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Post by bluelacedredhead on May 24, 2009 14:54:44 GMT -5
MJ, How large of a duck pen are you considering? Ducks need water to bathe; preferably either a kiddie pool or a bucket deep enough that they can stick their head and neck in. But along with the kiddie pool/deep bucket, comes water water everywhere!!! Soon, the pen is soaked, and problems begin. Footrot, flies, diseases.....
I let our waterfowl range during the day, only locking them up at night, or when they were on the nest to keep them safe from predators.
A hen yard is much easier to keep clean.
And I found that each breed/species of fowl sampled something different in the garden.
Ducks loved to dine on onions. Yellow onions, egyptian onions, cooking, sweet, green, it mattered not. They ate them.
Red Sex Link chickens that I started with in 1993, ate my Black Eyed Susans until I quit trying to grow them.
The geese ate everything and anything that had a red or hot pink bloom. They destroyed my 3'x6' Bee Balm patch over the course of two summers.
Turkeys loved the tops of an cone shaped cabbage (Early Jersey Wakefield for eggsample). Nothing nicer than a 50' row of cabbage missing just the tops....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
But my Australorps, Wyandottes and Polish chickens, never bothered anything in the flower beds or the main garden. They dined on grass and weedseeds mostly. And occasionally, they nibbled on a tomato or a bean seedling. But generally speaking, if they were allowed to free range every day, all day, they left the garden alone for the most part.
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Post by mnjrutherford on May 24, 2009 15:44:06 GMT -5
YIKES Blue! That's almost scarry! I'm not prepared to introduce ducks for a few years yet. We need to get rabbits after we get chickens. I need to feel both successful and comfortable with the chickens before we move on to rabbits. SO, I'll be keeping the water issue in mind. We have a creek area. We maybe be able to create some sort of habitat?
As for the chickens... that's a ponderation for sure. I'm thinking of using Joel Salatin's mobile chicken pens as a model. I've been pouring over egg tractor pictures for a couple days now. I was under the presumption that if they are moved to new "territory" daily, they could stay in the pen? PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong! I don't mind them having a little more freedom if it's good for them.
Tops of the cabbages huh? I can totally see where that would make you nuts!
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Post by canadamike on May 24, 2009 15:47:59 GMT -5
Ducks smell very bad too...yuck  |
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Post by mnjrutherford on May 24, 2009 21:20:11 GMT -5
Even when they are Peking?
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Post by macmex on May 27, 2009 10:26:35 GMT -5
I have raised ducks in pens, on the inside edge of the garden. Originally, I thought I could let them roam a bit (in the garden) for bug control. But mine, which were Indian Runners, were about as destructive as could be. The only good thing I could say about them and the garden, was that 1) they don't scratch like chickens, & 2) they produce a lot of manure. But they would even pick and eat immature cucumbers and squash! Now, I'm planning to go back to Muscovies, and... not let them in the garden at all.
That's interesting how different breeds of chickens behave differently in a garden. I would trust neither our Buckeyes or Kraienkoppes in the main garden. They get into some of our other gardens, regardless, and greatly limit what we can plant in them.
Turkeys are very much into greens. I really try to keep them out of the garden. In the past I've had turkeys get up on a platform, where I had my tomato & pepper seedlings and eat them!!!
George
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Post by mnjrutherford on May 27, 2009 12:37:05 GMT -5
Oh man! You guys are so scaring me! I might have to change my mind about chickens altogether. I want them contained in a tractor or moveable pen of some sort. If they have plenty of food and "entertainment" are they less likely to escape?
My notion was to plant a lot of white clover in the lawn area I want to use as their pasture. The clover would be great in at least 2 ways. First, the dense, early blooms would be great for the bees. Second I understand that chickens are rather fond of clover. However, I'm also thinking that JUST clover will be woefully inadequate by itself. So, along with the clover, what other kinds of plants might I consider? I also have to source some ground oyster shells...
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Post by bluelacedredhead on May 27, 2009 22:14:26 GMT -5
oyster shell should be available from any feed store in your area. However, if you save old egg shells, and wash them thoroughly, allow them to dry, and crumble them up, they may be fed to the chickens to supply the calcium in their diet. But if you are allowing your birds to forage regularly, then chances are, you won't need the additional calcium. They will scratch in the dirt for the grit and mineral that they require. Sandhill Preservation sells two forage mixtures for poultry. This might help you decide what to plant for them. www.sandhillpreservation.com/catalog/specialty.html |
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Post by grunt on May 28, 2009 1:59:38 GMT -5
Jo: If you have the room to keep them moving every day or two, chicken tractors would be the way to go. If the enclosure is meshed on top bottom and sides, there should be no escapes.
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Post by mnjrutherford on May 28, 2009 6:21:47 GMT -5
How can you have mesh on the bottom and still have them pastured? I've been pondering this part and I'm afraid I just don't get it. What about moving them? With the bottom, if the mesh is to big, couldn't their feet fall through and their legs get broken in the move? And if it's to small, how are they going to get the grass stuff underneath? Will the mesh hurt their feet? I'm telling you, being ignorant really hurts the few brain cells that actually do fire off occasionally.... ;D  |
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Post by mnjrutherford on May 28, 2009 6:29:27 GMT -5
I was going to get the oyster shell from my fish monger. I need to get enough for some other purposes around the yard as well. Would that be ok or will the "fresh" shells be problematic?
Which brings me to yet another question... we don't have any "dirt" exactly. It's all covered with grass and grass equivalent. That said, should I provide some sort of "washtub" in the enclosure with just dry soil?
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