I wrote over here about chicken moats
when we first started this aspect of our deer-deterring campain in
August 2011. Since this has been one of our most-successful
permaculture experiments, I figured it needed a followup post, and then I
got inspired to make a video so you can see the moats (and Lucy’s dog door) in action. In case the video above doesn’t work, you can watch it on youtube here. Enjoy!
I wrote over on my homesteading blog about the power of comfrey last week. What I didn’t mention there is that I splurged and bought two Bocking 4 comfrey plants last fall. Bocking 4 is reputed to be the best comfrey variety for livestock due to its higher protein levels and better flavor, and we want our chickens to have the best.
Even though the Bocking 4
plants will be in our pastures eventually, my new method is to put
purchased pasture plants on the outside of a fenceline at first.
That way, the plants can get established without being pecked and
scratched to pieces, some parts of the plants will dip into the pasture,
and, after year 1, I can split these plants apart to create lots more
that will actually go into the pasture.
So now it’s time for that
split! As you can see from the photo at the top of this page, two
little roots grew into two huge plants that filled up a
four-foot-by-two-foot zone along the fenceline. I’m hoping I can
get at least a dozen babies from these plants and will plant them along
the inner fencelines of our tree alleys
in our new pasture. The photo above shows how I already planted
out some of my unnamed comfrey variety into that setting. The
plants look droopy now, but as I learned last year with my terrace experiment, the comfrey will be bushy and thriving come spring with no care on my part.
Do you want to join my in my comfrey-for-chickens experiment? I’m
going to set aside two starts for one lucky reader. Just leave a
comment below by midnight on Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving).
I’ll use a random number generator to choose the winner and will
announce here on the blog next week. So be sure to check back to
find out if you won!
Our new EZ Misers
make great gifts for the chicken-keeper (or chicken-keeper-to-be) on
your holiday list. But what if you want to upgrade your coop
as well and can’t afford to do both?
I’ve come up with four holiday bundles,
with savings up to 20% off our normal prices, so you can afford to buy a
waterer for your friend and still keep one for yourself. We’ve
also included homesteading calendars in some of the bundles — a perfect stocking-stuffer!
As you can tell, I’ve
been spending more time on the computer now that cold weather has hit,
so I also have a couple of opportunities for you to get free
stuff. You’ll download a free copy of my children’s ebook “Hop,
Step, Peck, RUN!” when you sign up for our monthly chicken newsletter by
filling out the form on the sidebar of this page. And if you’d
like to know where to start your homesteading self-education, sign up
for my book email list at www.wetknee.com and you’ll get a free copy of “Best Books for Homesteaders.” Enjoy!