In my new little garden patch I tried growing melons. I tried growing a couple of other things, whatever I could get seeds for. Nothing seemed to want to sprout. When I sprouted the seeds and planted the seedlings, they vanished.
Being Mr. Blackthumb, I naturally assumed it was some massive mistake I’d made with soil chemistry, or maybe too much water (too little didn’t seem likely, because I watered most carefully.) But yesterday evening, a week almost to the day after I planted a whole brand-new package of sunflowers Ian gave me, I had a whole bunch of fine, healthy seedlings all in rows. Happy!
This morning, bare dirt. Straw. Manure. Not a single living green thing.
Okay, mystery solved. Rabbits, no doubt. Of course you realize this means war.
Landlady has been raising chickens, back in the city. She even brought them with her when she came up for the week’o’stucco, in this cute little portable coop. And she spent the week talking me into an intricate plan in which I’d get both chicken byproducts and fertilized garden plots. I was more than half-convinced before, but now I’m on board.
Here’s the plan: I’m going to level a plot eight by twelve feet, surrounding it with a concrete foundation that also divides it into four sections. The foundation will have embedded bolts. There will be a moveable chicken coop, four by six, which can be bolted to the foundation and will always cover a quarter of the ground. The coop will be made light enough for two people to move – it won’t have to move far – but strong enough to resist coyote attack and of course it’ll be roofed against raptors. There will also be portable fence sections six feet long each so the whole area not covered by the coop can be surrounded to keep rabbits out. I’ll need to built a gate in one of the fence sections.
The idea is that I’ll have four raised-bed plots. The chickens will help build the soil in that part of the garden patch their coop covers. Anything not covered by the coop can be planted if it’s ready. I know right where I’m gonna put it: It’ll be closer to the cabin than the current garden patch, and will also be able to take advantage of grey water outflow which the current one can’t.
I’ll be rolled in horseshit and deep-fried to a golden brown before I’ll consent to being dictated to by a bunch of frickin’ rabbits. They’re forgetting who’s the food around here.
Y’know, pan-fried in bacon griz, rabbits are pretty tasty. Just sayin’ …
Hi Joel,
Those wascally wabbits are smart, tenacious, and if you nail one, another pops up in its place. I’ve tried live traps, blood meal, coyote urine, dog feces, cayenne pepper; you name it, nothing works. And they move to cover so damn fast, they’re impossible to shoot. Good luck.
Dave
LJH:
Personally I find the local rabbits almost devoid of meat, and what there is has hardly any taste. I don’t usually bother hunting them. The ones in my garden have been striking in the dead of night; I’d have to try to poison them, and like Dave says for every one you kill at least one other shows up to replace it.
Different climate, different rabbits, but I have been successful keeping the critters out with a rotten egg solution. Thoroughly beat a dozen eggs into a quart of water. Place mixture in a one gallon or larger jug and leave uncovered for 2 weeks or however long it takes the eggs to rot. If you reuse the same jug the second and subsequent batches will mature much faster. Dilute to one gallon, strain the mixture into your garden sprayer, and spray the perimeter of your garden. More frequently in the beginning and then once every week or two during the growing season. The mixture stinks a little as it is applied but after a few minutes it isn’t detectable to the human nose anymore. Cheap and effective, two of my favorite concepts.
I think your coop design is elegant!
HEy, Joel, check out the rolling chicken coops, with all types of build-able options, around the internet. I have several friends who use these, and the chickens have been safe fro coyotes, wolves and even raptors. If I find some links, I will send them to you. I understand these rolling coops are easy to build and maintain.
ff
Rolling chicken coops are called chicken tractors
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tractor
Anchor one corner of the coop to a pivot at the center of the square, then lift and pivot one square to the right or left as needed. One guy might be able to move the whole thing if one corner is anchored that way.
I like that idea, kel.
Laziness and creativity will sometimes beat genius and hard work. If there is an easier way, the lazy guy will find it.
Chickens are awesome, but they won’t defend themselves… Sound like an amazing coop idea there, Joel. I like Kel’s concept too!