I have been raising chickens since I was 10 in a permaculture setting and I’m now 52….this is one of the best ideas I have ever seen. I’m going to start trying this, thank you.
Thanks! How lucky you are to have been keeping chickens for so long. I had to wait until I was your age before I got started. We are now in a small town and my chickens don't have such a big range area, so I've just built and planted a pecking garden for them that's 6 metres (yards) long.
Your 12 days of chickens is hilarious! They can be addictive for sure. I remember one year on our little farm out in the country I wanted to get a few breeds I'd never owned before. I started out with a few of this and a couple days later bought a few of that, within a few weeks I had some of every breed the hatchery offered. Some were good layers and heritage breeds that would be called dual purpose. I had batams, houdans,, silkies, and all sorts of feather legged breeds. Oh and I can't leave out the turkens or naked necks some call them. With each order from the particular hatchery I used they would gift me with a rare breed. I was chicken poor lol. Thankfully we had a huge coop and plenty of run and free range for them. Years later I scaled down the flock as the children were adults and leaving home to live their own lives. Born and raised on a farm myself I didn't stray to far from my roots, but two of my three children that were raised on a farm have no interest in it. The first born does keep chickens, ducks and turkeys and is interested in gardening, like his mom. Their dad was never a gardener nor was he interested in chickens. His hobby was horses but he was willing to raise pigs and a steer for the freezer. Isn't it strange we don't find out all these differences before we get married?
What a fascinating story - thanks for sharing that. It sounds like you really jumped into chickens in a big way! And yes we never quite know how people will turn out. My husband and I were both raised in a small town, not on a farm, and neither of us would have guessed that one day we would have so much fun with chickens. I started out with 5, saying that was plenty. This winter just passed I had 14, which is probably the most adults I have had at once.
Hello! I was admiring your garden while watching another video. I noticed the gals free ranging around behind you... How do you keep them from destroying your garden?
I bet when the hens in the egg processing plants go to sleep and dream they dream of being a chicken in your garden. Your chickens have the most awesome life. They have all the luxuries a chicken could possibly want other than sitting in the living room with you and fighting over who can sit the closest.😁
Thanks. That made me giggle. I do have a friend who lets her rooster come inside but the only time one of my chickens came into the house, my husband said 'Quick get her out before she poops'. And of course that startled her so she pooped!
Chickens in my garden lol that seems to happen every time.😂😂 my husband agreed to let me give it a shot at hatching a few eggs with the understanding that they cannot stay in the house when they are big enough to be out. The problem is I get so attached I would want them in and I’d be that person looking for the chicken diapers to make it happen😁
I've been doing a similar thing the past two years. Here, in New Mexico's desert SW climate, grass is a rarity. I used plastic tubs last year and covered them with sturdy hardware cloth. This year, we built 4' X 4' short frames overlaid with 1/2" hardware cloth. Initially I used hardware cloth with only half the size openings, but the greens could not grow up through the tight mesh. Change made the difference. Now they eat it all the time. It runs down the middle if their run, so they have total access to the greens. I bought several pasture mixtures with high protein but drought tolerant mixes. I also supplement their diets with desert plants allowing them to show me which ones they favor. The wild cactus fruit called tunas are ripe now and the white silkies have beautiful deep pink 'beards' from the red fruits! I have a 4' x 8' raised bed I'm growing for them and may try to keep it going throughout the mild winter. I'll use 1 to 2" opening chicken netting laid on top of the established bed to allow close cropping, but no scratching out by the roots. Thank you very much for your videos. Not only are you tremendously helpful, the forum you provide makes individual readers good contributors, too. Regards...
Thank you for your wonderful comment. I love the idea of having it run right down the middle of the run - I need to Think Big next time! 🙂 It's so interesting hearing how other chicken keepers have tackled their local situations.
Hi from Ireland im getting my new chickens next week so im really a beginner . I cant free range them unfortunately due to predators. This is a fabulous idea thank you love your channel just found it 😍😍😍😍
Hello to you, from New Zealand 🇳🇿 How exciting! Do check out some of my other videos - I think they have lots of useful stuff. Good luck with your new chickens 🙂🐥
I have chickens and ducks. I am like you - I cannot free range due to my two German Shepherds. They have a habit of killing critters and I don't want them to get hold of my birds. A pecking garden is lovely. I have been pulling up tall grass at the edge of our property. They like pecking that so far.
I love this idea and have been thinking of doing the same. I like the version you have. Your girls are so well behaved. Mine would have had a feeding frenzy!! They grab and go! No matter how much I bring they act as if that is the first time I bring them stuff!! Lol
That's why I made the grill on top a bit higher - they can only peck the tops of the leaves as they grow. I hope you give it a go - your girls will love it.
What a brilliant idea! Again, this is something that can be made with scrap wood and left over chicken wire plus a little bit of sturdier wire for the top, something easy enough to buy in a small roll. I love the comfrey idea too. I'm definitely going to have to do this as we're not going to be able to let them out of their run as much as we used to at our previous house due to the nature and amount of predators here.
@@chickensinmygarden 💞 That video is up on my channel now, talking about our plan for the coop. A tour will go up when it's done, but the rough ins are in place.
Their cooing is soothing to me. Makes me giggle a little. Thank you for the great ideas! We're setting up the house and the run next week...plenty of ventilation, promise. :) God bless.
