So I now have 4 chickens laying eggs now! My Road Island reds started laying the last couple of days so now I am getting the pretty brown eggs too :-) If I still had a question in my mind that I might be turning a little bit crazy by having my own laying hens it was pushed out with this recent egg recall that is in the news.
We had eggs and toast this morning and it was comforting to know that our eggs are safe and that they came from happy chickens that have a enough space to move and graze around and that they are not being pumped up full of hormones and antibiotics.
Another crazy idea I have been thinking of lately is edible landscaping. Shauna Colvin (my hero) got me started on this idea and I have been reading up on it and there are people out there who utilize their whole yard by mixing edible plants with decorative plants in the front and back. Like that grass strip that everyone has in front of their houses that usually has grass that has no purpose and so water is wasted keeping it green. You can instead plant an edible ground cover like strawberries or put in small fruit bushes like currant bushes etc. I am thinking about making some small changes in that direction next spring.
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I watched a movie recently called Food Inc. It's a documentry all about where the food we eat comes from. It's a real eye opener and stomach churner. I say the more self sufficient you can be, the better. So do chickens make a mess? Like poo everywhere?
ReplyDeleteMine don't LIKE to roam the yard! They PREFER to stay in their chicken coop/yard, which makes ME very happy! Michelle, make sure you are feeding them feed that doesn't contain arsenic! I'll send you a link to a news story. We have strawberries and blueberries in our flowerbeds and HAVE grown pumpkins in our flowerbeds. I think the parkstrip gets stepped on too much at my house to have it be berries etc. Between the chickens and the composter, I have a LOT less guilt over tablescraps these days! I'm anxious for eggs as well, we're about a month behind you, I believe.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I watched that foodnanny show for the first time last night. The lady is a TAD bit obnoxious for me, but I liked the show itself! I just wish they included how to get your kids to eat new things as part of it! ☺!
Yes she is very obnoxious I know, but she has good ideas.
ReplyDeleteMy chickens were afraid to roam at first, but they slowly ventured out further and further and now they run to their door in their chicken run when they see me come outside. When i open the door they rush out and can't wait to find little treats. Having the variety of bugs and grasses is good for them to add to their grain. By the way They love morning glory so pick a bunch and throw it in their run and see them gobble it up :-)
Jennie I have not had a bad time at all with chicken mess. I don't notice much at all in the yard when they have been roaming and I replace their straw in their coop every week. I just rake it all up and put it in my compost bin. Their poop drys up really quickly so it does not stink like I thought it would. They are way easier to take care of than I thought.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait! I got husband approval for spring for my chickys! Now he gets to build me a coop over the winder though....did he think that through?
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