[Lindeggs]

Yesterday I delivered 500 (!) leaflets advertising a local community event.  To do it, I walked up and down every street in my neighbourhood and stopped at each one to put the leaflet in their letterbox.  Being chicken-obsessed I couldn't help noticing how many overgrown lawns and unkempt gardens there are.

Every household in the city is allowed to keep up to six hens in their yard (within certain rules of course).  Yesterday I saw about 100 front yards that would be perfect homes for a small flock of chickens. 

All that delicious green grass, clover, dandelion, chickweed... all just going to waste!

There were even a couple of obviously empty properties where the grass was knee-high, going to seed, and full of juicy bugs.  I'm sorely tempted to set up a pirate chicken movement, where I sneak in at night with my portable run, and in the morning there's a flock of chickens mysteriously moved in.   

[ANHBUC]

I like your thinking Lindeggs.  Seems perfectly reasonable to me.    What else are weeds good for anyway?  I must admit that I sort of like my weeds since I got hens.  The ones that I would normally try very hard to irradicate I now just pluck off the leaves so that they regrow in a few days, free chicken food.   

[Lindeggs]

I agree!  I like some weeds a lot more now that I appreciate them as juicy green forage instead of just 'weeds'.  I'm also a lot more aware of what weeds are in the garden, and I've developed a hearty dislike of nightshades.  The girls won't touch them, but I rip them out by the roots!

[ANHBUC]

We don't have nightshades but have loads of ivy and dispite people saying hens know what is not good for them mine will still eat it.  :blink:  Have had to make sure they can't reach any from their enclosure to keep them safe.

[8doubles]

I think that many people think poisonous means poisonous to everything which is not the case. Many berries such as Ivy,Yew and Nightshade are actually good bird food.
There is little point in plants producing seeds in berries to be spread around by birds if the birds drop down dead.

[compostqueen]

All those weeds going to waste. I wish I had more chooks to eat more weeds    I bring home weeds from the plot for my girls and they like some more than others being very choosy ladies    They do a fabulous job of weeds in lawns and far easier than spraying, or mowing.  Out goes the weeds, thatch and moss and on goes the manure. Perfect

[Lindeggs]

I think that many people think poisonous means poisonous to everything which is not the case. Many berries such as Ivy,Yew and Nightshade are actually good bird food.
There is little point in plants producing seeds in berries to be spread around by birds if the birds drop down dead.

That's interesting about the berries.  None of mine have lived long enough to get to the berry stage.     But the girls eat most of the other plants and leave the nightshades so I decided to let them make the rules!  I'm just glad they eat up everything else.  We had a major tradescantia problem but now the neighbours look at our place admiringly.  I think we're the only house in the street that doesn't have it any more.   

[ANHBUC]

We have those as house plants over here Lindeggs!

[Lindeggs]

We have those as house plants over here Lindeggs!

Wow!  :blink:  They're a major pest here, completely swamping whole areas of forest floor, suffocating all kinds of other plants.

It's also a major pest in urban gardens where it takes over any shaded areas, and causes dogs to get rashes on their legs and tummies when they brush past it.

I read an article recently saying "everyone hates tradescantia" becuae farmers hate it, forest-lovers hate it and urban gardeners hate it.  I was tempted to write them a letter to tell them that chickens (and chicken-keepers) love it!

[ManicMum]

I've started collecting dandelions/ milk thistle/ chickweed/ shpherds purse and so on in a carrier when I walk the dogs in the country - great boredom buster for the girls and doesn't affect the ecology of the area as they are rampant weeds (I don't pull plants, nor do I pick anything that's rare).

Our garden can't produce enough weeds to keep the chickens busy!

I love to watch them sorting through the heap when I tip the carrier into the run - and there's seldom a bit of root fibre left by the end of the day.