Going green in the country is nothing new – country folk have been doing it for centuries. However, they haven’t done it alone – those of us who live in the country have partners in living the green rural lifestyle, and I thought I’d introduce you to a few of them.
Our organic pest control managers are pictured at right. That’s right, chickens. Free range chickens on our place most years cut the fly population down to, oh, four or five house flies a year. And that’s considering that we have horses and cows! (More on them later.) They run around and take care of the fly larvae before they have a chance to turn into flying menaces.
Our cats and dogs are also members of this team. The dogs keep predator pests such as raccoons and possums away; the cats are on rodent and rabbit patrol and do an excellent job of keeping the place vermin-free. (The only rats or mice I've seen in a decade are those that the cats bring to me to demonstrate what a good job they're doing to earn their keep.)
Other members of our organic pest control squad are goldfish. We keep the watering tanks stocked with goldfish, who not only keep them algae free, but also assure that no mosquito larvae escapes to drink our blood. Native fish in the creek and pond serve a similar function.
Our cows and horses and donkeys are our mowing and fertilization team. Because of them, we don’t often have to shred the fields, using precious diesel, and they daily produce fertilizer for those same fields. They are aided by the chickens, of course, when we clean out the coop and use the contents to improve the soil for the vegetable garden. (Amazing stuff – plants grow twice as large, sometimes, when that fertilizer is used to enhance the soil. The cows of others also contribute when we have our hay pasture fertilized using soil biology through Sustainable Growth Texas, and we’ve found that weedkilling with chemicals is no longer necessary using soil biology.
These are just a few of the partners we have in going green in the country. When moving to your place in the country, don't forget your partners!
That's a fantastic post. But what can we in the 'burbs do! I actually have thought about chickens. I know, I'm crazy.
My cat once left a mouse head on the door mat for me to praise her about when I returned home. Just the head. I wondered if it was a warning (CatFather?).
Tricia, great post!
Chris, you are not crazy! Check out Mad City Chickens for people who keep chickens in the city in Madison, WI. We have had them in the city, and I adored them.
Great Post, I have looked a little into these forms of sustainable pest control and fertilizing. I found something called Demeter Organic Farming. The goal is to have a self sustaining ecology that can produce human food at a reasonable profit without bringing ANY added nutrients or of course, manufactured chemical additives. Sort of a closed system. Sounds like you are doing most of that as you are.
I'm contemplating chickens right now. I think I will give them a try, After all if they are just to hard to deal with...
"Tastes like Chicken!"
Chris - I love the part about the goldfish in the water tanks. I assume that those must be the big stock tanks. Our 50 gallon tanks get empty in just a few days, so the water is constantly being recycled. We do love our 4 legged mousetraps.