Yes I’m free ranging them and they peck a lot of grass and and they reduce my job to mow… but in the long dry season, my lawn is got rid from the chickens🤓 what a good idea you have it!
Years ago a neighbor gave me five or six meat chickens, and my Mom had a lot of rocks in her yard. I would let them out and then I would go and turn over the rocks to find the worms for them. What a blast. Lol. They learned immediately to come when I called them, and watching the little butterballs run to come get the worms was hilarious. Lol. They are much smarter than people think!
They certainly are! I don't know why we use words like "bird brain" to mean unintelligent - chickens are much more intelligent than we give them credit for. 🙂 I did a video about it quite a while ago now - do check it out if you're interested ua-cam.com/video/QpbnWTSDxBo/v-deo.html
@@chickensinmygarden I only have 8 laying hens. I can't let them free range because we have so many predators where we live. The worst predators we currently have here are hawks and large owls. But I do have a long chicken run for my hens and one end of it would make for a 6' by 8' pecking garden. What plants do you recommend?
6' x 8' sounds wonderful! Just remember you might occasionally want to access it e.g. to add more plants. There are heaps of options for plants - flowers, herbs, vegetables, grains. Choose something that grows well in your conditions (including water - will it get some rain or do you have a hose nearby? ) Some of the grains like wheatgrass or buckwheat are good options for a large area and cheap and easy to start - just throw the seed in. I like marigolds and nasturtiums along the edge because they look pretty (and it's visible from my kitchen) but the chickens prefer leafy greens like chard or collards. There are a very few poisonous plants to avoid like rhubarb and potatoes but not many really. Happy planting 🙂
Thank you so much for that idea. You just helped me to solve those" desertification "patches in my allotment. I'm planning to make movable boxes. Been looking at similar ideas but yours is the best. Another of your project" borrowed ". Best regards. Rosa
Yes, I find purple bok choy is easier to grow, too. And it's quick to grow from seed. We don't eat much of it, so the chooks get most of it. Purple mustard (Brassica juncea) is even easier to grow and we love the taste in stews or the young leaves in sandwiches. The chooks only get the old leaves and stems but they like them too. They seem to like bitter leaves - endive, chicory, even dandelion.
I do have one problems with some of the grasses and weeds I give them. What is do is that I just grab and pulling out grass. But because they aren't connected and attached to the ground anymore, it's harder for the chickens to bit them in to smaller bits. Otherwise, its pretty neat
Thankyou for this lovely video. I see the comfrey needed replanting a couple of times, although your method surely makes it last longer! They sure do love comfrey!!!
Chickens in my garden aha! Lots of work went into your video! Glad it didn’t die off...my chickens almost killed mine so I moved it. Now after your reassurance I will try planting some in a half pot like you did. Thankyou.
That is a very good idea. I'm thinking of what I have I can use for this as I'm putting this in text. Fall is just around the corner and the grasses will be going dormant. I always plant the cool weather crops and will be giving them quite a bit of those, but planting a greens garden just for them is excellent.
Hello. I'm glad you enjoy my videos, thanks for watching. No we can't see the Northern Lights from here - they are over the north pole and we are in the southern hemisphere. There is a similar phenomenon over the south pole called the southern lights which are visible from the very south of New Zealand but we are in the centre of New Zealand and just too far north. But because we live in the countryside we have marvellous views of the stars on clear nights.
I’m learning all I can as I want to get 3 chickens and your channel is excellent for all the information I need 😘 Can you tell me what you are growing in the pecking garden crate please. I live in the uk and will have to keep them enclosed because of the avian flu epidemic here 🇬🇧🫶
That's great that you might get chickens! The chickens really like anything leafy, like beets or alfalfa, but also grains like oats or wheatgrass. I'm not sure of the current situation in the UK but I have read that European poultry scientists have found that the avian flu is transmitted more by contaminated people and equipment than by wild birds, so do take care with hygiene. Best of luck for getting those chickens 🙂
I think "without needing feed" would be difficult no matter how big a space you had. Chickens need a balanced diet of protein, fats and calories as well as the vitamins and minerals they would get from growing plants. As an intellectual exercise you could calculate how much space it would take to feed a person for a year. That would be interesting and entirely possible to calculate 🙂
There is another aspect to your question and that's how much space would be needed just to keep them in grass. I kind of addressed that in this video ua-cam.com/video/23Ncn7JhzqE/v-deo.html
A more simple solution is old pallets, pull off a few boards from the middle front and back, cover with chicken wire or hard wire mesh. Sow seeds of their favorite greens and watch them peck what grows up through the wire without destroying the plants.
I LOVE your chickens especially the Speckled Sussex on the left (correct me if i'm wrong) at 2:11. I also love the chicken at 2:23. What type of breed is she?
Yes the one at 2.11 is a Speckled Sussex. At 2.15 is actually a Barnevelder, but it's difficult to guess because actually this is a young cockerel! The girls don't have such bright colours. The hen most prominent in this video, e.g. at 3.51, is an adult female Barnevelder.
Hi love your ideas How do you deal with the chickens dig out the root of the grass I put the chickens in the lawn and two weeks later the lawn changed into desert
Chickens are programmed to scratch 😀 You have a few options - protect the roots of the grass from being scratched up, for example by planting under a metal screen like the pecking garden but bigger and lower. - have such a big lawn and low stocking density that the damage is minimal. This takes a very big area per chicken. See my video about how much space for chickens. ua-cam.com/video/23Ncn7JhzqE/v-deo.html - rotation, i.e. allow them access to only part of the lawn while the other area recovers. This is what I'll be trying this year in my small urban garden. - forget about grass, let the chickens scratch up the dirt or scratch in the compost pile, and feed them greens from your vege garden.
