Specialty Gardening: Chickens and Gardens,,,,, it it only a dream?, 1 by seedpicker_TX

seedpicker_TX wrote:
good morning-
Yes, you probably will be grateful. I'm positive of it :0)

You could designate a dirt area for them, or even find a garage sale sandbox? In a pinch I even used a plastic boot tray with some play sand.

You are going to fully realize why chickens are responsible for so many old sayings, and you are going to relate to why those sayings came about. You'll see it first hand.

For example: "all cooped up"(the stir-crazy cabin fever they get when not allowed to roam free)

"Mother hen"(there is always one boss :0)....and then the entire ''pecking order" that follows.

"Chicken feed"(referring to the cheap price of feeding them, because chicken feed is so cheap, and mainly they can feed themselves off the bugs.)

etc., etc

Do they have a safe place to sleep in at night? Most everyone has raccoons, and they love to get chickens at night. We had a cage similar to this one, but I like this one better. You just have to remember to lock it at night, and they'll be anxious to get out in the mornings.

One thing I would pass along from an old chicken book...don't let them out when it is raining, or when there is a lot of dew on the ground. They get sick easily in these conditions. They need it dry.

Also, they need to feed in the early part of the day. If they eat too late at night, and eat a lot, it can sour in their belly and cause them problems. If they are low on feed, wait til morning to fill it. :0)

I'm glad you kept them. Enjoy them :0)

This cage could easily be made into a portable "chicken tractor", with very little adjustments. Also, if you are looking for a cage, or you build one, be sure to use rabbit wire, instead of chicken wire. Rat snakes can get into the cage through chicken wire, but not rabbit wire(also called hardware cloth)