Chicken keeping

Oh, yes. The chickens too, only I haven t let them out this morning as I m not going to be here. The only fences are to keep Neddy off the vegetables. He was found abandoned and I said I d look after him. Come in while I get my stuff. A big rosemary bush covered with blue flowers and happy bees hangs half across the... 

What to do Cultivate infested soil in winter to expose cutworms to birds, or allow chickens to scratch it over. Keep ground weed-free, as weeds provide sites for egg-laying. On a small scale, locate caterpillars in soil, or feeding on plants at night, and destroy. Protect susceptible transplants with a collar— such as a cardboard or plastic tube, or a tin can with the base removed—pushed down into the soil around the plant... 

Earlier, as you know, our neighbors at the dacha kept pigs and chickens. All kinds of animals. We had rabbits. .. as well as a goat. [The goat] stayed there all summer. Oh, fu [i.e., what am I saying ], he lived there all winter. That goat was there, but that was all earlier. Now no one keeps animals anymore. They bring their dog [to the dacha]—that s the extent of the animals. 

Botanical sprays don t control curculios adequately. To control this pest, spread a drop-cloth beneath the tree and jar it with a padded mallet. Collect and destroy curculios that fall onto the sheet. For best results, jar the tree twice a day, beginning as soon as you see the first scarred fruit. In addition, collect and discard dropped fruit to prevent newly laid eggs from hatching. A traditional control is to keep chickens beneath the trees to consume adult curculios and grubs from fallen fruit. 

Control Cultivate thoroughly every week for 4-6 weeks in fall to expose and destroy larvae delay planting tubers and corms until soil is very warm, keeping soil bare until planting allow chickens to run on infested ground to eat larvae bury raw potato pieces 4"-6" deep to attract larvae, check every 1-2 days and destroy wireworms apply parasitic nematodes to soil. 

An electric fence, and not necessarily a high one, is the most effective way to keep deer out. One design suitable for small areas uses two fences, an inner chicken-wire fence... 

If you keep geese and chickens, they will quickly consume any insects tossed their way. 

Mammals are often overlooked for their pest-control abilities. For example, in Canadian forests, shrews control larch sawflies and other pests. Lizards and toads are important natural enemies of pest insects, and snakes can help control problems with mice and voles. In many communities in Europe and North America, farmers encourage birds to control pests by placing nesting boxes around their fields. Even domesticated animals can assist in pest control. If you have a small orchard and keep chickens, let the chickens feed in the orchard. They will peck pests such as plum curculios out of dropped fruit and other ground litter. 

Superabsorbent polymers are used as a liquid-absorber in food packaging systems. In these systems, the superabsorbent polymers absorb juice or water from fresh foods such as raw chicken, shellfish, and other meats or from frozen foods as they thaw. Chilled superabsorbent polymer gels may also be used as a dry-cooling medium. The water-swollen gel, contained in a durable plastic bag, is frozen and used to keep perishable foods cold. In addition to its liquid-water-absorption characteristic, superabsorbent polymers absorb water from the vapor state and therefore may be used to control humidity. 

Keep some chickens 276 Harvest store orchard fruits... 

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