Nothing fowl about keeping chickens
June 26, 2015
Organisers of Australia’s largest sub-tropical gardening event are gearing up for three days of lectures, displays and gardening fun, with the Queensland Garden Expo set to take place between 10 and 12 July 2015.
This year’s expo will cover everything from frogs and habitat gardening, floral design and using herbs in the kitchen, right through to innovative methods for growing food in small spaces, effective backyard worm farming and keeping chickens.
As a taster for what attendees can expect at the event, City Chicks Founder Ingrid Dimock, who will be exhibiting at the expo, shared her thoughts on why it pays to introduce feathered friends into the backyard. Aside from being inexpensive to look after and making gentle and friendly pets, chickens also pose a number of advantages for green thumbs:
1. They improve your compost and lawn.
Chicken droppings are high in nitrogen, which is essential for plant growth and assists with growing a lush green lawn.
2. They keep the bugs and weeds at bay.
Chickens are a great way to control insects and weeds naturally, without the need for chemicals. Let your chickens loose around the garden and they’ll gobble up the grubs and bugs, keeping your plants pest-free.
3. They enhance the quality of your garden soil.
When foraging for food, chickens will scratch around your garden soil. This not only aerates the dirt, but also helps to break down large pieces of vegetation, fast-tracking their decomposition.
4. They provide an ‘eggcellent’ source of food.
If you’ve ever tasted farm fresh, free range eggs, you’ll know the flavour is almost unbeatable. Eggs act as a great complement to your garden greens and are also a hit with kids when it comes to collection time.
City Chicks will be exhibiting at the Queensland Garden Expo between 10 and 12 July 2015. The business operates its own hatchery, breeding up to 25 breeds of pure-breed chickens and ducks. City Chicks also rents and sells chickens as well as heated brooder boxes. For more information, please log on to www.citychicks.com.au or visit their stall at the expo.
// Ends.
[nggallery id=13]