@@chickensinmygarden yes very....I have one similar, has real dark black even shiney spots on her feathers laced with gold, different from the other wyandotte i have. Was curious , thanks!
So what kind of vegatables would you suggest in a British climate? Apart from cumfrey. In the winter they can free range, but in the summer they would eat my vegetable garden. I never allowed them to, so I haven't got any idea of fast growing vegetabledd that they would like. I know they do like zucchini, but aren't really fond of carrots
I often just tuck in any leftover seedlings that I sowed more than I needed to plant. Silverbeet, endive, spinach, kale, rocket, etc. I often throw in a few peas or beans and they eat the growing shoots. Although they like zucchini and pumpkin fruit they won't eat the leaves. Not tomatoes or potatoes or capsicum or rhubarb - they are poisonous.
Hi, thank you for the time you put into these videos, not to mention all your work executing your ideas. Not sure if this is the forum but I have many questions, one prompted by watching this video just now. Constructing a run and coop currently, no free range likely, I had intended to just provide a soil base in run, though planting out in various good plants beforehand.. seeing your mulch? Wood chip base? Makes me question wisdom of soil/ garden run I intend. I have the potential to break areas up to rest them and let plantings recover (2 areas, approx 12 and 14 square metres ). I could wood chip and do a perimeter chicken garden? Which is healthier in your opinion please.?
Hi cc. The video I'm working on at the moment goes into a bit of detail about sizes of chicken coop and run so do look out for that (make sure your Notification settings are On and All notifications). Two separate areas so you can rest one for a few months at a time is great. And starting by planting out before you add chickens is a good idea too. But I'm not sure that the plants will last as long as you might think - you don't say how many chickens you are planning to have. But never mind. I suggest you go with two areas, preplant them and maybe replant them during the rest period, but be prepared to have each half pretty quickly turn to bare dirt and be ready to add a topping to keep it from turning to dust or mud. Old wood chips or mulched tree clippings is good or just think of the whole area as making compost and let the chickens peck and scratch, turn it and eat the bugs - they can get a lot of nutrition from bugs. I guess my main reply is - try out your ideas. Be prepared to change things as you go along. Learn from your chickens. Everyone has a slightly different set of circumstances. But everyone should enjoy the experience of having chickens. Good luck 🙂
You must also check out my warning that chickens are addictive - ua-cam.com/video/SDEBc4XoeO4/v-deo.html. It's just a bit of fun but there's a kernel of truth there - people often start out saying they want just a few chickens but soon find they have more than they bargained for.
I haven't actually tried it, although I believe there is some evidence that it does some good. I will have to investigate it and maybe do a video about it 🙂 Have you?
I've recently moved to town where my chicken area is relatively small. I'm still learning but so far the most success I have had is with a long narrow run with planting down each side. There's a netting border between the plants and the chickens which stops them scratching up the roots but the chickens peck at the foliage through the netting. That's for small plants like chard. I've also had good success with fruit trees, again surrounded by netting and therefore underplanted. And with small shrubs like blueberries. If you're not going to net and underplant then put rocks around the roots to protect the tree/shrub. I've had no success at all with grass or wheat or clover over the whole run area. It takes a few months (without chickens) to establish the green cover then about a week with chickens to turn it back to bare dirt.
Well hello and good day. I’ve been researching backyard chickens and have joint a few online groups. I live in a residential neighborhood and there are a few neighbors who have chickens. I’m concerned with the potential of attracting rodents. Any advice? Thanks
Hello there. I'm pretty sure that rodents are not interested in the chickens so much as the chicken feed. Keep the main bulk of the feed well secured (of course I have a video about how to store chicken feed) and use a feeder that rodents can't access - my absolute favourite is the Grandpa's brand feeder - check out my video about feeding chickens not sparrows for all the features that I think are important. Without a secure feeder you have to feed the chickens morning and night and make sure they have enough to fill them but you pick up any leftovers or spills. If there's nothing to eat the rodents won't be attracted.
I mention silverbeet aka Swiss chard, cauliflower leaves, broccoli gone to seed, and "puha" which is the local name for sow thistle - that's probably the one you couldn't catch. I actually have a whole video about puha - ua-cam.com/video/wixH546l-0I/v-deo.html Thanks for watching 🙂
I noticed in one of your videos that NZ doesn't allow you to import chickens, why? Are you allowed to import fertile eggs? Of course importing eggs would be vertically the same as importing chickens. How many breeds do you have in NZ? I know I ask to marry questions, but I'm the curious George. I've always had questions about most things, I think I missed my calling for science.
That's true, it is almost impossible to import live chickens or fertile eggs into New Zealand - not totally impossible but it does require months of quarantine in special certified quarantine facilities, which puts it out of reach of pretty much everyone. The exception who do import, is the suppliers of chickens for the commercial flocks. The grandparents of what will become the hybrid hens that lay the eggs sold in New Zealand supermarkets are imported and quarantined (two separate lines - one for the hen and one for the rooster, and I'm not sure whether they are imported as live birds - I think they are imported as fertile eggs). Their offspring are bred in quarantine and then those offspring (the two parent lines) are then bred together in New Zealand. When those chickens hatch, the girls become the hens that lay the eggs. You can see it's a very complicated process and very expensive. So why all the rigmarole? It's to keep diseases out of New Zealand. We are free from the poultry diseases Infectious Bursal Disease, Newcastle Disease and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza - you can imagine what introducing those diseases would do to commercial poultry farming here. There is also a threat of introducing other diseases that might affect our native birdlife, like the kiwi - we wouldn't want to lose that!
