Re: [Grass-Fed-Eggs] Digest for grass-fed-eggs@googlegroups.com - 3 Messages in 1 Topic

[jim adams]

hey kelly .. on worms, we create an environment, and they will come -- regardless of what it is now.

We lay down a thin layer (1/4 inch more or less) of compost or horse manure, or similar stuff and cover it with cardboard.  We use only brown (not colored) cardboard with all the tape, staples and labels taken off. We prefer large pieces, like from a washing machine or refrigerator, or large furniture.  We then cover it with a 3 or 4 " layer of hay or straw.  We prefer to let it sit for a month or so, but it's ok to plant right away.  We cut a 3 - 4 inch hole in the mulch to put in tomatoes or squash, etc, and we will cut a 2 - 3" line for a row of beans, carrots, etc.

The first year in our last place, we did this on a layer of fresh mowed sparse grass that had a 1 - 1/2" layer of red clay over sedimentary gravel that we couldn't get a trowel into tho we could drive metal fence posts into it.  9 years later, we had 4 to 5 " of beautiful dark brown, crumbly soil. We don't have a cultivator or tractor, so that is all we did.  Our first weeds grew from weed seeds in the hay and they were easy to pull out in late May and early June.  Earth worms were all over the underside of the cardboard by mid June in the first year of this kind of gardening.  We also never had to use a hoe or rake.  We do have to do weed removal, but it is less than all the other ways of intense cultivation that i've been a part of in years gone by ... as a kid, mother planted a large garden and i have other than fond memories of being a teen age hoer.

Anyhow, we collect cardboard all year, and repeat this process every year.  Which is to say .. we add a lot of organic matter and this is what builds the soil.  We also prevent light from reaching the soil, since this where deep rooted weeds will grow.  And rain soaks thru the hay and cardboard and is slower to evaporate than it does from bare soil ... so we have to water less.  And by the end of the growing season, earthworms have eaten most of the organic matter we put down.  One square bale will cover about 4' x 8', and a refrigerator box will take a bale and a half to cover it.

Have fun, and don't let your chickens run thru the garden until you are finished raising your crops.  Then let your chickens in and let them play thru

enjoy ... jim n'shana

On Fri, Apr 27, 2012 at 1:50 AM, <grass-f...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

  Today's Topic Summary

Group: http://groups.google.com/group/grass-fed-eggs/topics

• Chicken food [3 Updates]

 Chicken food

Jean SB <joh...@saltspring.com> Apr 26 09:14AM -0700  

Kelly,
 
Predators are an important consideration. We raise grass fed meat birds,
heritage layer pullets and grass fed eggs. Our main problems are raccoons,
mink, and Cooper's hawks.
All our birds are locked up overnight in secure houses - this minimizes
losses to raccoons - occasionally they come during the daytime though so we
have roosters that call the alarm and challenge the raccoons. We have had
plenty of mink attacks (in our case always during the day) and I have won
the battle with the last three mink (I use traps - a dead chicken makes
excellent bait - especially if it was killed by the mink earlier, I also
use sticks and stones and my boots to kill mink). Cooper's hawks are a
constant threat to young birds (chicks and young pullets and bantams).
 
Other potential predators are ravens, bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, river
otters (ours have never attacked), owls, cougars and black bears (we have
6-7 guard roosters, who alarm and attack the ravens).
 
Crows are our friends they nest nearby and are extremely intolerant of nest
thieves like red-tailed hawks and raccoons and will chase them away. Even
rufous hummingbird males will chase away Cooper's hawks so it pays to
enncourage a hummingbird or two.
 
I string bailing twine (orange polypropylene ties from hay bales) and
fishing line as overhead protection in the pullet runs. We tie pieces of
old CDs on string from the twine- these twist and flash in the day time and
seem to deter the hawks somewhat.
 
Our flock and meat birds are free ranging - but they always have roosters
for protection.
 
