Poultry In The Orchard
Categories: Poultry KeepingKindly advise me about keeping hens in an orchard. I would like to know
if they will injure the trees in any way if kept in large numbers. In
what way would they benefit the trees?
From the point of view of the trees there is no doubt that they would be
advantaged by the presence of the poultry, providing the coops are not
allowed to interfere with the proper irrigation and cultivation. If it
is practicab
around the coops to become compacted by continual tramping, and if they
are not kept upon the ground long enough to cause an excessive
application of hen manure, which is very concentrated and stimulating,
the result would unquestionably be beneficial. From the point of view of
the tree, this benefit of injury would depend upon how long the fowls
were kept around the tree and the maintenance of them in such a way that
the soil should not become out of condition physically or too rich
chemically for the satisfactory performance of the tree. If they can be
moved frequently, and if they are only put in place when the soil is in
such condition that tramping around the coops will not seriously compact
it, the presence of fowls would be an advantage. On the other hand, if
the coops are to be kept in place for a long time and all the ground
outside of them crusted and hardened by tramping and the soil under the
coops overloaded with droppings, the thrift and value of the trees will
be seriously interfered with.
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