@@chickensinmygarden That makes total sense to me. If the country is completely free of those diseases, absolutely wouldn't want to import them. You have a beautiful flock and I suppose you guys can buy a few breeds from the hatchery, right? I know America is a much larger country than New Zealand and almost every state in the lower 48 have several hatcheries that sell commercial and to backyard keepers. I've never had a disease problem with my flock but I've heard of others who have.
Actually the commercial hatcheries here only have those hybrids. All the heritage breeds that we have are bred and maintained by individuals who just want to keep them going in New Zealand. Some of those people are involved in showing poultry so they keep their flocks to the breed standards. Lots of other people just breed for interest and sell a few (like I have done).
@@chickensinmygarden The hybrids are available to anyone who wants them, but so are the heritage breeds. I didn't do my research properly, if I had I might have bought a couple, but I would have gone mostly with the heritage breeds I had most of my life. I reckon I'll have eggs coming out my ears for a couple of years. I already have buyers for when they do start laying. You have to put out more chicken videos, I enjoy watching them when it's to hot here to be outside for long.
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy my videos. I just counted them the other day - 77. And I have heaps of ideas for others, when I get time to do them. I expect once your flock get a bit older you'll start having a lack of eggs in the winter. I do usually have at least one hybrid but I also try to have a new pullet or two each year for winter laying.
That's a good idea - they could reach through and get more of the plants. But then of course the plants on the edges would get completely eaten away. 😀
5:13 She made a cute little tune 🥰
I have been raising chickens since I was 10 in a permaculture setting and I’m now 52….this is one of the best ideas I have ever seen. I’m going to start trying this, thank you.
Thanks! How lucky you are to have been keeping chickens for so long. I had to wait until I was your age before I got started. We are now in a small town and my chickens don't have such a big range area, so I've just built and planted a pecking garden for them that's 6 metres (yards) long.
I just love hearing chickens “talk”. Too cute!
It's a lovely, peaceful sound, isn't it.
I love to hear their contented churrs at roost time.
Your 12 days of chickens is hilarious! They can be addictive for sure. I remember one year on our little farm out in the country I wanted to get a few breeds I'd never owned before. I started out with a few of this and a couple days later bought a few of that, within a few weeks I had some of every breed the hatchery offered. Some were good layers and heritage breeds that would be called dual purpose. I had batams, houdans,, silkies, and all sorts of feather legged breeds. Oh and I can't leave out the turkens or naked necks some call them. With each order from the particular hatchery I used they would gift me with a rare breed. I was chicken poor lol. Thankfully we had a huge coop and plenty of run and free range for them. Years later I scaled down the flock as the children were adults and leaving home to live their own lives. Born and raised on a farm myself I didn't stray to far from my roots, but two of my three children that were raised on a farm have no interest in it. The first born does keep chickens, ducks and turkeys and is interested in gardening, like his mom. Their dad was never a gardener nor was he interested in chickens. His hobby was horses but he was willing to raise pigs and a steer for the freezer. Isn't it strange we don't find out all these differences before we get married?
What a fascinating story - thanks for sharing that. It sounds like you really jumped into chickens in a big way!
And yes we never quite know how people will turn out. My husband and I were both raised in a small town, not on a farm, and neither of us would have guessed that one day we would have so much fun with chickens. I started out with 5, saying that was plenty. This winter just passed I had 14, which is probably the most adults I have had at once.
Imagine all the chickens you could have had it your husband was into them too! Talk about chicken poor!
@@lpmoron6258 I don't have a husband , haven't had one since 2005.
@@marysurbanchickengarden I am sorry for your loss.
Hello! I was admiring your garden while watching another video. I noticed the gals free ranging around behind you... How do you keep them from destroying your garden?
I bet when the hens in the egg processing plants go to sleep and dream they dream of being a chicken in your garden. Your chickens have the most awesome life. They have all the luxuries a chicken could possibly want other than sitting in the living room with you and fighting over who can sit the closest.😁
Thanks. That made me giggle. I do have a friend who lets her rooster come inside but the only time one of my chickens came into the house, my husband said 'Quick get her out before she poops'. And of course that startled her so she pooped!
Chickens in my garden lol that seems to happen every time.😂😂 my husband agreed to let me give it a shot at hatching a few eggs with the understanding that they cannot stay in the house when they are big enough to be out. The problem is I get so attached I would want them in and I’d be that person looking for the chicken diapers to make it happen😁
The alternative, which I admit to doing, is to spend lots of time in the chicken run. I've been tempted to add a folding chair for me.
Chickens in my garden that is probably my best bet as well. They are definitely entertaining enough to sit and watch.
I've been doing a similar thing the past two years. Here, in New Mexico's desert SW climate, grass is a rarity. I used plastic tubs last year and covered them with sturdy hardware cloth. This year, we built 4' X 4' short frames overlaid with 1/2" hardware cloth. Initially I used hardware cloth with only half the size openings, but the greens could not grow up through the tight mesh. Change made the difference. Now they eat it all the time. It runs down the middle if their run, so they have total access to the greens. I bought several pasture mixtures with high protein but drought tolerant mixes. I also supplement their diets with desert plants allowing them to show me which ones they favor.
