"John Savage" wrote in message
om...
nome writes:
We are looking for surgestions for a tree to plant next to our chook pen
which will cope with the

nutriment load
give shade in summer
and feed us and the chooks !

dose any one have any experience with such a wonder ?

We are thinking maybe a nut tree or stone fruit.

Cold and frosty in winter sticking hot in summer.

When I was a kid we had a chookyard with a fig tree in it. The chooks
loved the summer shade, and had dust baths around it. The tree got a
bit of water each time we'd empty and wash out the drinking bowls near
it. The climate had frosts in winter, and now and then our summer temps
would hit the century. At the time I really didn't appreciate how lucky
we were to have our own fruiting fig. I remember every year searching
high and low for a fig that didn't have a hole in the end! Little did
I realise that the hole is a part of the package, allowing a tiny wasp
access to pollinate the flowers which are inside what we (wrongly) refer
to as the fruit.

The figs were up out of reach of the chooks, but other winged invaders
were not so easily stymied. Even though we lived in a fruit fly area,
I cannot recall our figs ever having fly. Perhaps someone else can
comment on this? Most stone fruits will need to be sprayed if you want
edible fruit. A lemon tree would be a good choice, I'd reckon, if you
could use the lemons. Whatever you plant, I think you might need to
protect it with a layer of wire netting pinned flat on top of the soil
to stop the chooks digging under it, or the tree will have a stunted
root system and struggle to survive.
--
John Savage (news address invalid; keep news replies in newsgroup)


From what I have read about fruit fly, you would have to get an
infestation from elsewhere to have a problem as fruit fly larva hatch
from the ground and have to spend approx 24 hours waiting for wings
to dry before flying. Chooks usually reckon this is a good arrangement
and need less other feed that day. Therefore enough chooks under fruit
trees = no fruit fly. Of course fruit fly may emerge from elsewhere and
infect your fruit (neighbours), but they will not be able to complete their
cycle accompanied by chooks.

Regards
Phil J.


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