My layer run is 20' x 40', with 4x4 posts each 10'. There is NO grass at all. I freerange them very infrequently, because we have many predators and I only let them out when I can be there to watch over them...which typically doens't end up being large chunks of time.
So, on the quest for ideas on what to do, I decided to temporarily fence off a portion of the run and sew seeds for them. I discovered that Sandhill Preservation sells mixed seed of "chicken greens," having a spring mix and a fall mix. So, I ordered a few pounds, tilled up as much as I could in three 10x10 sections, and added deer netting (had to go cheap on this). Well, every single day, SOMEONE figured out how to get under or around the deer netting and get in to eat all the seed before it sprouted. So, I decided on snow fencing. I put a layer just at the bottom (it's 4' tall) over the top of the deer netting, and it worked beautifully!
Six weeks later, I had a large, lush section of chicken yummies! I decided to open only one section at a time, and then sew more seed when they'd eaten it all down. Here are pics:
Before I took the fence down:
Detail of how I attached it:
After taking one section of fence down:
I overlapped the section of fence I took down rather than cutting it off so that I can re-use it later:
Close-up of the chicken greens:
It was a fun project, and an interesting experiment to see how they'd react to having such a large section of their run put into hiatus. But, they didn't seem to mind at all!
So, on the quest for ideas on what to do, I decided to temporarily fence off a portion of the run and sew seeds for them. I discovered that Sandhill Preservation sells mixed seed of "chicken greens," having a spring mix and a fall mix. So, I ordered a few pounds, tilled up as much as I could in three 10x10 sections, and added deer netting (had to go cheap on this). Well, every single day, SOMEONE figured out how to get under or around the deer netting and get in to eat all the seed before it sprouted. So, I decided on snow fencing. I put a layer just at the bottom (it's 4' tall) over the top of the deer netting, and it worked beautifully!
Six weeks later, I had a large, lush section of chicken yummies! I decided to open only one section at a time, and then sew more seed when they'd eaten it all down. Here are pics:
Before I took the fence down:
Detail of how I attached it:
After taking one section of fence down:
I overlapped the section of fence I took down rather than cutting it off so that I can re-use it later:
Close-up of the chicken greens:
It was a fun project, and an interesting experiment to see how they'd react to having such a large section of their run put into hiatus. But, they didn't seem to mind at all!