The wild cactus fruit called tunas are ripe now and the white silkies have beautiful deep pink 'beards' from the red fruits! I have a 4' x 8' raised bed I'm growing for them and may try to keep it going throughout the mild winter. I'll use 1 to 2" opening chicken netting laid on top of the established bed to allow close cropping, but no scratching out by the roots.
Thank you very much for your videos. Not only are you tremendously helpful, the forum you provide makes individual readers good contributors, too.
Regards...
Thank you for your wonderful comment. I love the idea of having it run right down the middle of the run - I need to Think Big next time! 🙂
It's so interesting hearing how other chicken keepers have tackled their local situations.
Hi from Ireland im getting my new chickens next week so im really a beginner . I cant free range them unfortunately due to predators. This is a fabulous idea thank you love your channel just found it 😍😍😍😍
Hello to you, from New Zealand 🇳🇿
How exciting!
Do check out some of my other videos - I think they have lots of useful stuff.
Good luck with your new chickens 🙂🐥
I have chickens and ducks. I am like you - I cannot free range due to my two German Shepherds. They have a habit of killing critters and I don't want them to get hold of my birds. A pecking garden is lovely. I have been pulling up tall grass at the edge of our property. They like pecking that so far.
I love this idea and have been thinking of doing the same. I like the version you have. Your girls are so well behaved. Mine would have had a feeding frenzy!! They grab and go! No matter how much I bring they act as if that is the first time I bring them stuff!! Lol
That's why I made the grill on top a bit higher - they can only peck the tops of the leaves as they grow.
I hope you give it a go - your girls will love it.
What a brilliant idea! Again, this is something that can be made with scrap wood and left over chicken wire plus a little bit of sturdier wire for the top, something easy enough to buy in a small roll. I love the comfrey idea too. I'm definitely going to have to do this as we're not going to be able to let them out of their run as much as we used to at our previous house due to the nature and amount of predators here.
Yes, free ranging meets a lot of their physical and behavioural needs, but it's not always desirable, so I look for other ways to keep them happy
@@chickensinmygarden You've given me a lot of ideas for doing this in your videos, so glad that I found your channel!
I'm glad too 🙂
@@chickensinmygarden 💞 That video is up on my channel now, talking about our plan for the coop. A tour will go up when it's done, but the rough ins are in place.
Their cooing is soothing to me. Makes me giggle a little. Thank you for the great ideas! We're setting up the house and the run next week...plenty of ventilation, promise. :) God bless.
Wonderful! 🙂🐥🐥🐥
I've been giving my chickens my cauliflower greens and they love them! thank you for all your lovely videos!
It's so much better to feed them to chickens than to throw them away, don't you think? Chickens are the ultimate recyclers.
Your chicken's are beautiful 😍 thanks for sharing.
This is exactly what I was looking for!
Excellent! I hope your chickens enjoy it as much as mine 🙂
Smart idea! That way they can't tear it down to the roots!
Exactly! 🙂
Yes I’m free ranging them and they peck a lot of grass and and they reduce my job to mow… but in the long dry season, my lawn is got rid from the chickens🤓 what a good idea you have it!
Thank you 🙂
Cute looking Chickens
Beautiful hens!
Thank you. I do like all the different colours 🙂
Greetings from UK. Very healthy looking chickens I must say.😊
Greetings to you in the UK from New Zealand.
Thanks for watching 🙂
Years ago a neighbor gave me five or six meat chickens, and my Mom had a lot of rocks in her yard. I would let them out and then I would go and turn over the rocks to find the worms for them. What a blast. Lol. They learned immediately to come when I called them, and watching the little butterballs run to come get the worms was hilarious. Lol. They are much smarter than people think!
They certainly are! I don't know why we use words like "bird brain" to mean unintelligent - chickens are much more intelligent than we give them credit for. 🙂 I did a video about it quite a while ago now - do check it out if you're interested
ua-cam.com/video/QpbnWTSDxBo/v-deo.html
@@chickensinmygarden Thanx! I'll watch it! Here's one of my favs when I'm having a bad day. Lol. ua-cam.com/video/Be8iKgifdOY/v-deo.html
love this idea, its great :)
Do try something like it. Chickens love fresh plants 🙂
What a cool idea. I'm going to start a "pecking" garden this week. Thank you for this.
Wonderful! Don't be limited by my example. I'm currently working on one that's 4 metres long 🙂
@@chickensinmygarden I only have 8 laying hens. I can't let them free range because we have so many predators where we live. The worst predators we currently have here are hawks and large owls. But I do have a long chicken run for my hens and one end of it would make for a 6' by 8' pecking garden. What plants do you recommend?
6' x 8' sounds wonderful! Just remember you might occasionally want to access it e.g. to add more plants.
There are heaps of options for plants - flowers, herbs, vegetables, grains. Choose something that grows well in your conditions (including water - will it get some rain or do you have a hose nearby? ) Some of the grains like wheatgrass or buckwheat are good options for a large area and cheap and easy to start - just throw the seed in. I like marigolds and nasturtiums along the edge because they look pretty (and it's visible from my kitchen) but the chickens prefer leafy greens like chard or collards.
There are a very few poisonous plants to avoid like rhubarb and potatoes but not many really.
