Alright, I've decided to vencher into owning chickens. My plans are to start with 3 laying hens and just harvest eggs. However, chickens do a great job and clearing pests from the soil and fertilizing it at the same time, so I plan to take full advantage of that with my mobile chicken pen (aka chicken tractor). I want to thank Bumper (Sam) for helping me to make this happen. My brother-in-law provided me the pen practically already built. All I did was paint, roof, hang door, and wrapped it in chicken wire. Thanks Bump!
Having chickens will increase my liberty and self-sufficiency. By producing some of our own meat (eggs) we are less dependent on others, plus as I mentioned earlier, chickens can be used to clear a piece of grass of seed, while fertilizing it at the same time. I saw a video of a guy who would put chickens on a piece of grass for 3 weeks, giving them time to pick all the grass/weed seed out of it, while fertilizing it. After moving them to the next patch of grass he would plant the previous spot, which is now fertilized and weed seed free.
Also, I've covered my garden with approximately 8 inches of mulch. By practicing some "weedless gardening" techniques, I hope to greatly reduce my time spent weeding next year. Plus, the mulch will hold lots of moisture, reducing the amount of watering I'll need to do.
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| Mobile chicken pen, also called a chicken tractor. I'll put wheels on the back, lift the front , and move it anywhere in the yard. All that is left is a ramp for the chickens to walk up into the house. |
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| Back of tractor. notice the hinges. This is how I will get the eggs. |
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| Mulch and lots of it. 8 to 12 inches deep. I've increased the garden width by about 10 feet. I hope to double last years space before next spring. |
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