Thanks Egon. Google did produce a huge result. Now I just have to sift through it all. Bird houses, duck houses and dog houses...no sweat. Chicken houses...never even seen one in person that I know of or remember.
Thanks Egon. Google did produce a huge result. Now I just have to sift through it all. Bird houses, duck houses and dog houses...no sweat. Chicken houses...never even seen one in person that I know of or remember.
Gardeningangle,
Something tells me they'll let us stay around; they seem pretty laid back. We'll just have to limit our questions to one every 30 minutes! So here's mine.
Are chickens distructive to a small garden or beneficial? I could see it going either way. I like the idea of letting them roam freely but not at the expense of a garden.
It all depends on how many chickens and how large a garden!! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Do you walk barefoot through the garden?? [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Ahh -- build a chicken coop in cold weather climates and clean it out once a week. It will definitely broaden your sensory base! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Well I, like Calli, am also interested in having enough chickens to give me 6-10 eggs every day or two. (I was a Certified Chef in a not so long-a-go life and do tend to use a lot of eggs) It sounds like 1/2 dozen birds would do that. I may even go as many as a dozen. I am going to guess that I will have a veg. garden/herb bed of approx 100' x 100'.
I am a city boy from Kentucky; moving to Oklahoma to live out my days...I think [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img] I don't think I would ever go outside barefooted in Oklahoma from what I've read, so my answer would be "no". Why?
In the same respect...can guinies be trusted to roam around a garden? I hate ticks and snakes and have read that they help keep the population down.
Go with a dozen.
Pickle the extra eggs if you get any!
Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Hi Reo
I have no clue about chickens in gardens, I do know they will take care of earwigs. Do you have earwigs there? Keep things cleaned up around the garden, that should help. Earwigs love it under boards and pots ect.
I would think a chicken like most birds love new sprouts, be careful of beans, peas,corn anything you direct seed in the garden. We have a lot of quail around here that destroy gardens.
Has it been 30 minutes yet? [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Ruth
Don't fear your life one day will end, fear you did nothing with it.
My 30 minutes is up...but I don't dare ask.
I need to look up earwigs as I have no idea what they are.
I'll check back later when I'm feeling a little brighter. [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]
For a small number of chickens, chicken tractors are a great way to manage them. Simply make your cage/run narrow enough to go between rows in your garden but long enough for plenty of space and variety for the birds. Then just move it every few days. Provides a level of "bug" control for the garden, some "natural" fertilizer, a little weed control and a little savings on chicken feed. They can also be "tractored" on the yard or in pasture.
Look here: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...hicken+tractor
Most healthy hens will lay about 5-6 eggs a week on average (more in the summer, less in the winter). Use that to estimate how many hens you'll need.
Guineas mix fine with chickens but wouldn't work out well in chicken tractors. They are high strung and like to run and even fly a bit. When allowed, they'll roost high up in trees. They are best free ranged. You'll see them running all over the place chasing after bugs during the daylight hours.
Thank you kellenw for the great information. I have been busy researching (Googleing as per egon) as much as I can, but I must say...the wide world of the web is HUGE! I get overwhelmed and a lot of it is unwanted information.
What you have provided is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Thank you.
I have found dozens of coops and houses to decide from. But this may very well be the answer for the garden.
I was hoping that the Guineas could free range as I have heard that they are especially effective in keeping down the tick, scorpion and other pest population in rural OK. I was concerned about damage to the garden, however, the more I read and listen, the more I believe the garden will be fenced.
Hope to talk with you again and thanks for taking the time.
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