Chickens & softfruit (not a recipe!)

[Snadger]

I may be getting another alottment soon which will give me scope to keep a few chickens. I also would like to grow some softfruit, Blackcurrants, Whitecurrants, Redcurrants and Gooseberries.

I would anticipate having a 'walk in' fruitcage around these.

Could I incorporate the two by using the fruitcage as a chicken run, or would they decimate the fruit bushes?

Also is rhubarb poisonous to chooks?

[Squirrel]

I may be getting another alottment soon which will give me scope to keep a few chickens. I also would like to grow some softfruit, Blackcurrants, Whitecurrants, Redcurrants and Gooseberries.

I would anticipate having a 'walk in' fruitcage around these.

Could I incorporate the two by using the fruitcage as a chicken run, or would they decimate the fruit bushes?

Also is rhubarb poisonous to chooks?

My bantams don't seem to eat my rhubarb leaves, but I would imagine that fruit bushes would be a delight for chickens given their appetite for fruit! Suggest you keep them in the fruit cage until the fruit bushes flower and stick the chickens onto your other veg patches (empty or old ones) until you can harvest the fruit!

[yoanbob]

Our chuks love blackberrys raspberrys strawberrys and any thing with berry in the title, they even eat tomatoes, our ducks dont seem to like fruit tho, could ducks be an option for you?

[Snadger]

Our chuks love blackberrys raspberrys strawberrys and any thing with berry in the title, they even eat tomatoes, our ducks dont seem to like fruit tho, could ducks be an option for you?

Have heard ducks make a mess and are more prone to rats! We are not allowed ducks at the allotments anyway.

It may be a failing in my memory (I was only six) but I seem to remember my uncle had chickens which used to roam around the blackcurrants and redcurrants and I remember picking excellent crops from them?

Redcurrants and blackcurrants haven't got 'berry' in the title so what do you think?

[yoanbob]

will try them with some of mine tomorrow and let you know.

[yoanbob]

ok it took me a while, yes chooks likes red currants, but prefer blackberrys, they eat the red currants in the same way as toms, a little bit, then a little bit more later on. have descovered that ducks adore elderberrys, its been so funny watching them quaff the whole bunch and spit out the stalks that i think they may have the "runs".
worth it tho, tres amusant.
chooks dont like them tho, so maybe this could be your "chook berry" answer.
sorry couldnt resist.

[Snadger]

ok it took me a while, yes chooks likes red currants, but prefer blackberrys, they eat the red currants in the same way as toms, a little bit, then a little bit more later on. have descovered that ducks adore elderberrys, its been so funny watching them quaff the whole bunch and spit out the stalks that i think they may have the "runs".
worth it tho, tres amusant.
chooks dont like them tho, so maybe this could be your "chook berry" answer.
sorry couldnt resist.

Excuse my ignorance but do the chickens jump into or fly into the currant bushes and scoff them there or do they Knock them off, then eat them?

[yoanbob]

well now theres a q? i cant answer, i gave them the redcurrants, to see if they liked them, i keep the chooks and ducks in there own bit, away from anything edible, untill its time to turn the soil then i let them in to eat the slugs and eggs, however my redcurrants hang quite low so would suppose they would peck them off like they do blackberrys and everything else they can reach.

[Squirrel]

Chickens can jump quite high in the air! I hang my chooks greens above their head height and they spend ages leaping up at the green pecking bits off. Helps them keep their figure too!

[yoanbob]

yes, and the chicken ballet at dusk when they are catching flies is great.

[mooonwitch]

Also is rhubarb poisonous to chooks?

My chucks love rhubarb leaves. I guess they're not poisonous, as they don't appear to have had any ill effects from eating them.

[Shortie]

Welcome Mooonwitch

Love the avatar is it your dog?