Climbing Vines... Chicken Run Sides... Safe for chickens...

[Gallo del Cielo]

I have grapes covering my run and the chickens love the vines (I do too). The leaves are one of their favorite green things to eat and they love eating the grapes within jumping height. The grapes don't fall off and rot where I live--they turn to raisins on the vine if I miss harvesting them. We try to collect all the grapes to make raisins where the wild birds can't get to them. There is some work involved with pruning back the vines every year. With the addition of the wire run around the vines, it now takes me about an hour each winter to trim the vines, which I don't think is too bad. You can see pictures of the vines on my byc page.

 

[jinxschuh]

Quote:
YEAH!!! You are the first person I've seen put the idea I have of the dome run using pig/sheep wire panels... I LOVE IT!! I was going to use big panels and go all the way to the ground on both sides, but you using them at the top of a traditional run makes for an interesting twist on my current idea. Thanks so much for pointing out your coop/run pictures, it looks so cozey and very unique!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

 

[kelleowen]

I wanted to do something like this to. A lady gave me some morning Glory bushes. But I heard from someone it is poison to chicken. Does anyone know for sure I don't want to poison my girls.

 

[Christian Pedersen]

I thought of grapes, but really don't want to have to cut the vines back every year... or have the fruit all over the place. Worried about it rotting and my girls eating the grapes.

Unless I have no clue what I'm talking about regarding grape vines...

Grapes need to be trimmed back every year, but it is not a lot of work. You can learn all you need to know from a publication like http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/21285/ec1639.pdf