Digging ; - )

[Im not hungry]

Hi All

Well I have spent all weekend digging in the vergatable garden and I must tell you all what fun it was doing it with my chickens!

The 3 of them were close at hand all day snappng in snails, slugs, worms and some type of catapillar things. Even though they got a spade full of earth tipped on there heads several times, the inpatient things would not wait to get in there.

I'm considering letting them have the run of the vegtable garden to earn their keep with keeping the slugs down, although I would like to know if anyone else has done this before?

If so do you have any advise as what to do and what not to do?

Regards

Paul

[bantiekeeper]

Hi again Paul,
We have 6 bantams on our allotment. They free range when we are on the plot. Although they eat most bugs they are not keen on slugs unfortunately!
Many of the crops such as lettuce and brassicas have to be protected with nets otherwise they would eat the lot. Rows of newly sown seed will also be wrecked if not covered. However on balance they are great fun to have around you while you are working. They actually love scatching around keeping themselves amused. A shake of the corn pot gets them back to their run when we go home.

[Ever Green]

Ha Ha my mum has 6 chickens. She let them loose in the garden ONCE. She now has a tall fence and very few plants left. As you know they have very strong legs and what they didn't eat they scratched. They are great fun though.

[Ever Green]

And. Can I add that they are very well fed. It's just that they seem to be ravenous.

[jimbuckleybarrett]

I have 6 hens and 1 cock (no smart comments pls ), I'm using them to weed my new area that I plan on putting the polytunnel. They take about a week to eat everything in a 10x10 foot area and I mean everything - if it's green they eat it! Can't leave them free - we also have a cat who been licking his lips looking at them since we got the hens and the cock has p'ed off the dog - they just waiting to have a go off each other.

It can't be bad for them as we are getting 1 egg a day from each hen so we must be doing something right!