Using Chicken Run fence as a trellis for climbing food plants?

[gtaus]

@gtaus, your chickens have a lovely run! Great job and you have lucky chickens!

Thank you. This year I added another two 12x12 foot sections to the run, so they have 3X as much chicken run as last year. I think they enjoy the extra space. I still have the third section blocked off with a temporary fence to give the grass some time to regrow and letting the pole beans I planted some time to find their way over to the chicken run fence.

Like many people this year, we have had record high temps. My grass is usually a dark green this time of year, but right now I have large sections of pale brown grass that is barely surviving. We have not had any rain for weeks, and the garden needs to be watered every other day. As you saw in the pictures I posted, I am watering that third section of chicken run to get the grass to grow back. I still think I can make that last section of the chicken run into a "Green Zone", but Mother Nature is not helping at the moment.

Would love to post some new pics if everything greens up. Hoping the pole beans start using the chicken run fence as a trellis and fill out the backside. That would look nice.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but...

One thing to be aware of is all the chicken "dirt" (and whatever pulverized poop it contains) getting flung about when they dust bathe will get on whatever is planted.

It is what keeps me only planting non edible things near the chicken runs.

 

[gtaus]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but...

One thing to be aware of is all the chicken "dirt" (and whatever pulverized poop it contains) getting flung about when they dust bathe will get on whatever is planted.

It is what keeps me only planting non edible things near the chicken runs.

Had not considered that, but don't expect it to be a problem as long as the food is washed before eating.

 

[LuckiestMamaof3]

I have grown beans on a trellis out in the garden for a few years. I don't have much problem removing the old vines of the beans variety I grew out in the garden. What I cannot break off my hand, I'll snip off with a pair of garden shears. If I grow beans on the chicken run fence, I might just leave the dead vines on the fencing for partial cover/shade for the run.

I was thinking the same thing … leaving some dead vines intertwined in the wire wouldn’t hurt anything and would likely give shade a protection.
I would suggest thinking through the setup and giving it a try…. You’ll learn what works and what doesn’t quickly, and you can tweak things as you go. Take photos of what you end up with? I just got a grape vine to plant along one side of our extended (uncovered) run…. Want to give them afternoon shade and protection and hopefully some treats eventually.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

That sounds like a good idea. How long do grape vines last?

I planted some strawberries this year, but was told that I need to replace them every 2-3 years. Also, the strawberry plants I have don't get very tall, so not good for shade. I had not thought of using grapes.

Forever, pretty much. We had a volunteer wild grape vine come up about three years ago (maybe longer) along the east side of our hen house. We had put chicken wire over the top of the gap from the fence to the roof of the hen house on that side, into which the vine quickly entwined itself, forming a shady roof on that side. That whole side is deeply shaded now and the chickens love it. I just have to point out that the domestic grape we planted two years ago in an open (unfenced) location is not faring nearly so well. We think deer are nibbling on it, although I suppose rabbits could also be to blame.

 

[Sequel]

I think this is a lovely idea but also want to point out that I’ve read in numerous sources that even small quantities of raw beans are toxic to chickens. I haven’t had experience with this and it seems like others here haven’t had an issue with it, but it still seems important to bring up.

Mine won’t eat them. I’ve been letting some dry on the vines and of course some fall off and the seeds fall out and so far they ignored them.

 

[B-Goock]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but...

One thing to be aware of is all the chicken "dirt" (and whatever pulverized poop it contains) getting flung about when they dust bathe will get on whatever is planted.

It is what keeps me only planting non edible things near the chicken runs.

That's a very good item to point out as many people's runs are fairly small.
I probably should have pointed out mine have 2 runs. A secured about 250sqft (which everything green has been destroyed) and that run has the dust bath.
Where I plant is a fenced in area approximately 2500sqft. It's large enough they never can chew it down. Still probably be a good idea to wash the veggies though.

 

[3KillerBs]

That's a very good item to point out as many people's runs are fairly small.
I probably should have pointed out mine have 2 runs. A secured about 250sqft (which everything green has been destroyed) and that run has the dust bath.
Where I plant is a fenced in area approximately 2500sqft. It's large enough they never can chew it down. Still probably be a good idea to wash the veggies though.

Always wash the fruit and veggies.

DH works at a historic site surrounded by a working farm. We're picking plums from the trees there and they've been manuring the fields this past week. The field is further from the trees than most people's yards would have for separation but one day last week I told DH that he HAD to have a shower because his hair smelled of old chicken manure from the blowing dust.

 

[gtaus]

I was thinking the same thing … leaving some dead vines intertwined in the wire wouldn’t hurt anything and would likely give shade a protection.
I would suggest thinking through the setup and giving it a try…. You’ll learn what works and what doesn’t quickly, and you can tweak things as you go. Take photos of what you end up with? I just got a grape vine to plant along one side of our extended (uncovered) run…. Want to give them afternoon shade and protection and hopefully some treats eventually.

I am giving it a try. I planted a row of pole beans along the outside of the chicken run fence. The beans are growing, slowly, but have not yet took hold on the fencing and have not started to climb. So nothing much to take a picture of at this time. The vision is still in my head of that back chicken run fence all filled in with bean plants growing up the fence, but this year we have very little rainfall and everything is suffering. My lawn is normally a lush green this time of year. Instead, the grass is dead brown and about the only thing green is some spots are the weeds. But I know this has been a very hot season for lots of people in the states, so we are just having to deal with the heat and lack of rain like most everyone else.

 

[3KillerBs]

The vision is still in my head of that back chicken run fence all filled in with bean plants growing up the fence, but this year we have very little rainfall and everything is suffering. My lawn is normally a lush green this time of year. Instead, the grass is dead brown and about the only thing green is some spots are the weeds.

I got my garden in a month late because I was working too many hours and it was so dry that I knew it would die sprouting if I planted without having time to water daily.