Beckie's garden!

What a lovely garden! Loving the the pics of all the flowers.

I'll be keeping my eye on this thread... especially when chickens are on the horizon

 

Wow back, what a garden, very nice

Jack McH

 

Lovely garden @Beckie76 a credit to you. All your hard work is paying off

 

Thank you for your kind words @mowgley

 

Gorgeous garden Beckie! Love the front and your borders, lush! (sorry had to nose!)

 

Thank you for you kind words @Lynd. I'm going to change some of the flowerbeds this year.....they are going to be bigger I'm also adding a rose arch .
The hens have been busy in the garden over the winter, the lawn looks terrible where they've be scratching ! The newer hens have quite a taste for slugs fingers crossed that will result in fewer numbers this year!

 

Still massively jealous about your hens And the rest of the garden for that matter

Good to hear about the slugs! With regards to the scratching, I've heard that it can help with moss (like raking the lawn every now and then) but if they do it in one patch it goes bald. Any way of getting them to use all of the lawn do reduce damage?

 

Hi @Radiation91, it's good to have you back.
Every so often I have to cover parts of the lawn to keep the girls off it. With all the wet weather there's been a lot of juicy worms so scratching has become a bit of a habit! All the moss has gone so I can't complain
The garden is looking a bit tatty at the moment, it's so wet & muddy. Next year I need to plant more Spring bulbs in the back flowerbed.....my garden to do list grows by the day!

 

The traditional way is to let them out in a "run" (or ark) and then rotate the run/ark around the garden/lawn so no one patch is "scratched" to the point of bare earth/extinction.
For those who wish their girls to range free around the whole garden, it could be as simple as sectioning off the garden, instead of the hens, and rotating those areas. Best of both worlds

 

LIES!

It wont look perfect all the time, it's all about balance I suppose. Your chooks are getting good quality nutrition in return for a patchy lawn. I guess you can enjoy that benefit.

@"M" s idea of sectioning of parts of the garden seems like a good plan

 

It really does look great! I'm in need of inspiration for my borders, fed up of grass although I am quite jealous of your "personal lawn maintainers"! My other half won't let me keep them, apparently I've got too many cats. One day!

 

Oh cats and hens are no trouble together! Friends in the making, I say

Here is my cat Moxie with one of my hens Sienna (sadly neither are still with us, but each gave copious amounts of joy while they were here).

Clearly Sienna decided that Moxie's food was much too tempting to resist and Moxie (ever a gentleman: oh, your highness, I humbly bow to your superiority ... ) made a tactical retreat (well, you would, wouldn't you with *that* beady eye giving it large)!


Besides, remind your other half that chicken eggs are far tastier, and more versatile, then cat eggs

My girls go off lay during the short winter months and we are forced (under duress ) to bbbb ...sorry I'll try again: to bbbbbb .... sorry, this is traumatic .... bbbbbb



... BBBBBBUY <----- ) eggs
Once they come back into lay again the difference in colour, texture and flavour of a genuinely *fresh* egg is incomparable!

Now, a little tip for you @Lynd . I had been hankering for a trio of ducks for a little while, but, Mr "M" was adamant .
Well, he came home from work one particular Sunday and, lo and behold, a trio of ducks were in the garden!! 2 Khaki Campbell's and 1 Indian Runner. He gave me The Look and I looked him square in the eye and said: "Look what just flew in!!!"
The first egg they laid, I used to make a Victoria Sponge and ... he was smitten (duck eggs make *the* most perfect Victoria Sponge )

Never say never @Lynd

 

Oh my days that picture of Sienna and Moxie is adorable! Bless them!
I really doubt my cats would get along with chicks.. they hunt like scavengers!
I've just informed Mr Lynd about the duck eggs making superior sponge.. he's still not keen! And he loves a bloody sponge! I'd probably need to moan about every egg I use to get me a chicken! And I totally agree on taste and colour, the yolk is amazing!!

 

Here's a few photos from yesterday evening.....
The new Rose arch & stepping stones. I still have to find a place to put the old chicken run's


Tulips in the back boarder

 

The Rose arch and stepping stones look lovely Beckie

You've done a good job there