Produced by
Patti Moreno
Contributor to:
Backyard Chicken Coops
Raising small livestock is regaining popularity in urban and suburban homes. Not only are poultry fun to raise and useful to have around for eggs and meat, they also help fertilize and till my garden soil. By using a chicken tractor to rotate my livestock with my fallow raised beds, I can amend my garden soil with natural manure. The chickens can eat any leftover sprouts and spent plants, and I can eat fresh eggs every day! How can you lose?
There are a lot of different species of chickens and even ducks that you can raise, and each has its own set of unique features. In these videos I'll show you some of the different kinds of poultry that I've raised on my own urban farm, as well as some of the unique ways I've found to house them in my garden and use chickens to create a sustainable environment at home.
How to Build a Chicken Tractor
Why is it called a chicken tractor? I’ll tell you why - A chicken tractor is kind of like a tractor in that it’s a movable structure that’s easily moved around in your garden allowing you to choose which areas of the garden need fertilizing and/or cleaning up. A chicken tractor works similarly to an electric tractor is that it goes where work needs to be done.
Chickens are awesome at cultivating soil with their sharp-clawed feet and while they’re at it, they are also feasting on everything green and catching bugs and leaving deposits of their nitrogen-rich manure. The digging and scratching action will incorporate rich manure into the soil, making the soil perfect for plant growing.
Read more...Make Way for Ducklings
My first experience raising ducks wasn’t the greatest, but they sure were delicious. This year the family and I decided to try it again, but this time just for fun. Our big pond was just calling for wild birds. We raised them indoors starting when they were a day old. Soon we took them outside to walk around near the pond and they went into the pond. I find it so fascinating that they always stick together. What a great way to spend an early spring day watching the ducks.
Read more...Chicken Chase
Welcome to another day in my life. Here you see what happens when I move my own chicken tractor to a new location to service a fallow bed that needs to be revitalized. If you caught the video where I built the chicken tractor (with my own two hands!), now you can see it in action; the perfect place for protecting my chickens. The tractor is currently housing month-old Araucana chickens that have another month before they will start laying eggs. This is the perfect time for them to be working.
Read more...Bantam Chick=Black Gold
I love my house, but I hate my soil! Urban gardeners are often met with less than desirable soil. But I’ve figured out how to work around that urban handicap.
I’d like to introduce you to a few of my favorite friends – I call them “my A-Team.” They have the power to transform my less than great soil into Black Gold!
Read more...My Trip to the Chicken Processor
I wake up extra early when I take a trip to the chicken processor. This time, you’re coming along with me as I prepare for a big party at my house and will have many mouths to feed. My Rock Cornish hens are in the back of my truck and I’m headed outside of Boston to leave them with the processor to be “processed.” At the end of the day, they will be ready for pick up packaged just like in the supermarket – but much, much better!
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