can i place chicken coop IN my veggie garden? (with proper protection)

[joypeters]

hi there!

i'm designing our first chicken coop/area. we have two options - one - inside a metal shed, with a door to a (small 5'x 8') run, or in the main veggie garden (raised beds) where our chickens can have the run of a larger area.

i'm fine with either area, but i wonder if having them in the actual garden would be a problem? we grow tomatoes, spices, cucumbers, lettuce, beans, peas, etc.

if i didn't put the chicken coop in the veggie area, i'd still like to bring them over to that spot to hunt for bugs, etc.

any thoughts? i've ordered a bunch of books on chickens, but totally a novice.

thanks, joy

 

[silkiechicken]

If you put the chickens and veggies in the same area at the same time, you'll have chickens and no veggies. Have the chicken eat out the bugs in the "off season" and keep them out when you want to grow stuff. I fence in the gardens as the chickens would otherwise eat everything I wanted. The chickens free roam.

 

[joypeters]

THANK YOU! seems obvious, but ... this is a game changer in terms of where i place the chickens. you saved me a lot of time and effort. i will put them in the shed, with the smaller area - and then transport them when appropriate.

joy

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

If I had it to do again I would totally build a garden coop. It is this snazzy deal where there is a coop in the middle and runs on either side. One year one run has chickens and the other has a garden. The next you flip flop them. That way one year the chickens are fertilizing and eating up the bad bugs and tilling the soil and the next they eat up the garden leftovers and repeat the process. It looks like a great plan!

I would hesitate to let them in the actual garden. They are voracious little suckers and will gobble everything up. Mine are greedy little pig chickens and would completely annihilate the garden.

 

[Opa]

I have a fenced in garden that the chickens have access to from late October until mid May. The rest of the time they're kept out so that I can actually have a garden. When you see how quickly they decimate it when they are allowed it explains why they can't share it with me.

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

I've seen people use a portable coop (tractor, ark) in the garden. You give the chickens access only to beds that you are NOT using. they can remove the weeds/plants you are done with, fertilize, and till a bit.

But you must be careful to keep them in the tractor - otherwise, silkiechicken is right - you will have chickens and no veggies!

 

[joypeters]

i truly had no idea. however, that said, i will put my girlies in the shed, which is relatively close to the garden. i'm in LA, so it's URBAN. they can dance around in the garden in the winter, but not so much in fall, spring and summer as those are my growing seasons. thanks everyone! joy

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to this forum.

Glad you are here.

I think you are going to find that chickens and gardens do not mix. The chickens will eat anything as it sprouts. If you try to mulch anything they will scratch the mulch and scatter it all over the place. They will absolutely devour the lettuce and many other plants. Uncooked beans are on the list as dangerous to chickens. I feed damaged ripe tomatoes and overripe cucumbers to my chickens. They love them. Fresh chicken poop can burn many plants. It would be nice if they would only eat the bugs but that won't happen.

 

[Alabama ee]

Mine would eat the garden. They are 9 weeks old, and will eat just about anything. I keep their chick feeder full, but they eat a lot of other things. I have given them just about every kind of leftovers and the little feathered piggies love it. Right now I have them in the garden, my coop is mobile, and they have eaten almost every bit of grass. I did that on purpose so they would help prepare the garden to be tilled, and also fertilize it a little.. HOwever, I am going to plant this weekend. When I do, I will move their coop out. Then, I will move it more often so they get green grass and don't leave a bare spot.

I think if you left them in your garden, they would eat too much of your plants. Also, they would stomp down and trample other growing plants.

 

[joypeters]

this is so funny, i already feel like i'm understanding a bit more about the whole process. THANK YOU!

can't wait for the books to arrive and then i can start to really plan. we are going to research and plan this year, and start next year. (hubby is an engineer, and likes to have LOTS of planning.) in the end, i'm sure that will be beneficial, but i am more of a right now person. it's good we have two personalities in this, i hope it makes us successful! joy