If it wasn't for my keep calm & carry on attitude I am sure you would have read about a mass chook massacre in SE QLD in the papers this morning.
Yesterday Arvo I planted out 6 dozen vegie seedlings. All healthy little babies of - Broccoli, Asian Greens, Lettuce, Beetroot & Spring Onions. After planting them all successfully I of course watered them, all the while sending them good energy that they may grow & thrive into yummy food for us.
Enter the chook family. Rodney Rooster & his girls. Well it ends here there is really nothing more to say, we all know the story from here. NO MORE SEEDLINGS.
Yep what they didn't eat they scratched 10ft across the yard. I mean it's not as if my vegie bed was easy to get to. They did have to travel about 3/4 acre & traverse 2, 5 foot wire fences. I think they need some lessons on being a chook. Why would you want to travel here when you can scratch around another couple of acres of paddocks, look for tasty morsels around a dam, have a good scratch around a stable yard and & pick up the horses dropped grain.
Needless to say the chooks will not be doing much free ranging anymore. Such a shame cause I do like to have them free range. I have never had a lot of hens like these ones. All the hens I have had in the past have always stayed down the back and never travelled. This lot of girls are into everything - in the house yard, in the neighbors, even around onto the footpath. My only saviour is they have just about come to the end of their laying career and I can ill afford with the price of grain now to keep hens that do not produce. Years ago we kept our hens forever we had some that were 7 and only laid 1 egg a week unfortunately now they have to go. I do not feed the cheap pellets or mash to the hens (who knows what they put in it) the hens get a grain mix. Just a mixed grain that has not been altered in anyway except to crack it.
So thats my post for today very disapppointing. Today you were to get a photo of my vegie babies now just a photo of Rodney Rooster in his nice natural habitat that he chooses not to free range in.
11 comments:
How frustrating, I know how annoying it is, we have caterpillars that fall out of the trees around and do the same thing to my vegie seedlings. You spend hours prepping the soil and on your hands and knees planting, all to be ruined. I think you'll be having chicken for dinner tonight...and tomorrow...and the next day, obviously without the vegies.
I hear they sell point of lay chooks at the Fernvale Markets LOL.
You poor thing did you give thema good hose and yell a lot???
Back to the drawing board kiddo, bet they had a great time though.
Angela
At least you two just gave me a laugh. Bit worried though Lisha about your caterpillars I mean do they really do the samething -scratch the seedlings 10ft!!
Nup they didn't get the hose daisymum they got my red cattle dog chasing them all the way back to the chook house.
Oh my goodness. I really feel for you. The closest I can come to understanding your feelings was when our twelve month old puppy manage to tear up and chew half a hallway of carpet that had only been laid that morning. I had to shut her in the laundry and walk away. I can laugh now but then??????????
Margaret
Oh no Margaret that is terrible the vegie seedlings can be replaced but the carpet!! & only laid that morning. Guess you can eat chicken for dinner but not puppies (joke)
OhNo!Hahaa....!!! And All that hard work for Nothing!! I'm so sorry!! But with gardens, come pest...of All sizes and shapes!!
Happy day sweetie!hughugs
Would clipping their wings help?
I haven't been around chooks for years. I know what you mean about the expense of the grain, and not wanting to use food with "stuff" in it.
Oh dear...
But Roger is a very good looking Rooster if That makes you feel any better..
Mabey instead of fresh Vegies Roast rooster may be on the menu???
We can meet on here everyday!
I'm so pleased to have done so much for them, working alongside the parents to do a good job.....I'm happy to have done so...xxx
Oh my - what a sad thing. You have such an interesting way of telling your experiences. That's a great photo.
Smiles.
May be you could take the chooks to the markets to sell, then you've got some cash to by more seedlings. LOL
I am laughing I'm sorry but only because tomorrow I am posting about he cows in my garden, but I think that the chooks do more damage then cows....
Mandy
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