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It's Mikey! And he likes it!
Yes, the chickens eventually eat everything within jumping distance, which is anything within about 3' of the ground. The vines provide pretty good forage from spring through fall and the occasional grapes in June/July. They really like grape leaves. The foundation in the coop is made simply of a single layer of concrete blocks laid on their side. I leveled out and pounded down the ground first, set the blocks, then packed dirt around and inside of them. I only used concrete to set the 4"X4" posts along the front of the run. There is grass (sod) in the run. For the past two years I've put in sod in late Nov./early Dec., once the grape leaves have fallen off. My chickens free range for much of their day, with the occasional weekend and up to three week period when they are locked up. The sod is nearly completely gone this week, except for the section covered by the wire. The grape vines have grown so dense that very little light reaches the grass. I used Okon Weather Pro Semi-transparent wood stain (Redwood), made for decks, spas, siding & fences. I don't know how non-toxic it is, but I don't think it leaches much, the water beads up and immediately rolls off. It's water based, so application and clean-up is easy too. What I like about it is that there is nothing to chip or peal up for chickens to peck at down the road. I think I got mine at my local Dunn Edwards paint store. I suspect every paint store has their version of it. I do think it's important to seal everything with something, whether it be paint or polyurethane.
GrannysRoost, ca,
It's Mikey! And he likes it!
GrannysRoost, ca,
