Chicken Coop With Veggie Garden

[france]

Someone posted this article on another board I am on:

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/silveira44a.html

We will be building a coop and putting in a garden this spring. This looks like something we could easily do with our space.

What do you all think?

Any reasons not to try this?

Please note: the article is about keeping two runs. Use one for veggies and one for chickens. When the harvest is over swap sides. It is not about letting the chickens have access to a growing garden.

 

[Country Guy John]

I think that this is a great idea and concept. I have actually planed to do somthing similar to this as well. It will give your chickens some variety and the ability to free range yet keep them confined to your property. It will also provide some chemical free fertilizer for your garden.

 

[ra]

looks like a great set up. wish we could so something like that were we live.

ryan

 

[mendogurl]

This is pretty much what we are doing, except the layout is different. But our coop won't be in the middle of our veggie garden, it will be in one corner.
I have read that the chickens can roam about and eat the slugs and bugs, as well as getting a lot of the weds. I have also read that they love tomatoes as well as every other veggie. Apparently you can grow a bed of veggie just for them.
Verry cool.
Anyone here let their chickens roam through the veggie garden?

 

[Kristy in WA]

I love this idea! I have been researching coops, just joined here a few days ago, scoured the library, and have looked at about every coop idea on this website I can find. We have a great big garden, and I really love this idea of putting the whole chicken coop thing right in the midst of it. I'll be showing this idea to dh tomorrow, thanks for posting the link! Kristy

 

[vermontgal]

If you put your coop in the garden, your chickens will eat EVERYTHING.
(not just the bugs and weeds).

You might want to read this related thread - over in "Managing Your Flock"

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=139415

If you read the article that france posted, you'll see that the chickens are not allowed in the garden when it is being used to grow plants. The chickens are allowed in before planting and after the harvest, and in the garden in the year that it is fallow.

PS. and WELCOME to all the New Eggs!

 

[Kristy in WA]

Quote:
I kind of figured about them being IN the garden and eating the things I didn't want them to eat. I meant to put that whole coop idea, with the fenced yards, within the 8 ft deer fencing of our garden. I really like the idea of the chickens being let loose IN the actual garden area once the harvest is over and it's time to break things down for the winter. I'd think the chickens would be very beneficial for that process, and make it go more quickly too! Kristy

 

[BarkerChickens]

Great idea...if well planned! Our chickens have access to our garden and we compost the chicken poop too for the garden, but a word of warning about chicken in the garden area....they eat anything they consider tasty! Ok..two warnings...chicken poop is "hot". I'll address each one separately...

First one...they leave our melons, squash, most tomato plants, etc alone. However, they ate ALL of my broccoli (head and leaves) before I could get any...found out when I asked DH to grab some for dinner. They also ate most of our spinach, collard greens, some cabbage and lots of strawberries, grapes and blackberries. Also, chicken wire off sprouting seedlings....they're a yummy snack. We still let our girls in the garden because they are great bug eaters, etc...we just wire off certain plants.

Second one...chicken manure is "hot"...like steer manure. While a little bit of fresh poo won't be bad in the garden, don't mix it in with potting soil. Let it compost first to break down, then mix it with potting soil. Hot manure can burn plants and possibly kill them. It composts quick...we toss our in with green waste, paper and compostable food scraps and it's ready in a few weeks.

Also...not sure how true it is, but chicken eggs can get an onion or garlic taste if they eat lots of it. We cook with so much garlic and onions here, that I would know if the egg had a hint of flavor from it. But, our girls LOVE onions (and get some GNARLY onion breath too!).

So...good luck! It's a great idea and it's fun gardening with chickens by your side!!

 

[mendogurl]

Yes, I didn't mention that you would need to carefully manage their time, cutting off access unless you are there, fencing off beds that they should never go in.
There is a great piece about using your chickens in the garden written by Henry Ussery that I found a link to over on Managing Your Flock.

I may eat my words, or the chickens might, LOL.

 

[squeakyballs]

That is awesome!