Where do the nesting boxes go?

[Jen's Garden]

I love the design of your chicken tractor. I'm gonna make one. I had a few questions though.
Firstly, where do the nesting boxes go? Your plan doesn't seem to have one.
Secondly, how soon after I move the tractor to a new location can I plant vegies? Will the seeds and vegies get burnt if I plant straight away?
Thirdly, won't the chickens compact the soil in the garden?
Thanks.

[gardengirl72]

Thank you Jen, my current design doesn't really use nest boxes. My birds never really like to use them. I put straw and hay in and they build a nest, usually in one of the corners. It is important to collect the eggs regularly or they will get dirty.

If you turn the soil you can plant right away, provided the birds have only been on it a few weeks. Nitrogen leaves the soil very quickly.

Chickens will compact the soil if they are on it longer than a month, that is why the rotation is very important, as well as adding hay or straw to keep the carbon to nitrogen ratio in check.

I hope this helps Jen, and thanks for signing up!

[Jen's Garden]

Thanks for replying Patti. I wish your show aired in Australia where I live.

I forgot to mention that I have a no-dig vegetable garden, based on Esther Deans' principles. Therefore I don't dig over the soil as you do. It should be ok still though. I'll leave the chickens in the bed for 1 month like you suggest.

Do you eat any of your Bantams? Or are they too small?

In the video where you chased the chooks they were orangy/yellow chooks. In another video where you took your chooks to be processed, you had white ones. Then another you had the bantam pets. You must have a lot of chooks do you?

[gardengirl72]

I believe in the no dig system as well. I just like the all process of fluffing my soil, it speeds composting a wee bit by oxygenating the soil. The chickens will till it for you anyway so I wouldn't worry.

I think to start out, you might only leave the chickens there a week to see how much tilling they get done. Otherwise you may get some compaction that might interfere with the no dig method.

I do eat my bantams. I eat every rooster I get. When ordering bantams they won't sex them usually so you get half that are roosters and as soon as they start making noise, we eat them.

I have a bit of a system here. My chicken pets are named birds and were the first birds I ever raised. They are pretty old now and rarely lay eggs, but they are very tame and great with children. I use them whenever I shoot because the do what I say. Some of their names are Rocket, Napolean, Dynamite, Silk Butt, Black Silk Butt and they are the best!(Six birds)

The orange birds are my egg laying Auracana flock. They lay blue eggs and are the core of my farmstand economy. They are not named and retain many "jungle fowl" instincts. They are super pretty and farm work horses, so to speak. (8 birds)

My white birds are my Cornish X meat birds. They are nasty, smelly, stupid as they have been bred to sit and eat all day long. They taste good and are what people are used to because of the factory farms. But I only have them twelve weeks a year to fill my freezer for the year. (40 per year)

[Organic Hispanic]

Hello All,

Well I finally built the raised bed & chicken tractor all at once, I also went & got some rocks to line the bottom of my raised bed, I did add chicken wire on the bottom to keep out the night predators (gophers) just got back with my boys from getting 6 baby chicks they are almost 2 weeks old. The chicken tractor was pretty simple to build the only thing was that I think I may have to add some 2 x 3 on the bottom to reinforce the chicken cloth. :confused:

My only question is how far up in the raised bed should I add the soil I'm going to add river rocks on the bottom for drainage but I'm not sure what to do after that any advice would be great.:D

[gardengirl72]

As much as you want. I let mine build up almost to the top, sometimes I pull some soil out to spread in other places. But put as much as you want in there, the birds will love it!