Homesteading | Can Chickens Weed Your Garden? -Relocating Roosters and an Asparagus Patch Experiment

[@jayscott306]

I know I always enjoy a tour and a glimpse into the lives of the people I watch on here so thanks for the little Homestead tour and thought process into the building of a chicken coop.

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

I appreciate it Jay. They are excellent weeders

[@trurex007lee7]

Thanks for sharing a part of your routine life. Definitely not disappointed in the content.

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

Thanks! The coop and fence kind of took up my shop time but it needed to be done! I appreciate you watching!

[@michael-azzopardi]

nice to see what people do away from the workshop.I spend a lot of time when i am not turning taking photos.

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

Thanks Michael! My son and his wife want to homestead and we are all in it together! Thanks for watching!

[@raydriver7300]

I like shorts - they match my attention span 😊. That was an interesting little video giving a little human interest 🌞

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

Thanks Ray, I’ll show the job they did later this summer/fall!

[@PohlBarnProductions]

Pretty cool Lewis, I've thought about letting my chickens free roam but was worried they'd just eat my garden, and I am sure they would,

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

Thanks Doug! These guys are confined to just the asparagus patch and I hope they clean it down to bare ground other than the overgrown asparagus which they can only reach up a couple feet. Hope all is well, been watching for new videos. I appreciate you watching

[@kathrynseaman6482]

nice set up for weeding and keeps the chickens happy, thanks for sharing. here we need to watch for bald eagles if you have small pets etc.

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

I have osprey’s but I put netting on top to keep everyone safe. They are doing a great job !

[@denocro3586]

Very cool Lewis. 👍

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

Thank you Deno, I appreciate you watching!

[@janeoverby2151]

Oh all that asparagus! yummy my grandsons can eat asparagus till they pop

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

We had so much asparagus Jane! It was a great year. These guys are doing a great job cleaning up the patch so I’m expecting an even better year next year!

[@WoodenItBeNice]

Great video Lewis. Hopefully you can get some footage of the Osprey. I would love to see it. Take care Lewis and looking forward to seeing if your experiment works. Cheers, Huw

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

Thanks Huw! They are doing a great job! I’ll update later this month or next!

[@DougMilleratWoodSpunRound]

I feel your pain. We bought 12 chicks this spring. All of them were labeled pullets. The prices was significantly higher than the straight runs. We felt pretty sure we had hens. One for a fact is a rooster. We have 2 others that suspect may indeed be roosters. Beautiful birds, but we are after the eggs, not chicks. Now what to with 1-3 unwanted roosters.

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

We put 24 of our own eggs in an incubator and got 22 chicks. 7 roosters or 8, ( a raccoon got one) so I really can’t complain. We have 19 laying hens and one resident rooster that will take care of my family. These guys are doing a great job weeding!

[@DougMilleratWoodSpunRound]

@@TheKlondikeCraftsman follow-up, out of the 12 we purchased, we have 4 roosters. I sure wish there was something to do with them.

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

I just separate them from the hens and will raise them for meat

[@sandraanderson217]

Might not be wood turning but still interesting! Thanks for sharing!

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

Thanks Sandra! It is working out great!

[@MarklTucson]

Interesting video.

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

Thanks Mark, I’m going to do a follow up, you wouldn’t believe the great job they are doing!

[@johnlord8337]

that was a lot of dleicious asparagus gone feral. Just keep gathering up the red berry seeds of the plant and johnny-asparagus-seeder them continually through the patch away from the chickens (and prune down the stalks in post-frost fall, and next year I expect to see 50# of asparagus to chow on !

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

Thanks John, we had way more than 50lbs this year. Once they get small it is recommended that you let them grow to recharge the crowns so that is why they haven’t been eaten. We were getting about 15lbs a week from late April till mid July. It was time well spent. I hope these roosters get it back to bare soil so I can hopefully prevent the weed incursions going forward. I appreciate you watching!

[@spiritwynd]

Those young roosters would taste might fine in the pot, after eating all that asparagus!

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

That is a distinct possibility! Thanks for watching!

[@54lespaul77]

Very interesting! So what prevents the roosters from eating the asparagus, or does it matter if they eat the ferns? Do the asparagus need lots of water? I ask because here in BC, I find wild asparagus beside the south Thompson river in the spring when I’m trout fishing. Cheers, Rick

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

They can munch away on the asparagus but it is so high it will not hurt anything. I’ve always had enough rain here so far and have not had to water. I wonder what wild tastes like? Have you tried it?

[@54lespaul77]

@@TheKlondikeCraftsman The wild asparagus tastes wonderful. The plants we used to find were quite small, so the stalks were very delicate and had a milder flavour. It been some time since I’ve done any fishing in the south Thompson river near Spence’s Bridge so I don’t know if it’s there any more.

[@wardwilson3216]

Lotta work for them there roosters, lol

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

I expect it will be an annual event except not with roosters next year. It will be good for the asparagus. Thanks for watching!

[@masjabrikdiy8422]

Hem hello frien

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

Hi, thanks for watching!

[@thesweetone]

They can weed your garden, eat your flowers and crops then line the garden with poop. I know from experience... Yeah ...

[@TheKlondikeCraftsman]

They are confined to just the asparagus so I’m thinking the garden will be ok! Thanks for watching!