Chicken Pre-Setup -- Run + "Garden"?

[castillo_de_luz]

Last weekend it took 4 adults and 4 hours to clear, level, and lay the base for my new 8x6 chicken run. (A local company will build the actual structure). There's still some leveling to do and of course the hardware cloth will all be covered eventually -- not going to fill the bottom until the run is done.

As you can see in the photo, we left an existing small raised bed that the previous homeowners abandoned.

I don't plan to free-range my birds due to a significant presence of predators, but there's a possibility I'll occasionally allow them to stretch their legs if I'm outside supervising. So anything that goes in there shouldn't be one of the (few) things that could be harmful if ingested.

My REAL garden is located elsewhere on the property, fenced in and absolutely off-limits to the flock. This spot is in almost full sun with short stretches of shade through the growing season here in New England. Ideally this will be a low-maintenance bed.

Creative and/or useful suggestions welcome!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Chickens are voracious foragers. Anything you plant in the area where the chickens will be, will quickly be demolished (eaten) by the chickens. My suggestion is to grow any and all of those things in your "real" garden and toss them a few leaves or blossoms from time to time.

 

[Krugerrand]

How high will the ground level be above that hardware cloth in the run? You'll need that to be close to 12" deep to protect the chickens from hurting their toes when they dig.

 

[Loving my girls]

Hi hun,
in my experience whatever you plant will be eaten, trodden on, dug up or just overwhelmed by hen poop in no time. Each year I add things to their run in an attempt to make it look a bit better. Not that they spend much time there but a bit of colour would be nice.
This year I’m trying my luck with mint and creeping Jenny. Neither are poisonous to hens which, of course, is important. They have taken and so far so good. I already have a sickly looking rosemary bush (planted two years ago) but despite it growing happily in concrete it doesn’t do well in the hen run
Good luck,
Hugz

 

[castillo_de_luz]

Chickens are voracious foragers. Anything you plant in the area where the chickens will be, will quickly be demolished (eaten) by the chickens. My suggestion is to grow any and all of those things in your "real" garden and toss them a few leaves or blossoms from time to time.

Like I said, no plans to free range so they probably won't ever get in this bed -- just on the small chance I DO allow them out for a few minutes, I don't want to put anything harmful. I'm well aware of their mass destruction. I'm actually growing almost everything I listed in my real garden anyway, but wanted ideas for what to put in this bonus bed that happens to be right next to the run.

 

[castillo_de_luz]

How high will the ground level be above that hardware cloth in the run? You'll need that to be close to 12" deep to protect the chickens from hurting their toes when they dig.

It will be filled in and the cloth deeply covered. This is also only the secondary run, so they won't be in there full time.

 

[castillo_de_luz]

Hi hun,
in my experience whatever you plant will be eaten, trodden on, dug up or just overwhelmed by hen poop in no time. Each year I add things to their run in an attempt to make it look a bit better. Not that they spend much time there but a bit of colour would be nice.
This year I’m trying my luck with mint and creeping Jenny. Neither are poisonous to hens which, of course, is important. They have taken and so far so good. I already have a sickly looking rosemary bush (planted two years ago) but despite it growing happily in concrete it doesn’t do well in the hen run
Good luck,
Hugz

They won't actually have access to this garden bed - no free ranging. I'm only looking to make it chicken-friendly just in case I let them out for a few supervised minutes occasionally.

Mint... it's just far too invasive. If I plant mint in that bed, that's all I can ever plant there! Creeping Jenny is an interesting thought, although it's not native to the US and isn't otherwise useful or edible that I know of.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Like I said, no plans to free range so they probably won't ever get in this bed -- just on the small chance I DO allow them out for a few minutes, I don't want to put anything harmful. I'm well aware of their mass destruction. I'm actually growing almost everything I listed in my real garden anyway, but wanted ideas for what to put in this bonus bed that happens to be right next to the run.

Ah, I misunderstood. I thought you were planning a garden the chickens would actually be in. Sorry about that!

 

[perkolator]

I'd likely plant some fast-growing veggies with leafy greens that could be quickly harvested and fed to them. Something easy to sow or self-sowing - radishes, peas, leafy greens, herbs, etc. Could even be something perennial - such as tree collards, my chickens love eating tree collards

 

[NatJ]

They won't actually have access to this garden bed - no free ranging. I'm only looking to make it chicken-friendly just in case I let them out for a few supervised minutes occasionally.

Mint... it's just far too invasive. If I plant mint in that bed, that's all I can ever plant there! Creeping Jenny is an interesting thought, although it's not native to the US and isn't otherwise useful or edible that I know of.

Maybe something like peas or beans? Both of those grow fast, and the greens are safe for chickens to eat if/when they poke into the run, or if the chickens get out. Neither one is likely to be invasive the way mint is. Peas like cooler weather, beans like warmer weather, so you might choose one or the other depending on when you are planting them.