Our roosters are selected from the year's home hatches: they have to be
brave (so you have to observe what they do when a predator threatens - if
they run away they go in the pot, if they stand and fight they are kept).
Roosters must also have good egg genes (prolificacy and colour); they must
be gentle with the hens; they must not attack humans; they must be handsome
and lastly they must have a pleasant crow. Some of these traits are hard to
combine - valour that makes a brave rooster sometimes is associated with
aggression towards the hens and towards humans. You can let the hens do
some of this selection - they can tell who is brave, who is handsome and
who is gentle.
 
So if you are within earshot of your birds, roosters are by far your best
protection from daytime predators. They have a graduated and differentiated
alarm system: a grunt that indicates non-specified aerial threat (e.g. a
float plane, helicopter, vulture, seagull or eagle) - the hens usually stop
feeding and look up. There is a more urgent alarm when the threat is
imminent e.g. a hawk approaching: the hens will run for cover without
looking. If the threat is present and continuing they give a loud
continuous alarm - they will do this if a hawk is perched or poised to
strike or if a raccoon or mink approaches. They have a specific mustelid
alarm for mink and otters. Sometimes when there is a new and unknown threat
(we recently had an influx of rabbits) they will freak out for a while and
then eventually calm down once they realize there is no danger. If you are
within earshot you can recognize the different alarms and go out to
confront the predator yourself or at least shoo it away.
 
So lock up your birds at night.
 
If you let them range on pasture during the day roosters are your best
protection - one rooster per 10-15 birds should do the trick.
 
Jean SB
 
 
On Wednesday, 25 April 2012 15:12:32 UTC-7, Trae Dever wrote:
> (985) 718-0879 ofc.
> (985) 960-3399 cell
> (866) 872-4033 fax
 
On Wednesday, 25 April 2012 15:12:32 UTC-7, Trae Dever wrote:
> (985) 718-0879 ofc.
> (985) 960-3399 cell
> (866) 872-4033 fax
 
On Wednesday, 25 April 2012 15:12:32 UTC-7, Trae Dever wrote:


 

Kelly Phillipson <kellyph...@gmail.com> Apr 26 05:06PM -0700  

Lowell, your coop sounds amazing! Wait until I tell my husband he needs to
put a timer on ours ;) I never even thought about hawks, we have them here
too. The dog next door is going to go nuts - he already wants to attack my
children, but our neighbors thankfully increased their fencing. We were
thinking about getting a dog in the future, but maybe we should speed up
that process while our chickens are still chicks so the dog gets used to
them? Or maybe get a puppy so s/he grows up with the chickens? Oh, forgot
to tell you - our varieties are: Millie Fleur (2), Buff (2), Golden sexed
pullets (I think; we have 8 of them).
 
Hmmm...I wanted to get a Vizsla for the kids but it's not looking like such
a good idea now, unless we want a lot of chicken dinner. Goats definitely
in the future when I get my farm, or maybe in a couple years, we might have
enough room :)
 
About roosters - we have two toddlers so initially we were thinking of just
cooking any roosters. But what if we kept a rooster (if we have one) in
the enclose chicken-wire area of the coop - so they could signal predators
but not roam in the yard? Seems a bit unfair to the rooster to have all
the hens roaming about but the rooster enclosed. What do you think?
 
Also, on the food issue: I am approximating one of the recipes everyone
linked on-line for now and am goign to pick up some Scratch & Peck at the
store on Sun. They have a soy-free and corn-free formula or just a
soy-free, I will be fine with either (and they are made from all
organic/sustainable farms). I have also ordered a worm composting kit with
2,000 worms too and am still researching making a nice worm garden for the
girls!
 
Kelly
 
 


 

Kelly Phillipson <kellyph...@gmail.com> Apr 26 05:10PM -0700  

Jean,
 
I was just talking to my husband about doing some meat birds! Haven't
researched them enough yet; when do you put yours out to pasture? And do
you supplement your chickens at all with feed?
 
I think we do have hawks here too.
 
That is a great idea withe the CDs as a deterent from above predators.
 
I love how you are selecting your roosters. This is such fun! I just
asked Lowell this, but I will ask you too - what about the rooster & kid
issue? Any thoughts?
 
Thank you for all your knowledge!
Kelly
 


 

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