HeraldNet: Why every gardener needs chickens



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Mudraker

July 23, 2008

Why every gardener needs chickens

Posted at 4:30 am by Jessi Loerch

Compost. Chicken waste is a great addition to a compost pile.

Eggs. Once the ladies are old enough to lay, you’ll get about one egg per day per hen.

Eggshells.

Save the eggshells from your free eggs and use them in your garden. You can use them as a slug and snail barrier.

Shells can also be added to your soil or compost for a little extra calcium and magnesium.

Use the shells as a seed starter. I’ve never tried this, but am curious about it. Read more about this here. If you have tried this, comment here or let me know. I’d like to hear how it worked for you.

Add finely crushed eggshells to the soil around your tomatoes to help prevent blossom end rot, which is caused by a calcium deficiency.

If you crush eggshells finely, you can mix them in with your seeds. Then as you sow, you can more easily see the placement and make a straight line (or curved line. Or no line. Whatever you like in your garden.)

Entertainment. Chickens have definite personalities, just like any other pet. (Our chickens are undoubtedly pets.) We have the bossy chicken, the aloof chicken and the food-obsessed chicken. Also, if you’ve never seen a chicken take a dust bath you don’t know what you’re missing. It’s like they get drunk on the sheer joy.

Garden clean up. When weeding, I love to offer the plants to the chickens. They usually love to peck at and play with them. When we are done with our vegetable garden at the end of the season, we’re going to let the hens in to eat up and clean up. Really, I can’t wait to watch them go nuts over the plants and worms. (Side note, don’t leave your potted seedlings or prized new lettuce starts where the chickens can get them. Ask me how I know this.)

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