Chickens in a regular hoop house / greenhouse

[cocktail]

We have placed our chicken in a regular hoop house now the winter is ending but still to cold for growing vegies. The idea is that they feed on the weed and weed seeds, fertilize the soil and eat up some unvanted bugs that could harm the plants later. Does anyone has any expirience with this? Ideas tips or tricks?

 

[sourland]

Sounds like a great idea to me. Some people use a rotational system where a pen will become a garden the next year and vice versa - this should work just as well. Where do you live that your winter is 'ending'? No end in sight here in NJ -6 F this morning .

 

[cocktail]

Im in mid Europe during day we have already +6 C and the night temp is getting down to 0 sometimes -1 during the night. The weather here is crazy last years hope we wont have snow again in march / april :/ that would be catastrophic for the plants

 

[cocktail]

update after a week with 6 hens I think leaving them for another 1-2 weeks and I can begin to garden

 

[Alaskan]

I let my chickens have access to my greenhouse all winter...


By the time that I kick them out, there is a sheet of solid poop in there.

I roll up the poop sheet and take that out... then I flood the soil at least twice (washes out lots of the salts and the ammonia etc.)

Then I plant transplants. If I put in a transplant with just a tiny bit of soil around it, it at times gets a bit burned, but soon recovers and grows well.

putting in transplants with a nice sized root ball of clean dirt works best.

After the seedlings have been in there for a couple of weeks.... probably mostly because of the continual watering... I can then direct seed without any trouble.

I also let my chickens have access to my garden in the off season. They do a wonderful job of killing all green things, digging up grubs, and fluffing up the soil. When it is time to plant, I kick them out and rake the dirt smooth.

In the vegetable garden, there is enough space, that there is no poop mat, and no problem with nitrogen burning plants or seedlings.