Tilted Pets - Roosters Vs Chooks - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Ishmal · 03-02-2009, 08:33 PM

G'day Everyone,

I've got some questions for all the chicken enthusiasts among us. (are there any???)

I've got an infestation of Caltrop (link) in my back yard & I’ve been told that getting chickens would sort it out. My brother & I don’t eat a whole lot of eggs, so instead of chooks I got roosters. I’ve had these roosters wandering around my yards for about three months now & they don’t seem to be making much of a dent in the prickles.

My questions are...
Do roosters not forage as much as chooks??
Should I get some chickens to scratch around out there?
Do chickens even eat Caltrop??? (I know most of the TFP readers are American, and I don’t know if this weed grows outside Australia. So I’ve included some photos & a link so you can see what Caltrop is. Maybe it’s even called something different in the USA.)

My Photo of the Caltrop.

Close to the camera is some of my infestation. Further back is just grass.

My little workers.

Anyone know anything??

thingstodo · 03-04-2009, 03:57 AM

Looks like a problem. I've never heard of this week in the states so I've also not heard this thing about chickens. Seems like the worst weeds grow in the worst conditions.

If it were me I would just kill the weeds with weed killer. If you use the kill everything type it will be at least 6 months before you could try to grow grass. In the meantime, putting a thick layer of fine ground hardwood mulch might keep the weeds at bay. You would still need to spot spray when new ones pop up. The mulch would help your hard pack turn into better dirt over a year or two.

The best way to keep weeds from growing is to grow grass although it looks like that might be difficult where you are? Healthy grass would keep out the weeds. You would probably need to mix in some top soil and sand and then till the ground to mix it in. Killing the weeds with something like Ortho's Weed Be Gone and then tilling them in when partially dead might be a way to go. It will probably take several years to get grass going well and kill all the weeds.

*Nikki* · 03-04-2009, 01:05 PM

No way would I use weed killer with animals wandering around and eating in that area!!

Ishmal · 03-05-2009, 05:03 PM

I've locked the chooks up in amoungst the fruit trees & sprayed the caltrop with something called Bindi.
The little yellow flowers have all died overnight. so at least it is no longer spreading.
hopefully it'll all start to shrivel up in the next week.

cheers

thingstodo · 03-06-2009, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Nikki*

No way would I use weed killer with animals wandering around and eating in that area!!

Well of course not!! He wanted to know how to get rid of the weeds so that';s what I shared. I think the Aussies are smart enough not to feed farm animals posion - right, dude? But good point.

ASU2003 · 03-07-2009, 12:22 PM

Is that the weed with the pointy green balls? I spent a lot of time with a pair of pilers getting those out of my boots so I wouldn't get them quarantined when I came back to the US.

Here is some info on it. It says that sheep (jumbucks) eat it, but they can get sick if they eat too much.
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/content/P...FN042_2003.PDF

The American kind in Texas and the southwest US is also unhealthy and a problem weed.
http://texnat.tamu.edu/cmplants/toxi...%20caltrop.pdf

03-02-2009, 08:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
Ishmal Wicked Clown Location: House Of Horrors	Tilted Pets - Roosters Vs Chooks G'day Everyone, I've got some questions for all the chicken enthusiasts among us. (are there any???) I've got an infestation of Caltrop (link) in my back yard & I’ve been told that getting chickens would sort it out. My brother & I don’t eat a whole lot of eggs, so instead of chooks I got roosters. I’ve had these roosters wandering around my yards for about three months now & they don’t seem to be making much of a dent in the prickles. My questions are... Do roosters not forage as much as chooks?? Should I get some chickens to scratch around out there? Do chickens even eat Caltrop??? (I know most of the TFP readers are American, and I don’t know if this weed grows outside Australia. So I’ve included some photos & a link so you can see what Caltrop is. Maybe it’s even called something different in the USA.) My Photo of the Caltrop. Close to the camera is some of my infestation. Further back is just grass. My little workers. Anyone know anything?? __________________ "Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular."

03-04-2009, 03:57 AM	#2 (permalink)
thingstodo A Storm Is Coming Location: The Great White North	Looks like a problem. I've never heard of this week in the states so I've also not heard this thing about chickens. Seems like the worst weeds grow in the worst conditions. If it were me I would just kill the weeds with weed killer. If you use the kill everything type it will be at least 6 months before you could try to grow grass. In the meantime, putting a thick layer of fine ground hardwood mulch might keep the weeds at bay. You would still need to spot spray when new ones pop up. The mulch would help your hard pack turn into better dirt over a year or two. The best way to keep weeds from growing is to grow grass although it looks like that might be difficult where you are? Healthy grass would keep out the weeds. You would probably need to mix in some top soil and sand and then till the ground to mix it in. Killing the weeds with something like Ortho's Weed Be Gone and then tilling them in when partially dead might be a way to go. It will probably take several years to get grass going well and kill all the weeds. __________________ If you're wringing your hands you can't roll up your shirt sleeves. Stangers have the best candy.

03-05-2009, 05:03 PM	#4 (permalink)
Ishmal Wicked Clown Location: House Of Horrors	I've locked the chooks up in amoungst the fruit trees & sprayed the caltrop with something called Bindi. The little yellow flowers have all died overnight. so at least it is no longer spreading. hopefully it'll all start to shrivel up in the next week. cheers __________________ "Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular."

03-04-2009, 01:05 PM	#3 (permalink)
Nikki ~~~~~~~ Location: Charleston, SC	No way would I use weed killer with animals wandering around and eating in that area!!

03-07-2009, 12:22 PM	#6 (permalink)
ASU2003 immoral minority Location: Back in Ohio	Is that the weed with the pointy green balls? I spent a lot of time with a pair of pilers getting those out of my boots so I wouldn't get them quarantined when I came back to the US. Here is some info on it. It says that sheep (jumbucks) eat it, but they can get sick if they eat too much. http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/content/P...FN042_2003.PDF The American kind in Texas and the southwest US is also unhealthy and a problem weed. http://texnat.tamu.edu/cmplants/toxi...%20caltrop.pdf