Has anyone ever let berry vines grow on top of a coop?

[OCChicken]

I was thinking of adding some Raspberries to one end of the run, and then letting them grow accross the top on the wire. I figured it would double as some shade, and then when the berries are ripe we could drop them in for a treat.

What do you think?

OC

 

[Monk]

Raspberries growing across the top of the wire? I'm leaning towards grapes, they tend to creep all over.

 

[chickenbottom]

um the guy im getting my girls from has grape vines across his entire coop which is weighing it down quite a bit

 

[BorderKelpie]

I'm glad you asked, I was considering planting some grapes around a coop to camaflauge/insulate, but wasn't sure if it was safe for the chickens should they manage to eat the leaves or something. Never thought about the weight issue. hmm, food for thought. (no pun intended)
I still think it'd be pretty, though.

 

[chickenbottom]

lol ya he has to build another coop because of it

 

[country freedom]

Which berry vine would be best, or is there one, that wouldn't weigh the top of the run down?
Wouldn't there be a problem of wild birds gathering for the berries and potentially spreading disease?

 

[chickenbottom]

ive never seen any bird just the guinea cock jump up there and eat em i supose grapes would be fine if the run is built with like a wooden frame at the top

 

[patandchickens]

Be aware that it'll be a giant draw for wild birds and their diseases/parasites. If you already have lotsa wild birds coming in to scam food out of the chicken feeder, or simply don't worry about such things, fair enough, but others might want to factor into their decision the increase in exposure to diseases and worms and such.

I probably wouldn't do it myself but only b/c if I'm planting berry vines/canes, I want to be able to harvest the berries MYSELF <vbg>

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[OCChicken]

Quote:
Thats pretty much how they grow them around here, They climb, and then spread.

 

[OCChicken]

I will probably forgo the berry idea, I didn't think about all of the other birds that would spread their waste in the coop.