Chicken Playground with Edible Paddocks. Pic heavy.

[rarebear]

I have a large coop with a tightly enclosed run which is 12 x 20 for 11 chickens. The run area will be used on days I might be away on errands or on vacation when others will let the girls in and out for the day. The run opens up into a newly fenced area of about 100' x 35' which I am calling their playground. This is about as as free range as I can get on my good sized city lot. This year as it got late I just planted a bunch of kale, sunflowers, corn, pumpkins, winter squash, marigold, melons in patches around the area with clovers to cover the bare ground. I was wondering if this is enough space to allow the chickens to roam and how long it will take them to de-nude the area. OR is this enough space for them to roam and not destroy everything including the clover or will they have the entire area scratched up within weeks. My thinking was to overplant so they could have plenty to keep them busy. These 'gardens' are not going to be beautiful groomed gardens...it is simply an area for chickens. Next year I will fence off a few areas and plant berry bushes. I will also have kale paddocks with a few other of their favorites that I can control. They will have the rest of he area.

The fencing will be done next week so they will be turned loose for the first time in that area.. The stuff I planted has pretty much covered the ground. (Right now they are in a 14x10 foot temporary pen on my 'former' side lawn. Am in crazy to think I can keep this area filled with enough for them to eat or will they kill it in short order? I can hardly wait to turn the loose next week.

Ultimately I am trying to accomplish two things. 1. Have a healthy nutrient dense area for them and 2. Have an area that doesn't turn into a mud pit.

I am attaching a bunch of photos. The run and fencing will be done this week.

I appreciate any and all comments!

The coop itself is near my house and not within the fenced area...with the exception of the back of the house which is all hardware clothed into a run.


This is the coop back just before t arrived here.


This is the back of the coop and what will be the hardcloth , tight security run.The white fence was installed a few years ago so I am keeping it. My back yard was nothing but a small weedy field, now plowed, tilled and rough planted for chicks.I don't even weed it as I figure it's all good for them.



This is from the end of the security tight run looking towards their coop. I do expect this area's vegetaion will get torn down but I will be installing a big dust bath with river sand. Any suggestions for what to use over the dirt?



Random for fun plantings of corn, sunflowers, winter squash with tons of clover.



The chickens pumpkin patch.



I just spread tons of kale and clover seed just to get something growing for them.



Another area of melons and marigold.



This is the far end from the coop, this too is kale, millet and clovers.



This is from off the back of the coop. The picket fence was already there, the run and privacy fence added for the chicks.

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

Just to let you know, I'm sooooo jealous right now, I wish I had something as nice as that!

I don't think they would tear that up too soon, but maybe in 6 months if they are let out there almost everyday. If you let them out everyday for a month, then threw out some more clover, let that get a good start, then repeat, I would think you could keep everything really nice for a long time.

Where do you live, and if you are close, can I have all of that? J/K, but I am bright green with envy right now....

 

[coolcanoechic]

Oh my! How impressive! Your coop is beautiful and you have some very lucky chickens! 11 chickens cannot denude that space that quickly, especially if they are not in it every day. It is too big of a space for that. I think what you see will be a lot of new dust bathing places. Then of course, they will munch on whatever they like best. My chickens actually leave my garden alone and just eat my hostas and the grass. I just absolutely everything about your set up! Can we see pictures of the inside of that awesome coop! I love it!

 

[jamband]

chickens will eventually destroy any area they have constant access to. its what they do. I love your ideas and concept. I had another thread on here somewhere about this topic.........The other problem is you will need to keep them out of that area for at least a month when you plant each year or they will destroy the seedlings.


My 2 main ideas would be set up fencing so they can rotated to new area every few days. maybe 4 7-800 sq ft runs instead of one 3500??? Also plant perennials they can eat fromas well as annuals .... Raspberries, mulberries, comfrey, fruit trees, Try searching on here or google for chicken forage foods. There are some good long lists.

 

[amorrill]

I don't have any expertise as to how long that will hold up, but it looks like chicken heaven to me! Really cool idea.

 

[coolcanoechic]

I think it will last if they are not in it all the time.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Absolutely beautiful and they're going to love it! Nothing better than happy camper chickens.

I do something similar on a smaller and more mobile scale. Only have 3 hens and they have a decent sized chicken tractor. The tractor has an attached run that is secure for when we're not at home.

I am fearful of total free-ranging as we've lots of predators so we have a sort of "mobile fence" system made of 4 ft. metal posts and plastic poultry fencing. We move the fence around the different portions of the garden that we want the girls to "work" on. Two weeks ago we had them in a spot that we've not yet tilled and they removed all the grass and weeds and did some pre-tilling and fertilizing for us. Due to the heat, our corn didn't do much so we moved the fencing to the corn patch yesterday. Talk about 3 happy hens! However, I am astonished at what 3 hens have done to that patch in one day! You can actually see the corn moving as they scratch and plow through it. Looks like Godzilla coming through the forest.

It won't take your girls long to work through your area, hopefully you can rotate them to other spots to give each area time to re-grow.

 

[rarebear]

Just to let you know, I'm sooooo jealous right now, I wish I had something as nice as that!

I don't think they would tear that up too soon, but maybe in 6 months if they are let out there almost everyday. If you let them out everyday for a month, then threw out some more clover, let that get a good start, then repeat, I would think you could keep everything really nice for a long time.

Where do you live, and if you are close, can I have all of that? J/K, but I am bright green with envy right now....

hahaha, Hey you have goats! I am jealous! I am in North Carolina in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I am going to plant 2 winter seeds that Southern States suggested that will grow in 40 degrees, which is about what we have all winter...something pea crop and I forgot the other. Then in March I will have the whole area tilled and do paddocks. So , great. if the plantings last 6 months that would be perfect as the area will be turned over twice a year.

 

[rarebear]

Oh my! How impressive! Your coop is beautiful and you have some very lucky chickens! 11 chickens cannot denude that space that quickly, especially if they are not in it every day. It is too big of a space for that. I think what you see will be a lot of new dust bathing places. Then of course, they will munch on whatever they like best. My chickens actually leave my garden alone and just eat my hostas and the grass. I just absolutely everything about your set up! Can we see pictures of the inside of that awesome coop! I love it!

Thanks, I was planning on adding a big rubbery pool, actually a watering thingy from Tractor Supply and filling it with sand for dust bathing. I am trying to allow the pumpkins, sunflowers and corn to get big enough so the chickies will just go after the smaller ground plants. I will take a photo of the interior tomorrow!

 

[rarebear]

Absolutely beautiful and they're going to love it! Nothing better than happy camper chickens.

I do something similar on a smaller and more mobile scale. Only have 3 hens and they have a decent sized chicken tractor. The tractor has an attached run that is secure for when we're not at home.

I am fearful of total free-ranging as we've lots of predators so we have a sort of "mobile fence" system made of 4 ft. metal posts and plastic poultry fencing. We move the fence around the different portions of the garden that we want the girls to "work" on. Two weeks ago we had them in a spot that we've not yet tilled and they removed all the grass and weeds and did some pre-tilling and fertilizing for us. Due to the heat, our corn didn't do much so we moved the fencing to the corn patch yesterday. Talk about 3 happy hens! However, I am astonished at what 3 hens have done to that patch in one day! You can actually see the corn moving as they scratch and plow through it. Looks like Godzilla coming through the forest.

It won't take your girls long to work through your area, hopefully you can rotate them to other spots to give each area time to re-grow.

Are you girls taking out the corn completely? Mine is doing quite well even though I planted late. The corn is just about up to my neck. Are the chickens eating the stalks? I was wondering about this!!!