Vine coverage for runs to help with the heat.

[texasreb]

It's not vines, but the intent is similar...I've planted bamboo along the South and West walls of my chicken coop. It is really expensive ($65.00 each for four 1 gallon containers) and can be invasive, but I love the stuff. Mine is black bamboo. The mature culms will be black and the newer ones will be green. It is supposed to get 25' tall. Right now it's only about 3', but it's bamboo growing season!!

I'll post pics if it does what I want, which is provide tropical looking shade and cover for the coop.

 

[farm_mom]

Since my chickens will eat anything growing along their run, I put a recycled peice of concrete wire on an angle against of the run walls. I laid recycled cardboard down between the wall and the wire trellis, and used recycled gardening plastic along the front of the trellis to plant in and keep the weeds down. I planted cucumbers and small melons along the trellis. It worked well. Created shade for the chickens during the hottest part of summer (the vines grew along the top of my chickens run. Climbing varieties work best, I used Japanese climbing), a secret place for my children to play (between the wall and trellis) and made a wonderful salad!!

Here's a pic a couple weeks after planting.

Here's the kids play place

And here's your reward for the hard work!!

(Feel free to share with the chickens)

 

[JaciesCoop]

I have planted Honeysuckle. It's out of reach of the chickens on the outside of run, it grows real fast. (this is 3 mos growth), it attracts hummingbirds and butterflies, it smells wonderful and it's green all winter here in AZ. It's planted on the west side of the main run and will eventually cover the top.

 

[BamaChicken]

I have planted morning glories and last year I planted Moon Flowers and they completely covered on run and smell so good. I planted this year but only one vine came up and it has been dry so not growing fast. I also put Banana trees at the end of the pen and they shade well.
This morning glory vine is a little spent at the end of the seasson but was glorious in the beginning.

In this pic you can moonflower vine just beginning to climb

 

[lowillobe]

You can try gourds. They will grow up abot anything and seeds are cheap.

With the seeds wrap in moist paper towel and put in ziplock and tape on window. After they start growing plant them in a Dixie cup and grow bigger. Then plant them in yard. They will trail up everything and are fun to grow.

 

[Oblio13]

My camera's broken and this is the only pic I could find that show's our coop:

It's under our deck, with grape vines planted at the base of each post and and blueberry bushes in between. You can make out the door to the left. We call them our "stealth chickens", lots of visitors never notice them.

They eat all the grape and blueberry leaves they can reach, but I figure its a fair trade since they're fertilizing them at the same time.