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How we're Turning our CHICKEN RUN into a Garden | Project Green Chicken Run

Homestead On The Rock

82,539 views

How to create a green chicken run garden with trees, herbs and plants your chickens can forage from. In this video we transform our backyard chicken run by planting fruit trees, comfrey, herbs and shrubs to create a natural chicken food forest and shaded chicken coop run.
If you’re looking for chicken run ideas, plants for chickens, chicken run design, permaculture chicken systems, or ways to improve a muddy chicken run, this project will give you plenty of inspiration. 🐔🌿🌳

Upgrade your watering systems with HOSELINK 💦
Retractable Hose: https://www.hoselink.com.au/collectio...
Oscillating Sprinkler: https://www.hoselink.com.au/collectio...

Today is Stage 1 of the project as we plant fruit trees, herbs and companion plants directly inside the chicken run to begin creating a small food forest for chickens. Over time this space will turn from bare dirt into a thriving ecosystem where the chickens can forage naturally.
We’re learning as we go (definitely not professional gardeners 😅), but that’s part of homesteading....just get in there and give it a go!

In this video you’ll see:
🌳 Planting fruit trees in a chicken run
🌿 Creating a herb garden for chickens
🐔 Designing a greener chicken run for shade & forage
🌱 Planting comfrey for chickens
🪱 Adding compost to boost soil life
🍇 Protecting plants from scratching chickens
💧 Testing a Hoselink oscillating sprinkler
🏡 The beginning of our Green Chicken Run project
The goal is to slowly turn this space into a chicken-friendly food forest where plants, soil life and chickens all work together.

💬 Question for you?? (We’d love your advice!)
– What plants grow well in a chicken run?
– What should we plant next for our chickens?
– Have you tried creating a green chicken run before?

📧 Work with us: homestead.otr@gmail.com
📖 Purchase our Cookbook: https://www.homesteadontherock.com/ca...
🌐 Visit our Website: https://www.homesteadontherock.com

CHAPTERS:
0:00 Chicken Run Setup
0:44 Where to plant everything?
7:10 Dig, Compost & Planting
12:09 Water it all in with Hoselink
14:22 How I'm Protecting the plants
16:00 Protecting Herbs & Plants
16:49 Release the Hen
18:25 Failed Grass cage
18:52 Final Tour & what's next?

#chickens #chickenrun #homesteading #backyardchickens #chickenkeeping #gardening #homesteadlife #permaculture #growyourownfood #australianhomestead #homesteadontherock

20 Comments

@Maisey-g 6 months ago

Put rocks, bricks around the base of the plants/trees this will protect the roots from the digging chickens.
Looks good 👍

@mamafug8464 3 months ago

This is exactly the info I’ve been looking for. I keep chickens as pets that lay eggs. After watching this, I made 2 salad bars inside their pasture, and planted all my extra seeds around the outside of the fence! Great ideas! Thank you!

@melissalauren9410 6 months ago

I literally have never left a comment on youtube video but this was probably the most entertaining commentary on any garden video I've watched 😂 laughed out loud at the jar of dirt & the crazy planning at the beginning is exactly how I feel in my run! Currently attempting to do the same, your's came out great!

@tamaracross9 6 months ago (edited)

just a note of caution, if you do not let all of those trees and bushes get established before you let those chickens Into that run.....they will eat up everything and damage the roots in less then a week...

@lvanderb3 6 months ago (edited)

Loving all those trees and bushes! As per Edible Acres, protect the tree and bush roots by piling rocks around their bases. I knew it, watch the whole video first, but rocks are harder to move.

@brendanfranks7331 6 months ago

Lmao I can’t believe you squashed that poor worm with the raspberrie bush 😮

@Forbesfamilyfinds 6 months ago

Raspberry leaves make a great tea with tones of benefits, especially for womens health.

@labgirl9980 6 months ago

I'd love to see this after several years time! Please do an update!!

@wtfyoumeaninvalid 6 months ago

The grazing box things are great, just need smaller mesh. I believe they even make poultry pasture seed mixes just for stuff like this.

@travelaustraliadaybyday 4 months ago

For the lemon and lime they need extra urea on them. When you and koah need a wee. Wee at the base of the tree. We also put the kitty litter ( woodbased) at the drip line of the citrus trees. All your good ess is absorbed by the roots at the drip line. Wher rain drops fall of the leaves

@richellejohnson7764 6 months ago

Love your attitude of just put it in and see how it goes. Your enthusiasm is refreshing and down to earth. I find pieces of glass and crockery in my backyard as back in the day people would bury their rubbish. I have a nice collection in a jar of broken pieces I find.

@lesboucher542 6 months ago

Great work, your chickens will love it. They will also love spending their free time trying to dig it up LOL... PS: I painted my chicken coop purple and called it the eggplant ;)

@BohemianBelle 6 months ago

Love this! Check out Edible Acres channel and how he protected all his plants in his chicken garden. He even has a little pond!

@TheChloeanne07 6 months ago

Unrelated from the chicken run which is awesome - haha I need to know where are both of those dresses from?? So sweet!

@TrishsYarnAdventures 4 months ago

The chooks will debark your fruit trees peeking at pests so put some chicken wire around the tree trunk. Make a smaller wire top thing for your grass patch. Throw some chook foid around so they have something to peck at while things grow. Really enjoyed this 😊

@specideal 5 months ago

한국어 자막과 더빙이 지원되서 채널 구독했습니다~👍
닭장이 아름다운 정원이 되어 버렸네요. 여태 본 닭장중 가장 인상적인 닭장 같습니다. 멋진 프로젝트 응원합니다~!

@Ronnie_19-l2rz 5 months ago

put in azolla aquatic fern need old bathtub or old barrel and water thats all chooks love it

@jo-anneknott4113 6 months ago

Its an old ink bottle

@ismaildemirci1626 5 months ago

First of all, thank you so much for the video! Since chickens can get inside your seed protection fence, what I would recommend in this situation, and always, is to coat the seeds with clay. This will protect your seeds not only from chickens but also from insects/ants before germination. I also recommend you look into Masanobu Fukuoka's natural farming methods.