baymule
Garden Master
@kathiesgarden I let my hens out in the back yard to free range. They scratch. They dig holes that rival my Great Pyrenees-and she's part John Deere excavator. They eat almost anything. I have a7'x16' garden spot in the backyard and when I was finished with the winter garden, I opened the gate and let them in. They stripped the broccoli and ate the rye grass (I let it grow with them in mind) and tore the ground up! They really enjoyed themselves.
I have them in a 8'x7' coop with a 12'x8' run. I gather fall leaves and fill the coop and run with them. I pack leaves in 3' deep and they eat, scratch, poop and make compost. In about 4 months, they reduce 3' to 8" and I dig it out and use it in the garden. I toss in weeds, kitchen trimmings, garden leftovers, pea hulls, corn shucks, cobs and stalks, grass clippings, just about anything. What they don't eat, they compost. I love my girls. I live in town, so I don't keep a rooster.
My garden is in the front yard. I wish I could turn them in the front yard garden, but that won't work. Yes, they do eat slugs, snails, bugs, and they will eat the garden too. Fence them out, let them to "clean up" when you're done for the season. Chickens are awesome!
I have them in a 8'x7' coop with a 12'x8' run. I gather fall leaves and fill the coop and run with them. I pack leaves in 3' deep and they eat, scratch, poop and make compost. In about 4 months, they reduce 3' to 8" and I dig it out and use it in the garden. I toss in weeds, kitchen trimmings, garden leftovers, pea hulls, corn shucks, cobs and stalks, grass clippings, just about anything. What they don't eat, they compost. I love my girls. I live in town, so I don't keep a rooster.
My garden is in the front yard. I wish I could turn them in the front yard garden, but that won't work. Yes, they do eat slugs, snails, bugs, and they will eat the garden too. Fence them out, let them to "clean up" when you're done for the season. Chickens are awesome!