First of all, I want to tell all of you, thank you for your sweet comments you leave while visiting. I read each and every one and really enjoy your view on things!
Who doesn't love to see chickens walking the grounds and listening to them croon? You see them in every old western movie and in any country painting... chickens..... a homey view.......however......
if you look closely at the ground....especially in the old western's, there is no grass... nothing but dirt. Chickens are the best cultivators ever, not one blade of anything will remain in a garden or flower bed, if your chickens walk the grounds.
Even when the grass and flowers have given way to winter's sleep, they will scratch and clear out anything standing, as you can see from one of my flower beds. I love my chickens and want to see them walking around and not way out in their pen....however, I love to grow flowers. And the selfish side of me, just can't see why I can't have both.
So now.. I am happy.....my chickens are happy... and hopefully my flowers will be able to be happy in the spring. I spent the day pounding stakes around my flower beds and stretching chicken wire around the stakes to block my flower beds off from my feathered friends. The wire is 2 foot tall, my chickens wings are clipped, so they are not able to fly over the wire.
I tried to stretch the wire tight enough so that it wouldn't look saggy and too bad.
I plan to plant morning glory around the fence line so that maybe it will grow and look a little prettier. However, I know the chickens will probably eat the morning glory. But I have faith that they won't be able to get inside of the fence and eat my other flowers. Do any of you have any problems with your fluffy feathery friends doing the same thing? Do you have a better suggestion? I still have a few flower beds to work on. I would love to hear. Have a blessed weekend!
9 comments:
I too love to see my chickens work the ground. I appreciate their work in garden beds when I want it but not when I don't. This year to encourage their doing their thing in garden beds where I want them but not where I don't, we have gone to using Poultry net by Primier One Supply. It really is easy to move around the yard tne extra bonus is that if you have them inside the poultry net they are safe from dogs etc. The fence does not need to meet itself and make a complete enclosure if you don't need it to and you can double it up on itself if it is too long for a certain place. check it out here http://www.premier1supplies.com/fencing.php?species_id=6&
I don't have chickens.....I would love to have some.....someday....but I have 3 dogs that like to dig holes and dig up my flowers. We use electric fence...it looks cheesy (especially since we live in town) but it seems to have done the trick....we don't even have to plug it in anymore!!!
I can't wait to see more of your adventures...have a GREAT WEEKEND!!!!
My chickens free range too, and I hope to have a garden this year. I've been trying to figure out what to do to keep them out. This may work, but I would have to clip their wings, I guess. But, I also have guineas, I need something to keep them out too. Any ideas?
I love reading about your chickens.
My sister sent us a dozen eggs the other day from hers. I think she keeps her cooped up tho.
Blesssings
Oh Stuffings! Wish the heck I had some chickens to complain about :o(
Until it's time to get out of bed at 5 am to feed them, then I suddenly become content :o)
Ginny
Oh, Kathleen.......
Thank you, thank you, thank you for telling me about this! I know n-o-t-h-i-n-g about chickens (except they're delicious!) A few months ago, I was reading about them and I had read that you should let them out to "weed" your lawn and garden, about how their poo was great fertilizer, & how they're great at getting the bad bugs from your lawn and garden. So I'm thinking...when we get some hens, we'll want to put their little house pretty much, smack dab in the middle! Um...after reading your post... I'm thinking....NOT! I feel like you've just saved my garden (that isn't even set up (or planned out) yet!
So thank you, again, for writing and letting me know these things!
No detail is too small for me!
Blessings,
Julie
I have no chickens and no place to keep them if I did, but I enjoy seeing yours out walking around the grounds. Happy Sunday to you, Kathleen! :-)
Every time my chickens are out to "free range", I end up with piles of dirt and bark mulch around the edges of my flower beds. They love to scratch in there!
Isn't is funny how chickens always want to go where there not supposed to? Mine want to go in the barn, and then inside Daisy and Edie's pen, where they then commence to eat their feed and scratch through their hay. (Which does NOT make Daisy a happy camper!)
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