Happy planting 🙂
Thank you for sharing nice video, love to see your chicken. They all are in good health 😊😊😊
Thank you for watching and commenting. Best wishes 🙂
Fabulous! I just love your channel!
Thank you so much!
Have a great day 🙂
Such a pretty flock!
I love having lots of different kinds of chickens, and different coloured eggs 🙂
Thank you so much for that idea. You just helped me to solve those" desertification "patches in my allotment. I'm planning to make movable boxes. Been looking at similar ideas but yours is the best. Another of your project" borrowed ". Best regards. Rosa
Excellent! Ideas are made for sharing! 🙂
Top. Great idea.
Thanks. I hope you copy something like it. (At least your chickens hope so.) 🙂
lovely videos
Thank you, and thanks for watching 🙂
Great idea!!! Thanks for sharing
I think lots of people have adapted the idea for their own chickens. I hope you do too. 🙂
What a lovely idea, thanks for sharing 😁
I hope you try it - the chickens love it
I definitely will 😁
Pretty clever idea, free range chickens do go crazy for their greens.
Thank you Do try it 🙂
My girls love broccoli greens and bok choy. Purple bok choy is more tolerant to pests and has both calcium and protein.
Yes, I find purple bok choy is easier to grow, too. And it's quick to grow from seed. We don't eat much of it, so the chooks get most of it.
Purple mustard (Brassica juncea) is even easier to grow and we love the taste in stews or the young leaves in sandwiches. The chooks only get the old leaves and stems but they like them too.
They seem to like bitter leaves - endive, chicory, even dandelion.
Brillant!! so simple so lovely...,y girls are getting this asap..thnaks
Excellent! They will love it.
That is a brilliant idea. Thank you.
Your chickens will thank YOU 🙂
Brilliant,💖
Thank you. The best ideas are often quite simple 🙂
Love the picking garden. Aplying it here in my chicken garden in Costa Rica
Excellent! I'm sure your chickens will be delighted 🙂
I love thiiis idea. Thank You
I'm sure your chickens will love it too 🙂
what a good idear ;)
Do give it a go. You can adapt the idea to whatever materials you have on hand 😊
Excellent idea
Thank you. Do trying if your chickens don't have access to fresh growing greens
I do have one problems with some of the grasses and weeds I give them. What is do is that I just grab and pulling out grass. But because they aren't connected and attached to the ground anymore, it's harder for the chickens to bit them in to smaller bits.
Otherwise, its pretty neat
Very true. That's a big advantage of the pecking garden system.
What an awesome idea! Thank you!
It's simple enough to be adapted to use whatever you have handy. Do try it 🙂
Love this idea! Thank you!
Thank you 🙂
What a great idea!!!! I love it!!
And once you have the idea, you can make it out of whatever comes to hand 🙂
Thankyou for this lovely video. I see the comfrey needed replanting a couple of times, although your method surely makes it last longer! They sure do love comfrey!!!
The comfrey didn't get replanted, it dies off in the winter frost and sprouts again in Spring 🙂
Chickens in my garden aha! Lots of work went into your video! Glad it didn’t die off...my chickens almost killed mine so I moved it. Now after your reassurance I will try planting some in a half pot like you did. Thankyou.
Yes any comfrey I had unprotected got permanently annihilated by my chickens
What an amazing idea.
Thanks. So, you still watch my videos even though yours are now so successful. You have done amazingly well 🙂
Chickens in my garden thank you. Yes I do watch them they are very valuable! Hard work pays off. 👍🏻
Ah but it's never hard work when it's so much fun 🙂
That is a very good idea. I'm thinking of what I have I can use for this as I'm putting this in text. Fall is just around the corner and the grasses will be going dormant. I always plant the cool weather crops and will be giving them quite a bit of those, but planting a greens garden just for them is excellent.
Did you find something to use?
@@chickensinmygarden I did indeed
Thanks going to build one or two this week
Excellent. I'm sure your chickens will thank you 🙂
Hello from FL, USA. I always enjoy your videos and would like to visit New Zealand one day. Can you see Northern Lights there? Take care!
Hello. I'm glad you enjoy my videos, thanks for watching.
No we can't see the Northern Lights from here - they are over the north pole and we are in the southern hemisphere. There is a similar phenomenon over the south pole called the southern lights which are visible from the very south of New Zealand but we are in the centre of New Zealand and just too far north. But because we live in the countryside we have marvellous views of the stars on clear nights.
@@chickensinmygarden Thank you! That sounds beautiful!
Excellent idea. Thank you for sharing such rich knowledge.
You're welcome. Do give it a try - your chickens will enjoy it 🙂
well done
Thank you
Great idea 💡🐓❤️🇨🇦
Do try it. You chickens will love it 🙂
I’m learning all I can as I want to get 3 chickens and your channel is excellent for all the information I need 😘 Can you tell me what you are growing in the pecking garden crate please. I live in the uk and will have to keep them enclosed because of the avian flu epidemic here 🇬🇧🫶
That's great that you might get chickens!
The chickens really like anything leafy, like beets or alfalfa, but also grains like oats or wheatgrass.
I'm not sure of the current situation in the UK but I have read that European poultry scientists have found that the avian flu is transmitted more by contaminated people and equipment than by wild birds, so do take care with hygiene.
