Building a Chicken Orchard!
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Date: 2022-07-18
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Comments and reviews: 15
Mamma
I did something similar when we moved to our homestead 4 years ago, and knock on a tree trunk, to date the canopy has protected my flock from overhead predators well (and we live along a creek that is home to a pair of eagles, as well as hawks. To protect my rootballs, I sourced broken up sidewalk chunks off Craigslist and did rock mounds (but only single layer) from the trunks out for about 2 -3 in all directions and then infilled with mulch. I will say that their favorite tree, the dwarf mulberry, seems to get too much fertilizer from all their time spent under it, and as a result, so far I havent gotten any mulberries from it. All of the other trees have done well and are fruiting well. I am in the PNW, and have apples, pears, plums, cherries and the dwarf mulberry. I also have, along the fence, grapes, blue berry, honeyberry, aronia berry, roses, raspberries, thornless blackberries, currants and elderberries, all doing well with the same/similar root protection. I let the chickens have the berries on their side of the fence, and what has grown through on my side is for the people! I did try comfrey under the trees, as well as garlic, oregano, thyme, and mint, but theyve overgrazed and killed everything except the mint. Good luck with your orchard!
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I did something similar when we moved to our homestead 4 years ago, and knock on a tree trunk, to date the canopy has protected my flock from overhead predators well (and we live along a creek that is home to a pair of eagles, as well as hawks. To protect my rootballs, I sourced broken up sidewalk chunks off Craigslist and did rock mounds (but only single layer) from the trunks out for about 2 -3 in all directions and then infilled with mulch. I will say that their favorite tree, the dwarf mulberry, seems to get too much fertilizer from all their time spent under it, and as a result, so far I havent gotten any mulberries from it. All of the other trees have done well and are fruiting well. I am in the PNW, and have apples, pears, plums, cherries and the dwarf mulberry. I also have, along the fence, grapes, blue berry, honeyberry, aronia berry, roses, raspberries, thornless blackberries, currants and elderberries, all doing well with the same/similar root protection. I let the chickens have the berries on their side of the fence, and what has grown through on my side is for the people! I did try comfrey under the trees, as well as garlic, oregano, thyme, and mint, but theyve overgrazed and killed everything except the mint. Good luck with your orchard!
reply
Josh
chickens are very ideal in the garden or even in the greenhouse, i use clover to keep then them full it grows back so fast in the summer here in ontario, dont forget adult chickens will eat pretty much everytthing but sage so keep fencing up or keep your chickens full with feed. also chicks cannot eat bigger crops and green houses are great place to raise chicks 2 weeks + (if ud like to grow non acidic plants immediately after chickens were in your greenhouse you will need a thick layer of wood chips and lots of water to dilute) just a trick ive noticed from experience
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chickens are very ideal in the garden or even in the greenhouse, i use clover to keep then them full it grows back so fast in the summer here in ontario, dont forget adult chickens will eat pretty much everytthing but sage so keep fencing up or keep your chickens full with feed. also chicks cannot eat bigger crops and green houses are great place to raise chicks 2 weeks + (if ud like to grow non acidic plants immediately after chickens were in your greenhouse you will need a thick layer of wood chips and lots of water to dilute) just a trick ive noticed from experience
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Julie
If you make the tree too comfortable where you plant it, it wont send its roots out to find nutrition. Where I live, it is extremely windy, so having them send their roots out from the beginning is actually important, so that they are stable. We do stake them, but if the trees havent got good stability using their own roots, they do actually ended up settling in slanted, because the winds move the stakes and the trees! So treat em mean to keep em keen!
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If you make the tree too comfortable where you plant it, it wont send its roots out to find nutrition. Where I live, it is extremely windy, so having them send their roots out from the beginning is actually important, so that they are stable. We do stake them, but if the trees havent got good stability using their own roots, they do actually ended up settling in slanted, because the winds move the stakes and the trees! So treat em mean to keep em keen!
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Georgia
I did something similar after six Jersey Giants killed all 6 of my fruit trees. I tried rocks, DIY cement rings, hardware cloth fencingnope. They never touched the Fig Trees or the Passion Fruit vines though. Then we built a 2 foot high 3x3 raised bed to plant a River Birch in, we used hardware cloth layer around the tree and held it down with landscape pins. Worked like a charm.
I may try a few more fruit trees this year.
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I did something similar after six Jersey Giants killed all 6 of my fruit trees. I tried rocks, DIY cement rings, hardware cloth fencingnope. They never touched the Fig Trees or the Passion Fruit vines though. Then we built a 2 foot high 3x3 raised bed to plant a River Birch in, we used hardware cloth layer around the tree and held it down with landscape pins. Worked like a charm.
I may try a few more fruit trees this year.
reply
Lori
This has given me some great ideas for my tiny flock of one. She loves to work in the garden when I am in there and has eliminated my cut worm problem. I think the rotational grazing would be a nice treat for her when she is not allowed in the garden because the plants are in their tender stage. Even though we are in totally different zones (I am in Canada) I learn a lot from your canal. Thank you.
