Chicken Food Tower

[3KillerBs]

Brief Detour - as regular readers here likely remember, Phaedre's efforts inspired me to make a Chicken Tower of my own, with resources I had on hand. As my climate is hotter, and sometimes much drier, I built a larger diameter (about 3' around), squater tower (about 3' tall) out of step in metal stakes and chicken wire, thinking the larger center would help to keep it from drying out so quickly, and also keep it from being washed away during persistent rainfal periods.

So...

1 - the chicken wire is not going to last - I really should use a piece of fencing, as Phaedre did, and T Posts. This will get me a season at best, by Spring, I expect to rebuild it better.

2 - while the larger size did help with days of constant rains, more than 2" per week, sometimes more than an inch in an hour, we've now been five days w/o rain, and its starting to show - the new sprouts are clearly stressed. I dog a hole in the middle, set a plastic 5 gal bucket into it, with holes drilled in the side, near the bottom, about 1/4" in dia. So I can now add 5 gal of water that will soak into the column without washing out new growth or simply running off the dry sandy top. Will let you know how its going in another week or so - we are expecting no rain for at least another 8-10 days.

...and back to the main event!

Thanks for that update.

Here at the northern end of your climate zone I tried growing potatoes in a circle of fence one year and could NOT keep the things watered. A 5-gallon bucket might be better than the hunk of PVC pipe I had (I forget the diameter).

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Thanks for that update.

Here at the northern end of your climate zone I tried growing potatoes in a circle of fence one year and could NOT keep the things watered. A 5-gallon bucket might be better than the hunk of PVC pipe I had (I forget the diameter).

4" PVC (I have some scrap from laying in a new septic line) was my first thought - because of the way they are used to aerate deep compost piles - but I also had spare 5 gal buckets, and decided it would hold more water. We are both taking inspiration from the same core idea!

 

[Happy hen lover]

What a great boredom buster! I might plant one to the side of run and use that T post as stability! U stormcrow? dont they just jump in it and eat it all. ? I have some grazing boxes and they just love laying and pooping on them! But if they could tesr into them watch out!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

What a great boredom buster! I might plant one to the side of run and use that T post as stability! U stormcrow dont they just jump in it and eat it all. ?

Yes, I've had that trouble. But even then, its a boredom buster. and they are good greens for them to be eating, regardless. I seed the edge as I fill it, so things sprout from side and top, both. It would benefit from my planting some started, vining plants, whose leaves might offer some shade to the rest of the pile.

 

[Phaedra Geiermann]

10.04 Update

The temperature is much lower now, but every few days it rains a bit. I didn't sow on the side of the towers yet, because recently, there are so many green materials collected from different corners of the garden for the chickens.

However, they keep their jump-and-eat when they want.

With these experiments, mints, strawberries, carrot tops, leeks/scallions propagated from the cuttings, lavenders, all kinds of leafy greens can survive quite well. Mints enjoy the enviornment very much. All mints I propagated from cuttings grow quite vigorously.

New leaves from the propagated (cuttings) mints

New leaves from the propagated (runners) strawberries

Mints can be invasive, but chickens will control them

I also enjoyed the delicious mint tea, freshly picked from the chicken food towers.

 

[N F C]

10.04 Update

The temperature is much lower now, but every few days it rains a bit. I didn't sow on the side of the towers yet, because recently, there are so many green materials collected from different corners of the garden for the chickens.

However, they keep their jump-and-eat when they want.

With these experiments, mints, strawberries, carrot tops, leeks/scallions propagated from the cuttings, lavenders, all kinds of leafy greens can survive quite well. Mints enjoy the enviornment very much. All mints I propagated from cuttings grow quite vigorously.
View attachment 2855322

View attachment 2855324
New leaves from the propagated (cuttings) mints
View attachment 2855325
New leaves from the propagated (runners) strawberries
View attachment 2855328

Mints can be invasive, but chickens will control them
View attachment 2855329

I also enjoyed the delicious mint tea, freshly picked from the chicken food towers.
View attachment 2855332

Your towers have done very well! Will everything die back in winter?

 

[Kennas_Kritters]

I need to update y'all with pictures of the food towers I made from old dog cages! They are growing so well! My tomato plants are blooming!

 

[Phaedra Geiermann]

Your towers have done very well! Will everything die back in winter?

Yes, those leafy greens won't make it during winter. However, strawberries, mints, scallions, lavenders, and wild garlics are perennials; carrot tops will also survive as they are biennials.

Other plants like cone flowers and grapes that I will plant are also hardy. They will keep developping on the top of the towers.

 

[N F C]

Yes, those leafy greens won't make it during winter. However, strawberries, mints, scallions, lavenders, and wild garlics are perennials; carrot tops will also survive as they are biennials.

Other plants like cone flowers and grapes that I will plant are also hardy. They will keep developping on the top of the towers.

You'll be in good shape by next spring with the perennials and biennials already going.

 

[Phaedra Geiermann]

Not specifically about chicken food tower - but it's a highly recommended veggie that we can plant for chickens - oilseed radish.

Oilseed radish, alfalfa, and red clover are three major crops I chose for sowing in the food towers. However, I also sowed some in spring, directly on the ground outside the hardware cloth of the chicken run. Chickens love oilseed radish leaves very much.

Now is autumn, and I started cleaning the garden. I pulled the entire plants (including flowers, leaves and seed pods) and gave them to the chickens. I didn't expect they also love the seed pods very much.

As oilseed radish can tolerate light frost, it's pretty ideal to plant in spring/end of summer. This article mentioned further advantage of it, and I am quite impressed.