Best of luck for getting those chickens 🙂
@@chickensinmygarden thank you for the information, it’s much appreciated 🐣
You're very welcome 🙂
Love this look nice
The chickens love it too🙂
It would be interesting to know how big a garden you would need arranged for chickens to eat continually without needing feed
I think "without needing feed" would be difficult no matter how big a space you had. Chickens need a balanced diet of protein, fats and calories as well as the vitamins and minerals they would get from growing plants.
As an intellectual exercise you could calculate how much space it would take to feed a person for a year. That would be interesting and entirely possible to calculate 🙂
There is another aspect to your question and that's how much space would be needed just to keep them in grass. I kind of addressed that in this video
ua-cam.com/video/23Ncn7JhzqE/v-deo.html
What a great idea!
Thanks. I hope you give it a go 🙂
This is such a good idea. I will try it.
Excellent. I'm sure your chickens will enjoy it 🙂
Love the video and content but you might want to upgrade the potato you are recording on
I have had endless trouble with hardware and especially sound. I'm now on about my fourth microphone. I hope you find my more recent videos better 🙂
A more simple solution is old pallets, pull off a few boards from the middle front and back, cover with chicken wire or hard wire mesh. Sow seeds of their favorite greens and watch them peck what grows up through the wire without destroying the plants.
👍
Great idea!
Thanks. And thanks for watching.
I LOVE your chickens especially the Speckled Sussex on the left (correct me if i'm wrong) at 2:11. I also love the chicken at 2:23. What type of breed is she?
Yes the one at 2.11 is a Speckled Sussex.
At 2.15 is actually a Barnevelder, but it's difficult to guess because actually this is a young cockerel! The girls don't have such bright colours. The hen most prominent in this video, e.g. at 3.51, is an adult female Barnevelder.
Hi love your ideas How do you deal with the chickens dig out the root of the grass I put the chickens in the lawn and two weeks later the lawn changed into desert
Chickens are programmed to scratch 😀
You have a few options
- protect the roots of the grass from being scratched up, for example by planting under a metal screen like the pecking garden but bigger and lower.
- have such a big lawn and low stocking density that the damage is minimal. This takes a very big area per chicken. See my video about how much space for chickens.
ua-cam.com/video/23Ncn7JhzqE/v-deo.html
- rotation, i.e. allow them access to only part of the lawn while the other area recovers. This is what I'll be trying this year in my small urban garden.
- forget about grass, let the chickens scratch up the dirt or scratch in the compost pile, and feed them greens from your vege garden.
@@chickensinmygarden Get it thank you😀
great video...the hen at the end, is that a golden lace wyandotte?
Hi. No she's a single-laced Barnevelder. Isn't she pretty?
@@chickensinmygarden yes very....I have one similar, has real dark black even shiney spots on her feathers laced with gold, different from the other wyandotte i have. Was curious , thanks!
I have had gold-laced Wyandottes but have never had any with that iridescent black, either 🙂
So what kind of vegatables would you suggest in a British climate? Apart from cumfrey. In the winter they can free range, but in the summer they would eat my vegetable garden. I never allowed them to, so I haven't got any idea of fast growing vegetabledd that they would like. I know they do like zucchini, but aren't really fond of carrots
I often just tuck in any leftover seedlings that I sowed more than I needed to plant. Silverbeet, endive, spinach, kale, rocket, etc. I often throw in a few peas or beans and they eat the growing shoots. Although they like zucchini and pumpkin fruit they won't eat the leaves. Not tomatoes or potatoes or capsicum or rhubarb - they are poisonous.
What breed of hen is that black one with red markings?? Beautiful!
She's a Barnevelder. They are very pretty - the black shines blue-green in the sun. And they are good layers too.
@@chickensinmygarden Thank you so much for letting me know!!
What fruits or veggies do they like?
Could you plant Raspberry or BlackBerry bushes or GrapeVines for them?
Yes they love all kinds of fruit.
As for veges - check this out
ua-cam.com/video/R5CtJa2pDAA/v-deo.html
Hi, thank you for the time you put into these videos, not to mention all your work executing your ideas.
Not sure if this is the forum but I have many questions, one prompted by watching this video just now.
Constructing a run and coop currently, no free range likely, I had intended to just provide a soil base in run, though planting out in various good plants beforehand.. seeing your mulch? Wood chip base? Makes me question wisdom of soil/ garden run I intend. I have the potential to break areas up to rest them and let plantings recover (2 areas, approx 12 and 14 square metres ).
I could wood chip and do a perimeter chicken garden? Which is healthier in your opinion please.?
Hi cc. The video I'm working on at the moment goes into a bit of detail about sizes of chicken coop and run so do look out for that (make sure your Notification settings are On and All notifications).
Two separate areas so you can rest one for a few months at a time is great. And starting by planting out before you add chickens is a good idea too.
But I'm not sure that the plants will last as long as you might think - you don't say how many chickens you are planning to have.
But never mind. I suggest you go with two areas, preplant them and maybe replant them during the rest period, but be prepared to have each half pretty quickly turn to bare dirt and be ready to add a topping to keep it from turning to dust or mud. Old wood chips or mulched tree clippings is good or just think of the whole area as making compost and let the chickens peck and scratch, turn it and eat the bugs - they can get a lot of nutrition from bugs.
I guess my main reply is - try out your ideas. Be prepared to change things as you go along. Learn from your chickens.
Everyone has a slightly different set of circumstances. But everyone should enjoy the experience of having chickens.
Good luck 🙂
Thank you for your reply.
