fertilizer

Chicken manure is a sought after fertilizer for organic gardeners. It ranks top among animal manures in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium--and when combined with straw or similar coop bedding it not only adds nutrients to the soil, but also organic matter.  And--since your average size hen also produces one cubic foot of manure every six months, you'll have an unlimited supply of free-organic fertilizer! 

Because of its high nitrogen content though, it needs to age or compost before it can be used as fertilizer. It's important to not add fresh or "hot" manure directly to the garden in the spring, otherwise you'll end up killing or actually burning your plants.  Here's how it measures up:

Here's my scoop on the poop...

To keep things simple most composters follow the general rule of 1 part carbon (brown, i.e. coop/run bedding) to 2 parts nitrogen (green, i.e. chicken poop). However, because chicken manure is too high in nitrogen you may be more successful using a 1:1 or even a 2:1 mixture. How long it takes to produce compost depends on your method of composting or how diligent/dedicated you are to turning, watering and monitoring the temperature of the pile. If done properly, the compost could be ready to use within 2-3 months. Otherwise, it's probably wise to let it age for 6-9 months before incorporating it into the garden soil.

Here's what I do...

I use straw in the coop and during the summer when I clean the coop (about twice a month), I add it to the compost bin. After the last fall harvest, I spread the straw/manure combo on top of the garden. In January I stop adding the fresh manure to the garden, giving it time to age before my first spring planting. I used to use straw in the run also, but the first time I cleaned the run, the straw had compacted into a huge slimy, smelly, moldy mess. Since then I switched to wood shavings.--The run only needs to be cleaned out a few times a year and it's a great fertilizer/mulch to add to the top of my berry beds in the fall/winter.

• Weed eaters and organic pesticide!

If you have free-ranging chickens, then organic gardening is a must. Using chemical insecticides, pesticides and herbicides is not only is harmful to the environment, but it will poison your foraging chickens as well. Fortunately, hens love weeds such as chickweed (so named because chicks love it), purslane and dandelions (leaves, not the flowers) and they are constantly on the move, searching for the perfect bug... They provide outstanding tick and mosquito control and have a huge appetite for slugs, snails and other pests including--Japanese beetles! Because the chickens have quite an appetite for Japanese beetles, I don't use an insecticide to control the beetles, instead I just hand-pick them--and then feed them to the chickens! 

If you can't handle a handful of squirming beetles then you can knock them off the leaves into a bowl of water. It makes a disgusting beetle-soup that the chickens love. I've read where some chicken keepers purposely put up beetle traps and use the beetles as a free organic chicken feed. Some even freeze the excess beetles to use as a protein supplement during the winter or offer them as a cold treat in the summer.  Of course, chickens will not eliminate the beetles from your garden, but I do find it quite enjoyable watching the hens devour these annoying pests!

My property is surrounded by a wooded area and ticks are a major nuisance... I don't know if it's just my imagination, but this past summer (which was the first year that I let the chickens free-range on my property) the amount of ticks present in my yard was noticeably lower.

They're almost like miniature garden tillers--they scratch up the soil white they're foraging for weeds and bugs--another benefit!

Disadvantages

• They prefer veggies over weeds...

When I first got chickens I wouldn't let them out of the coop/run in fear of my border collies or cats attacking or killing a bird. Fortunately, I had one chicken who would charge and peck at any dog or cat that even looked their way... When they were confined they would eat anything and everything I offered them--weeds or veggies. However, when I started letting them out to free range and choose what they preferred, they grazed through my garden eating their favorites and completely ignoring others. They especially love blueberries, tomatoes, (not the plant), broccoli crowns (not the leaves), sweet peas (again not the plant/leaves) and bok choy. They loved the bok choy so much, they only nibbled at the lettuce and spinach. They never touched the chard or herbs when allowed to free-range, but if I would add it to their run when nothing else was available--they would eat it...  I've never had them even take a second glance at my onions, garlic or peppers, but supposedly chickens lack the ability to detect capsaicum,--the chemical responsible for the hot/burning sensation of peppers.

They aren't as interested in my flower garden, though they do love scratching up the mulch pathways I have, foraging for grubs and bugs...

Here are a few plants that could be poisonous or harmful to your free ranging flock:

Daffodils, tulips, rhubarb, foxglove, ivy, morning glories, poke, lantana, rhododendron, hydrangea, milkweeds, trumpet vine, sweet pea, sweet potato vine, sage, pokeweed, jimsonweed, yew...

