Just casually came across this. We are getting chickens next week. Never had them before. So anything I should know going in ?
Just casually came across this. We are getting chickens next week. Never had them before. So anything I should know going in ?
They shit. A lot.
Like… a lot a lot
Good to know. It’s pretty good as manure?
Not only is it pretty good as manure, it is manure
I knew after I’d finished writing it. It is what it is. But it’s good for garden. Hopefully plants like it.
We are only getting 4 to start with. See how we go.
Which can be a good thing, if you like gardening and you’ve been sensible in picking out bedding material.
I always describe small farming as food in, shit out, and racing from one crisis to another.
Welcome.
Amen to that! Not just farming, but farm life in general. I just hope this is the winter where I don’t have to emergency dig for a sewer blockage or haul the family off to my work for a shower Sunday evening, because the water heater decided to leak 110L of rusty water 5min after the parts supplier closed for the weekend.
Farm life!
My favorite is running out the door telling my wife that Andrew is trying to get his hay off and he needs someone to stack bales right in the middle of doing something for her. Not only do I need to prioritize the time sensitivity of things she’s asking me for but also consider the time sensitivity of calls for help from other farmers.
I got back from driving my daughter to university 5 hours from home late on Sunday night on the long weekend two weeks ago. My wife stayed in Toronto to be close for the week. I fell into bed and my phone beeped. It was a friend from one road over who had no water. I made some suggestions and eventually decided that I needed to go over. So I sent my wife a note telling her that Krista asked me to come over and work on her plumbing. My wife, a good sport, said, “Have fun!” I pointed out that Krista was in a hotel with her daughter and I was actually going over to help her husband. She said, “Oh well then, good luck!”
I’m reminded of a story. We were headed out late to get somewhere. As we drove past our neighbors house his sheep were out in the driveway. I hit the breaks, we went back, and the family herded them back through the gate, found the hole in the fence, and tied it together then jumped in the car and tore off for our appointment with my wife calling to make apologies. My son asked why we had stopped when we were late. I told him that we live in the country and livestock are money and a sheep on the road could hurt someone so we had to go back. Helping and protecting our neighbors was more important than our appointment.
Teach 'em young and teach 'em right.
Another benefit of raising chickens besides tick control - super great garden fertilizer.
Truth. I’m getting my compost bins hot hot HOT