Just wanted to share our new 3 shift chicken paddock that we built for our girls. I've had chickens for 3 years now and this summer my hubby decided we need more. So we added 12 babies to our flock of 8 for a total of 20 girls now. Normally my hubby has to mow this hill and lower part of our property so we got the idea to let the girls do it for him. The purple house is their hen house with a run in front, that is all enclosed. I wanted an alley way that I could walk in to service the paddocks. So that is right beside their run. We built panels that is strap on to the paddocks that I don't want them going into. Today we just put some straw in the alleyway because they have already eaten most of the grass. I can use the alleyway as an extension to their run by closing off all the paddocks if I want to. There is a little chicken door from their run to the alleyway. I plan on doing a week shift and only letting them out when we are home. We work at home so are usually home a lot. So far they are having a great time.
It's been a month since we set up our 3 phase paddock and I just thought I'd share with everyone how it's going. The girls are loving the extra space to roam. We have used all three paddocks and everything is working better than I hoped. I've been trying to do a 10 day shift and that seems to be working. We just need some rain here to get everything growing again. Very unusual for this time of year here on the coast. It's amazing how much 20 girls can scratch up. The alleyway was a great idea because it is acting like an extension to their run. Every time I open an new paddock their are excited to explore for the first time. I love watching them run down the alley way and into the paddock. It just warms my heart. They seem to use it first thing in the morning and then again in the evening. They all hang out in the run and alleyway in the afternoon. Later this fall we are planning on throwing down some glass and clover seed to grow through the winter for them.