OK, now here's the real info...

I have most of these "poisonous" plants and what's interesting is that the chickens somehow know what they can and cannot eat. The same goes with insects... I have several varieties of milkweed (which they avoid completely), but I've also seen them look at the milkweed bugs, Oncopeltus fasciatus, (which are also poisonous and always present) and not eat them. However, they first time I offered them a mealworm, they fought amoung themselves over who could eat the most...

• They're messy foragers and bathers...

It's great that while their foraging for bugs and weeds that they scratch up the soil, but as I mentioned earlier they will also make a mess of mulched garden paths. I even have rocked paths that they have been able to kick large stones out of place searching for hidden treats, but I do try to remember that there is probably one less grub or beetle thanks to their diligent scratching.

In addition to your garden becoming their personal smorgasbord, it also becomes the best spot for a dust bath and sometimes the ideal spot might just be in the middle of a row of beans... 


A dust bath, however, is an essential part of a chicken's health; It is their way of eliminating mites, lice and other parasites. Providing them a bathing area away from your garden might help them avoid using your vegetable patch as their spa. I've tried making a dust bath out of a container, but it doesn't really work. What works best is just a cleared out patch of earth--add equal parts Diatomaceous Earth (DE), soil and sand. DE is a natural product consisting of the fossilized remains of diatoms (a type of hard-shelled algae). According to some sites, DE can be used as a treatment and preventative measure against intestinal worms, mites and lice. It's a safe product that can be added to the chicken's feed, sprinkled around the coop as well as included in the dust bath.

Solutions

• Fencing, bird netting, barriers...

The chickens do love tomatoes and last summer I experimented with a couple of different homemade spray repellents (taste/smell) that I use on my plants to deter the deer. One, which was pepper based, did seem to slow the hens down a bit, but I came to the conclusion that if you want to keep your chickens from eating your garden, you can't allow them to have access to your garden...  A fence--either around the garden or containing the chickens is the best option to ensure that your plants are protected.

What my plan is for this year, is to use removable metal fence panels. At $12.00 a panel, it has been an investment to contain my entire garden, but I like the way it looks and the fact that I can remove it in the fall when I'll allow my chickens back into the garden to eat weeds, bugs and contribute their "fertilizer." I've also made a temporary fencing that I use to protect new seedlings and to "cage" my birds into a section that I want to take advantage of their proficient weeding skills. It's nothing more than 4-foot high plastic fencing attached to wooden stakes. As I mentioned above, they're especially fond of seedlings--any variety (for example, they're not so interested in spinach once it's mature, but they love to snatch up the sprouts). Even if you don't fence your entire garden, a newly seeded area needs some sort of protection until the plants are more established, or keep the chickens contained in their coop/run for a few weeks.

Some chicken keepers get pretty ingenious trying to keep the chickens away from their plants, but still put them to work weeding and eating bugs in the garden. Chicken tractors (movable coops without a floor) are one option--you can move the tractor to different areas of the garden, controlling where and what they have access to eat. A chicken tractor is a great option if you are not able to let your flock truly free range. It allows them to forage, but keeps them contained and protected from predators. I use my tractor as a place for the girls to forage when I'm at work or when I'm not able to check on them frequently. During the fall and winter I leave the tractor in the garden and take advantage of their weeding and fertilizing skills. Around January I move the tractor out of the garden to avoid a large deposit of uncomposted chicken manure. 

I also found one chicken farmer who invented a "chicken tunnel" that he places between the rows of his garden and uses his flock as sort of a garden tool to weed and work up the soil. 

• Plant a chicken-proof garden...

If you want to live in perfect harmony with your free-ranging chickens, then you could devote a special garden full of their top choices, or you could design a garden around chicken-resistant plants... 

Free-Range Chicken Gardens by Jessi Bloom, a new book hot off the press, provides a whole list of plants that chickens will avoid. 

Here's a sampling of the list:

Bee balm, black-eyed Susan, several herbs, goldenrod, iris, peony, yarrow, daisy, coneflower,columbine...

• Timing is the key!

Timing is the key to successful gardening with your flock. They're a great addition to your garden and they'll be your best helpers if you just plan out when and how you'll take advantage of their attributes.  

Check back at my next post when I'll list my top choices in chicken resources (books, on-line sites, etc.), I'll talk more about Jessi's book and there will also be a giveaway!

To see what else is happening on our Southwest Missouri property, visit ...the garden-roof coop.