Coop built alongside the garden?

[h8snags]

Glad I read this, thanks for asking the question about chickens in the garden! I was really looking forward to have them come in and help me, but after reading this, I'm not so sure. I thought they would just come eat the grasshoppers and such from off the plants and underneath the leaves.. so I guess they'll just eat the plants? Wanted to grow giant pumpkins this year, last time we tried to do that the stupid squash bugs killed the plants! Hmm.. what to do...

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've read that guineas will eat squash bugs and not kill the plant, but I have never tried it. I'm not even trying to grow squash this year because the squash bugs are so bad.

 

[tkvance]

I'm in the process of building something very similar right now. My first attempt at having chickens, but I've had the garden for years. Hopefully it will work!!!

 

[ray2310]

you can check out a picture of our raised bed garden/coop set up here.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=27079

 

[ChickenCanoe]

This is what I built to accomplish what I think you are trying to do. I usually have about 3 flocks but I have one coop that straddles the ends of several beds with doors that open to each bed. I have hoop pens that are easily movable by one person from bed to bed. Did I say easily?

The coop is elevated so they can go under there to get cool regardless of which pen they're in.
the beds are just over 40 ft. The rotation works like this. two beds have current season crops. two are cover cropped which is chicken pasture. After they clear one bed they get moved to the next and the last gets covered with compost and prepared for the next season crops - on and on 2 in veggies, 2 in cover or chicken pasture at any one time. Another permanent bed is asparagus, strawberries and herbs. That sometimes gets fenced from chickens depending on season otherwise they get to run there.
The flocks that don't have that permanent access to one of the raised beds move around in tractors.

aerial view

coop under construction

beds ready for a batch of meat birds

veggies pulled and planted in field peas, winter vetch, buckwheat, oats and wheat for the next pasture

freedom rangers doing their thing in hoop pen

 

[vanalpaca]

Do you lock up the chickens at night? Your 'runs' don't look dog/coon proof.

Here we get lots of Canadian Geese and Wild Ducks roaming the yard, smell skunk, watch the woodchucks, squirrels, HAWK, and we just KNOW that there are raccoons about. This is IN TOWN, but a creek and associated woods/shrubberies can even bring deer through some parts of town. Still, it is a NO CHICKENS town.

So I was thinking of a much more complicated affair for the chicken runs. I like yours because it is LOW PROFILE on the runs. I would love to run the hens on the gardens for 'clean-up crew'.

Thanks for posting those photos!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The coop at the end of the raised beds is just a roost house with external nest boxes. They go in at night to roost and they get locked in then. The roof is hinged for access to the roosts. They also go in when it gets hot to dustbathe in the pine shavings bedding.
We're in the burbs but have coyote, fox, coons, possums, snakes(big), owls, hawks, eagles, dogs, cats.
I've lost birds to hawk(1) possum(1) dogs(9) but not with this setup. The neighbor has huskies/malamutes and they can't break into this. Hawks can't get in. Possums and coons could get in but the birds are locked in the building at night.
The pop door you can barely see in the last picture drops and latches when the last bird is in.

Everything looks a little rough but is built entirely from recycled materials or things I already had.
Built and operated by one person, me.
Here's a couple more views

 

[Dixiedoodle]

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I I i I
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I run l coop l run I
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l l l l
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l l garden l l
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l____l____________gate _______________ l_____l


You could always use this type of set up using the garden fence and make a chicken moat around the garden.. If you place the coop in the center you can use each side of the run to rotate them in mid summer when the garden is going full blast and you don't want them in there.. Letting them clean up each side before rotation and then reseed the other side..

 

[Dixiedoodle]

You are my hero!! I love your coop compound.. Perfect! I have saved the picture to show my dh..

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