The chicken yard is flooded. Poor things haven’t walked on dry ground for the past two months and by now they must be growing webs between their toes. They don’t seem to mind and just wade right through it, picking out the mosquito larvae and other bugs.
I sure mind it though, when I have to wear boots to go out to feed them.
Last year we didn’t have all this flooding. We also didn’t have the chickens to worry about. So what am I to do?!? I sure can’t pick up the building and move it at this stage of the game.
Yesterday I cut some cranberry hibiscus, a part of my edible landscaping, that was getting a bit wild and I tossed them into the chicken yard, figuring they’d at least give the poor birds a place to stand out of the water. Turned out they loved the leaves and within an hour or so, they had stripped the stalks completely.
Chickens and Cranberry Hibiscus
That worked out so well that I cut another bunch this morning. This time I put them in a bit more carefully, all along one side of the fence. My thought is that those hibiscus can just do multiple duties around here. They’re pretty with their red leaves and the occasional red blossom, they are a tasty addition to my salads, and the goats love them. Now I can add the chickens to the list of fans, plus the remaining stems will help to build up the low areas in the chicken yard. I wonder how many years’ worth of cranberry hibiscus I’ll have to add to get that area raised up and out of the flooding?