3 or 5 chickens was idea, but all up in the air still. Will stay tuned
You must also check out my warning that chickens are addictive -
ua-cam.com/video/SDEBc4XoeO4/v-deo.html.
It's just a bit of fun but there's a kernel of truth there - people often start out saying they want just a few chickens but soon find they have more than they bargained for.
Have you ever soaked your feed in water? Dose fermented feed have any benifits to the chickens health? Thank you for your in site.
I haven't actually tried it, although I believe there is some evidence that it does some good. I will have to investigate it and maybe do a video about it 🙂
Have you?
Do you have any tips on "greening" a chicken run without the chickens eating all of the plants?
I've recently moved to town where my chicken area is relatively small. I'm still learning but so far the most success I have had is with a long narrow run with planting down each side. There's a netting border between the plants and the chickens which stops them scratching up the roots but the chickens peck at the foliage through the netting. That's for small plants like chard.
I've also had good success with fruit trees, again surrounded by netting and therefore underplanted. And with small shrubs like blueberries. If you're not going to net and underplant then put rocks around the roots to protect the tree/shrub.
I've had no success at all with grass or wheat or clover over the whole run area. It takes a few months (without chickens) to establish the green cover then about a week with chickens to turn it back to bare dirt.
Well hello and good day. I’ve been researching backyard chickens and have joint a few online groups. I live in a residential neighborhood and there are a few neighbors who have chickens. I’m concerned with the potential of attracting rodents. Any advice? Thanks
Hello there. I'm pretty sure that rodents are not interested in the chickens so much as the chicken feed. Keep the main bulk of the feed well secured (of course I have a video about how to store chicken feed) and use a feeder that rodents can't access - my absolute favourite is the Grandpa's brand feeder - check out my video about feeding chickens not sparrows for all the features that I think are important. Without a secure feeder you have to feed the chickens morning and night and make sure they have enough to fill them but you pick up any leftovers or spills.
If there's nothing to eat the rodents won't be attracted.
Your accent is beautiful but I don't understand what your second plant was called?
I mention silverbeet aka Swiss chard, cauliflower leaves, broccoli gone to seed, and "puha" which is the local name for sow thistle - that's probably the one you couldn't catch. I actually have a whole video about puha -
ua-cam.com/video/wixH546l-0I/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching 🙂
❤
Thanks
Mashaallah
I noticed in one of your videos that NZ doesn't allow you to import chickens, why? Are you allowed to import fertile eggs? Of course importing eggs would be vertically the same as importing chickens. How many breeds do you have in NZ? I know I ask to marry questions, but I'm the curious George. I've always had questions about most things, I think I missed my calling for science.
That's true, it is almost impossible to import live chickens or fertile eggs into New Zealand - not totally impossible but it does require months of quarantine in special certified quarantine facilities, which puts it out of reach of pretty much everyone. The exception who do import, is the suppliers of chickens for the commercial flocks. The grandparents of what will become the hybrid hens that lay the eggs sold in New Zealand supermarkets are imported and quarantined (two separate lines - one for the hen and one for the rooster, and I'm not sure whether they are imported as live birds - I think they are imported as fertile eggs). Their offspring are bred in quarantine and then those offspring (the two parent lines) are then bred together in New Zealand. When those chickens hatch, the girls become the hens that lay the eggs. You can see it's a very complicated process and very expensive. So why all the rigmarole? It's to keep diseases out of New Zealand. We are free from the poultry diseases Infectious Bursal Disease, Newcastle Disease and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza - you can imagine what introducing those diseases would do to commercial poultry farming here. There is also a threat of introducing other diseases that might affect our native birdlife, like the kiwi - we wouldn't want to lose that!
@@chickensinmygarden That makes total sense to me. If the country is completely free of those diseases, absolutely wouldn't want to import them. You have a beautiful flock and I suppose you guys can buy a few breeds from the hatchery, right? I know America is a much larger country than New Zealand and almost every state in the lower 48 have several hatcheries that sell commercial and to backyard keepers. I've never had a disease problem with my flock but I've heard of others who have.
Actually the commercial hatcheries here only have those hybrids. All the heritage breeds that we have are bred and maintained by individuals who just want to keep them going in New Zealand. Some of those people are involved in showing poultry so they keep their flocks to the breed standards. Lots of other people just breed for interest and sell a few (like I have done).
@@chickensinmygarden The hybrids are available to anyone who wants them, but so are the heritage breeds. I didn't do my research properly, if I had I might have bought a couple, but I would have gone mostly with the heritage breeds I had most of my life. I reckon I'll have eggs coming out my ears for a couple of years. I already have buyers for when they do start laying.
You have to put out more chicken videos, I enjoy watching them when it's to hot here to be outside for long.
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy my videos. I just counted them the other day - 77. And I have heaps of ideas for others, when I get time to do them.
I expect once your flock get a bit older you'll start having a lack of eggs in the winter. I do usually have at least one hybrid but I also try to have a new pullet or two each year for winter laying.
my chiken didn't give egg in 9 month age y ???
Check out some possible reasons in this video
ua-cam.com/video/CwB7qc5Xijw/v-deo.html
What about a scratching garden
It wouldn't last long
The holes on the garden fence, wire mesh, are too small. Better always so big that the head fits through.
That's a good idea - they could reach through and get more of the plants. But then of course the plants on the edges would get completely eaten away. 😀
What a wonderful idea.
Do try it or something similar. I'm just working on a version that's about 10 metres long for our urban chickens 🙂