No Berries For Chickens

My most humble apologies for neglecting the blog for the past couple of weeks. I do have a very good reason though. I've been giving an old enterprise a shot of newness. Cee Cee Native Crafts. It's a family venture, we create native-style beadwork. But lately I've been envisioning all kinds of beadwork that incorporates gemstones. Wild colors, vibrant designs and exciting new designs! So....I sort of got carried away with myself. But!
I am here today to share with you my plan for brambles!
So I might have mentioned a few dozen times my plan for the garden for the summer of 2013... lol
A part of that plan is golden raspberries like these...

So according to "The Backyard Homestead" book, raspberry bushes like nitrogen. And they can produce year after year, if they're cut back in the fall and tended carefully. Hmm, this got me thinking, maybe I don't have to ignore the tired red ones already here. Now the plan is to try and rejuvenate the reds and plant goldens. If I can get more fruit from the reds, woohoo! If I get no more, oh well, I tried.
So, according to the book, I should have cut them back in late summer to ground level. But then it also says that in late fall, cut them back to 4-5 feet. Well, mine are not that big now. Taking the middle ground would tell me to cut them back to a foot then. See, these reds are scattered all over the property, they aren't in a nice bed, all orderly and controlled. But, I do want to cultivate the bunch down the property line. So I'm thinking, mulch those, stake the canes and mark with a piece of twine and posts so I know where I "babied" when the snow melts. In the spring, I'll take up the mulch, top dress with compost and see how they produce fruit. And then compete with the birds... and the bears.....
As I've said, I also want to plant a variety of golden raspberries, such as "Fall Gold". According to all the literature, it prefers drier soil, well, we sure have that! It likes partial sun, we have that, and medium nitrogen. I can do that.
The question is, where in the backyard should it go? I'm thinking the side of the yard that we have a neighbor on. Because the other side will eventually have chickens.
I'm looking into growing forage for my eventual-chickens, but it won't be raspberries!
No berries for chickens!

Stay warm!