Chicken winter garden...

[missbecky]

I have a little garden by my coop which I plan on covering with plastic -converting it into a green house so that I can get an early start on my seedlings next year. The simple 2x2 frame is already up.

My plan is to let the chickens roam around inside and they can have at it. Swiss Chard, tomatoes, okra, bell peppers, and kitchen herbs are about all that's left. (I hope these are all chicken safe plants)

This should provide them with some greens into the winter, and at the same time they can till & poop away preparing my garden for Spring.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They'll probably avoid the tomato plants until all else is gone.
I'd broadcast some seed under and around your veggies like turnip, radish, beet, winter peas or if it stays above freezing, buckwheat to give more tender sprouts they'll enjoy more.
Older growth plants are shunned because they're too fibrous.

 

[Akrnaf2]

You can also throw some corn, sorghum,corn and sunflower seeds and will enjoy the seedlings very much!

 

[RichnSteph]

If it was me I'd go buy a bag of wild bird seed and broadcast it in there and water it for a few days (keep the chickens out) until the sprouts are about 3 inches high. Shouldn't take more than a week, then let them at it. We don't have a garden thing for ours but we are sprouting seed to give them throughout the winter.

RichnSteph

 

[missbecky]

Great ideas! Thank you.