What animals are you Gardening with?

[ChickenPotPie]

I use rabbit manure, wasted hay, spilled rabbit pellets, and yard waste to make compost to amend the garden, or use as mulch. I have poultry but don't get much waste from them. I don't have to worry about any animals getting into the garden so I guess I'm pretty lucky. No ground squirrel here.

I love the rabbit manure because I have the option to use it straight on my plants (doesn't burn).

What animals are you gardening with? What are the benefits or problems you see?

 

[mtn_penny]

I am gardening with rabbits too mine are just the pesky ones that can get under the fence. LOL

 

[lupinfarm]

I gots chicken poop, horse poop...oh and all the shredded hay that was in the chicken run all winter is going into the vegetable garden tomorrow! Awesome mulch infused with chicken doos.

 

[HiDelight]

My animals ....well I garden with pit bulls, chickens, fish and my husband

I let the chickens scratch dig and poop in my well established garden with fruit trees and larger plants ..they also clean my beds when I am done with them and rotating I just put them on the bed and they dig scratch and poop away! then I let the bed rest and plant a cover crop to refresh the soil ..use deep litter method in their coop I then haul it to the compost bin where it is composted with waste for the edibles

the pit bulls I am training to pull a cart so when I weed they can haul my weeds to the compost heap! it is all up hill..we are working on a harness now and have the cart

also when I point and say "dig" they dig like crazy so I can just put plants in the holes they are the most fun ..their poop is used in a compost for nonedibles only it is mostly bone since they eat a raw diet

the fish well I have a couple of small ponds with huge goldfish that provide me with nice poopy water for my flowers!

my husband ..(he is kind of an animal!) he does all my drip irrigation makes me anything I ask for and does what I say

 

[GrowinVeggiesInSC]

I used to have rabbit poop when I worked at a school that had a rabbit as a pet. I miss that poop! I would clean the cage and bag the poop and shavings (everyone thought I was strange), it was wonderful in the compost.

I have cats and dogs, but unfortunately no chickens.:/ Maybe one of these days... We are allowed to have them, just can't afford it right now..
We don't use the dogs' poop for the compost because (1) our compost pile is mostly for the veggie garden and (2) my dogs eat a commercial diet.

We built a fence around our garden to keep the dogs out. My dogs like to sample things, they pretty much eat anything, and I could totally see them eating the veggies. They also like to dig and destroy things. So the fence keeps them out. The downside to this is that while they patrol the yard and keep it squirrel-free, they can't patrol the garden. I haven't had any squirrel problems yet, but I aso don't have ripe tomatoes yet. It shall remain to be seen if they can keep stuff out of the yard while staying out of it themselves.

I have a husband, too. The fence doesn't keep him out because he knows how to unlatch the gate. He's allowed in the garden with supervision.

 

[rebbetzin]

I was expecting to see photos of the animals that are around while we are gardening. I use composted chicken manure in my garden.

But, I also have a few animals that "help" me from time to time.

Here are Zoop the Tortoise and Spartacus in the garden.

Here is Spartacus "Helping" me repot some plants.

This dog has one of the most expressive faces of any dog I have ever known.

Usually he is very happy looking.

This day you can tell he was tired of posing for photos under the morning glories.

Such a sad face

And here are two of my four chickens playing in the garden.

 

[ChickenPotPie]

I was expecting to see photos of the animals that are around while we are gardening.

Love the pics. You have a very green garden for being in Tuscon. It looks great! Here are some pics of my manure makers.

This is Eve as a youngster. She is mother to Dahlu (in my avatar). That's periwinkle and Texas sage behind her.

Here is Mona Lisa, in the periwinkle, as a babe.

What happens when you let a white show rabbit walk on wet moss... green feet for 5 days. Luckily, it was long gone before he had his first show.

One o' the boys on a patio chair.

 

[rebbetzin]

ChickenPotPie,

Those are just tooooo cute!! Aren't bunny faces just too adorable??Are those Dwarf Bunnies?


I would like a GIANT Bunny of some kind.

 

[wifezilla]

CUTE bunnies

My garden "helpers" are my 6 ducks. 3 full sized and 3 babies. So far Bungie is the biggest "help". I noticed him eating my diathus yesterday

Uno has been helping keep the sedum under control. Chrissy is my best bug catcher.

Not sure which one, but somebody "helped" themselves to my basil. Never knew ducks liked basil...LOL I now have a wire basket over it. Hopefully it will come back.

 

[ChickenPotPie]

ChickenPotPie,

Those are just tooooo cute!! Aren't bunny faces just too adorable??Are those Dwarf Bunnies?


I would like a GIANT Bunny of some kind.

Yes, these are dwarfs. They are Jersey Wooly rabbits. About 3lbs when full grown.

There are lots of HUGE rabbits - Belgian Hare (rare, but obtainable), Flemish, Californians, Checkered Giant (evil), Americans (rare), the list goes on. Check out http://www.arba.net/Breeds.htm to take a look at them.

There has been several rabbit shows in your area this year. At least 3 in Tuscon. You can also go to the ARBA website or http://www.rabbitshows.com to find them. I keep telling myself I want to go to one of the Arizona shows just for the experience (and to visit friends).

The show season may have just ended (in Arizona) due to the coming summer heat but these shows will probably start up again in the fall. Shows are the best place to go see and learn about the 47 different rabbit breeds recognized in the US. They're just like dogs in that they each tend to have different general temperaments and care requirements. Woolies are just right for us. We also have a few Black Dutch.

You'll love their "bunny berries" for the garden. :happy_flower