Plan: Chicken Jungle

The site of my possible future chicken jungle:

Driveway reclamation area. Plants don't grow well here; maybe livestock would. Chickens' ancestors were from jungles.

I'm seriously thinking about fencing in this area of my yard--the part where nothing but holly and old garden roses grow well, the part I hate taking care of--and making it a home for some chickens. It's next to the garage (far right in the photo), which has electricity and room for some nests. I don't think moving the car in and out once or twice a week would hurt chickens. They'd probably do better staying outside in the summer since the garage gets very hot.

Risks of the birds being free-range: predators and hail. I live in the middle of a large city, and the only predator I know of here is cats. I have a setup in mind to deter them (3" PVC pipe strung on clothesline atop the fences and gates--the kitties shouldn't be able to get a foothold). I haven't seen a fox around here in years, and I've never seen an owl, hawk, weasel or raccoon here. The large New Mexico locust tree would provide some protection against hail.

Getting large chickens might help, too, with protection from predators, difficulty in flying over the fence, and cold hardiness. It gets cold back there, but not windy.

Any tips on raising chickens are welcome. If I'm off on anything, I'd rather know now.

Parts of my yard in better shape:

One strawberry: enough fruit for one day.

Ilse Krohn Superior. Cold hardy, disease resistant, beautiful--why isn't this rose more widely grown?

The steps I busted my toe on. The toe is still healing.

Comments

Anonymous said…

Chicken Jungle... excellent! Do it :)

I will have chickens in the future... if you have eggs you will never be hungry.

August 08, 2013

Lori Miller said…

It'll be the primal blueprint for chickens.

August 08, 2013

tess said…

backyardchickens.com ;-)

August 08, 2013

Lori Miller said…

Great site! Thanks.

August 08, 2013

Lowcarb team member said…

A friend of mine has recently started keeping chickens (hens) and she loves it - so go for it.

I love roses and there are so many varieties. The old fashioned, heavily scented ones are my favourite. We have some good garden centres near to us that are great for roses and are a joy to visit.

Beware that step !!

All the best Jan

August 08, 2013

Lori Miller said…

I love the old garden roses, too--Rose de Rescht is my favorite. Chickens will provide some fertilizer for them.

August 08, 2013

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