April 24, 2009Chickens as garden accessories
The buzz in the nursery industry is that gardening is over and outdoor living is in. But if nurseries are now wondering where their outdoor living customers went, they might check the local feed store. Chickens are the current backyard accoutrement.
Betsy Taylor writes for the AP that chicken keeping is growing as families look for a source of fresh eggs. Purina is seeing double-digit growth of its 5-pound bags of poultry feed.
It’s the 5 pounds that kills me. First-timers will find out fast that they will want to buy their feed in 50-pounds bags. Chickens never stop eating, ever, except when they’re sleeping.
Yes, chickens are cheap and easy. The coop is the tricky part. After you’ve got a coop squared away, a chick costs $2, a 50-pound bag of feed $11. Reliable layers like Rhode Island Reds will lay an egg a day when they reach maturity.
Two books that helped me:
Chicken Coops - 45 Building Plans for Housing Chickens
Keep Chickens! - Tending Small Flocks in Cities, Suburbs and other Small Spaces
Wondering how many Dirt du jour readers keep chickens…
Last Call for some California Friendly Landscape Contests
Orange County
San Diego (closed)
Riverside
This Weekend
Spring Garden Show - South Coast Plaza. Click on right for information
Spring Festival and Native Plant Sale - Shipley Nature Center
Organic Gardening Workshop - Orange County Farm Supply
Native Plant Garden Maintenance - Theodore Payne Foundation
Floral Park Home & Garden Tour - Santa Ana
Mel Bartholomew of Square Foot Gardening - Heritage Museum in Santa Ana
Fullerton Beautiful Garden Tour
Mission Viejo Garden Tour
Earthroots Field School - Free workshop in Costa Mesa on harvesting rainwater. Email Mark Hay for hours and information on Sunday at mnhay2000@yahoo.com
Click here for all hours and information on above events.
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