chicken garden question

[canesisters]

When I built the coop/run I left a space about 5'wide between the paddock fence and the chicken yard fence. So that makes a hall way roughly 5' x 30' (and going to get longer this winter). ... I KNOW that I had a good reason for doing that when I did it ... but it totally escapes me now that I've got a 5' wide MESS of overgrown weeds that I have to run the weedeater through. :/
Today, I had this idea to buy a big bag of birdseed - the mixed stuff (those little millet-y seeds, sunflower seeds, the itty-bitty little black seeds & whatever else is in there) maybe add some corn and oats, etc and just toss it down over that area once I get it mowed back down. If it's not too late for it to grow, I thought that it could just be a 'chicken garden' and that I could just cut the plants down in sections during the winter and tosss them in for the girls to scratch & peck.
What do you think?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Was your idea that you could let the chickens in there to keep the grass and weeds down and intercept bugs as they headed to your garden?

Id look at that bird seed and see whats in it. Thistle is often included. I know that it is supposed to be sterilized so it wont sprout but how trusting are you? Plus Ive had thistle sprout around my bird feeder although I know it is SUPPOSED to be sterilized.

Can you fence the end off so its part of your run and see if you have enough chickens to keep it clean? Im not sure youd need to seed anything for that.

 

[Kassaundra]

If your planning on harvesting it in the fall/winter I'd plant kale, chard, mustard, collards, turnip, beets, radish etc.... stuff like that that will do better in the fall/winter. Most of those things when they flower attract pollinators like crazy.

 

[canesisters]

I've actually sat out there in the run and stared at that fence wondering WHY I put it where I did... I can move it over the 5' - but I'd have those 6 posts that I so carefully dug and set in concrete that would be left in the run. I left a 4' space between the back corner posts to add a gate... but again, I don't remember why I did that either.

Maybe I left the space bacuse I was concerned that the horse would mess with the wire fence...??? Or that I wouldn't have access to repair fence boards...???

The paddock is a 3-board fence. The chicken yard is 2"x3"x6' wire. Here's a really bad picture. See where the pickup shell is? That's the space.
Where I was standing when I took it is about where my garden is this year. I'm planning to expand the run off of the front of the coop to enclose the garden space.

Ridgerunner - letting the chickens patrole around the garden is exactly what I'm planning for next year. There will be a couple of small (fenced in) gardens inside the chicken run and when the harvest is over, I'll leave the garden gates open and let them clean/till/fertalize all winter.

Kassaundra - that area hasn't had any sort of 'prep' and is just an overgrown mix of pasture and yard. Right now the weeds are a little over knee high and thicker than the livingroom carpet I'm not ready for a full out garden prep sort of planting. That's why I was thinking that something I could just sort of overseed might work. Would that be possible with things like collards and kale?? I'd reallly love to have some of them this fall.

 

[Kassaundra]

You can get those seeds in bulk pretty cheap, I'd toss some out right before a rain, or water in well w/ a hose. Worst case nothing happens, you won't get as good a stand as if you threw them in the garden, but some would probably take off. If it were me I'd probably run a tiller or cultivator over the are just shallow/ casual not like you are making a new garden bed but just to expose some dirt then toss the seeds water well for a couple of weeks and see what happened.


I just noticed the weeds were knee high and thick now, I'd cover w/ plastic heat kill them down then procede w/ the above plan in early fall / late summer.

 

[baymule]

Plant oats or rye in that space for chicken greens. Move the fence over and expand the run-set new posts. Leave the other posts as decorations and paint them in bright colors.

 

[thistlebloom]

You could finish fencing that 5' section in and use it as an extra run. You could plant it with whatever you decide on and the let the chickens in there to do their own harvest. It could work as a nursery for broodies and chicks or?

I think it's funny that you can't remember why you built it that way! Only because I can so relate.

One day you'll be thinking of something entirely different and it will come to you in a flash!

 

[bj taylor]

maybe it could be a compost area. chicken poop from one side & horse poop from the other side. that would be a winning combo or maybe finish fencing it off & use it as an extra run for chickens you're trying to introduce. make a "door" between it & the big chicken run & let them in there from time to time to clean it out for you.