South Eastern Connecticut Landscaping

My neighbor has been busy preparing her garden, making room for an expected feathered flock of chickens. A beautiful coop crafted in Vermont has just arrived and is about to be set in a well chosen part of the garden. As I watch from my side of the fence, I am a little envious.

Chickens can be a great addition for the urban gardener. And many cities have zoning allowances for the birds, with some restriction on roosters for the obvious reason (but please always check your local laws and zoning). While they are not known to be smart, they do have personalities and can be fun companions. They are more eco-friendly than your pet dog or cat—with benefits:

• they provide food for your family with a zero carbon footprint from coop to plate 
• their waste is high in nitrogen and is excellent for your compost 
• they are a natural garden pest control for grubs, aphids, earwigs, and other bugs 
• they help aerate your soil and breakdown vegetation as they forage, scratching and pecking for morsels 
• they eat your kitchen and food scraps
• backyard chickens produce a better quality egg that is higher in vitamin E and A. Their eggs are also significantly higher in beta carotene and omega-3 fatty acids than farmed chicken eggs 

I admit I have long thought about jumping on this bandwagon. There was a time when I spent months reading and researching all-things-chicken. I was looking forward to delicious eggs, a personal insect control team and ultra-rich compost. So I surprised myself when I made an awkward discovery that put the brakes on this dream. Let me explain.

A number of years back, in Portland OR, my brother and his then girlfriend adopted a small-sized, glossy black rooster they named “Chicken”. I was sent adoring photos of “Chicken” along with stories of his many antics. “Chicken” hanging out on the grapevine. “Chicken” visiting the neighbors. “Chicken” outsmarting a cat. Oh I was in love. At the first available opportunity, I jumped on a plane to visit “Chicken”…er, I mean, my brother. Not one day on the ground did I realize I am afraid of birds! Scared fertilizerless of them!!

Now that my neighbor has a coop, I am reminded of my phobia and that long ago dream. I am envious because I know this can never be for me. Perhaps my neighbor will take pity and share some of her bounty with me.

photo courtesy: mypetchicken.com

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• FAQS

That load of snow in your driveway may be getting to you, but before you put your snowblower into action, make sure you’re really using it properly and safely. You probably have a healthy respect for your lawn mower and weed-whacker, and their ability to do real harm. Don’t think that your snowblower is more innocuous just because it throws the fluffy stuff around instead of slicing plants
away from the earth.

First rule: Don’t drink alcohol and operate a snowblower. Any time you dull your reaction time and impair your judgment, the last thing you want to do is operate any kind of machinery that could severely injure you or someone else.

Second, be careful where you aim that thing. If the snow is shooting toward your house, you could be looking at damage to your siding and windows. If you aren’t exactly sure where Patches the Cat ran off to, get her into the house first, unless you want to risk stunning her and burying her under a bunch of snow. Remember, not all snow is light and fluffy. Also, if there are heavier objects in the snow, like rocks or ice chunks, they will be flung farther, and perhaps faster, than snow. So, thoroughly inspect the area before you get out the snowblower. In fact, if you can survey the area before the snow covers the ground, so much the better.

Third, watch your fingers and other important parts you might need later. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons reports that several thousand people are treated each year in emergency rooms thanks to incidents with snowblowers and snowthrowers. Two-thirds of snowblower injuries involve the fingers, and of all the various consumer home and yard products, snowblowers are one of the top causes of finger amputations. Most injuries occur when operators attempt to clear the auger or the discharge chute with their hands. Use a stick or broom handle to clear away debris in the machine. Remember that the impeller blades may still be rotating for a time even after the machine is turned off. You should wait AT LEAST five seconds after turning the machine off before trying to clear any jams, even though you’ll be using a stick. You don’t want spinning blades to grab onto something you’re holding tightly.

Fourth, make sure you leave all the safety devices, like shields, guards and switches, on the machine. Customize your car, not your snowblower. For that matter, protect your own body by wearing gloves, long pants, goggles and boots. For one thing, it’s cold out there. For another, you want to keep your body parts intact, remember?

Fifth, if you have a gas-powered snowblower, fuel it up before you start using it. Never add fuel while it’s running or still hot from recent use. If it’s an electrical snowblower, make sure the cord doesn’t get tangled or snagged in any moving parts; electrocution is dangerous, not invigorating. Don’t touch the engine cowling while it’s still hot.

Sixth, keep the kids away from the snowblower. Around the age of 15, it’s probably OK to start introducing them to safe use of a snowblower. And make sure you supervise them until you’re sure they know what they are doing.

Seventh, don’t leave the machine unattended without shutting it off first. You don’t want the snowblower going off on its own, and you don’t want kids or pets to get caught up in it when you’re out of sight or out of earshot.

Finally (and maybe this should have been rule number one, but it should be obvious), read the user’s manual for your snowblower before you use it. No one’s going to respect you more because you figured it out on your own, particularly if the result is a couple missing fingers and a family pet that’s still reeling from that hunk of ice you flung at it.

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