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This has given me some great ideas for my tiny flock of one. She loves to work in the garden when I am in there and has eliminated my cut worm problem. I think the rotational grazing would be a nice treat for her when she is not allowed in the garden because the plants are in their tender stage. Even though we are in totally different zones (I am in Canada) I learn a lot from your canal. Thank you.
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Tyger
We've done something similar like this in our chicken run here in San Diego as well. Still adding more dwarf trees and we used pots rather than raised beds. Just had our first harvest of mandarin and expect our first batch of grapefruit to ripen soon. We used large stones around the base so the chickens don't scratch up the roots but can still peck and poop around it without doing much damage.
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We've done something similar like this in our chicken run here in San Diego as well. Still adding more dwarf trees and we used pots rather than raised beds. Just had our first harvest of mandarin and expect our first batch of grapefruit to ripen soon. We used large stones around the base so the chickens don't scratch up the roots but can still peck and poop around it without doing much damage.
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Kenya
Is there something like the surrounds that aren't metal? I'm in Las Vegas, I have some tiny mystery tree that I'd love to add some soil around and add a tough grassy type of plant at the base and stake the tree as well. Just make it look nice. Something pretty easy to put together. The metal would likely burn any roots and definitely my dogs when they go to investigate, lol
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Is there something like the surrounds that aren't metal? I'm in Las Vegas, I have some tiny mystery tree that I'd love to add some soil around and add a tough grassy type of plant at the base and stake the tree as well. Just make it look nice. Something pretty easy to put together. The metal would likely burn any roots and definitely my dogs when they go to investigate, lol
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max
Good video but you are missing out by not adding any organic slow release style fertilizer under the potting mix. The extra microbes and food fuel root growth by a large amount causing your young tree to take faster and be better protected against pests. Even just a big handful of the chicken poop laying around would be better than nothing
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Good video but you are missing out by not adding any organic slow release style fertilizer under the potting mix. The extra microbes and food fuel root growth by a large amount causing your young tree to take faster and be better protected against pests. Even just a big handful of the chicken poop laying around would be better than nothing
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Earlybird
I have this same idea to do a Chicken Orchard. My thinking was the chickens would eat or help eat bugs and worms that would get on my trees. I was going to build my coop at the far end of my orchard and then let them in the orchard a few days a week. Love this idea. Glad to see someone doing this.
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I have this same idea to do a Chicken Orchard. My thinking was the chickens would eat or help eat bugs and worms that would get on my trees. I was going to build my coop at the far end of my orchard and then let them in the orchard a few days a week. Love this idea. Glad to see someone doing this.
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Judy
I have 2 wild plums in chicken run! And with your inspiration Im going to plant 2 fig trees on south/west side of chicken house! Will protect fig tree in winter, and shade for chicken house and hens! Win/ win! I love the tiny fenced area of rotational planting of chicken crops! Thanks guys!
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I have 2 wild plums in chicken run! And with your inspiration Im going to plant 2 fig trees on south/west side of chicken house! Will protect fig tree in winter, and shade for chicken house and hens! Win/ win! I love the tiny fenced area of rotational planting of chicken crops! Thanks guys!
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Julie
Another good way to protect your chickens from flying predators is to get a wooden pallet and nail 2X4 lumber to each corner for legs. This creates a cover for the hens to go under while the flying predator is scoping your hens out. This worked great for us on the Colorado prairie.
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Another good way to protect your chickens from flying predators is to get a wooden pallet and nail 2X4 lumber to each corner for legs. This creates a cover for the hens to go under while the flying predator is scoping your hens out. This worked great for us on the Colorado prairie.
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Bud
i penned my younger chickens in with my apple tree this spring/summer before putting them in my big pen with the others, just threw some mulch on top every couple weeks. They would move the mulch around while pooing in it, i'll find out the results next year, fingers crossed
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i penned my younger chickens in with my apple tree this spring/summer before putting them in my big pen with the others, just threw some mulch on top every couple weeks. They would move the mulch around while pooing in it, i'll find out the results next year, fingers crossed
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Ken
You will either have to cover the entire area with some bird netting to keep them in or you will have to trim their wings so they don't reach the lower branches of the trees and end up in your neighbor's backyard. Chickens can fly pretty high and love to roost on trees.
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You will either have to cover the entire area with some bird netting to keep them in or you will have to trim their wings so they don't reach the lower branches of the trees and end up in your neighbor's backyard. Chickens can fly pretty high and love to roost on trees.
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Dreaming
Love this! My parents actually have their chickens in their orchard. Its amazing for the trees! They had a big tree that had stayed the same size for a few years and the first few months the chickens were in there it had probably a couple feet of new growth!
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Love this! My parents actually have their chickens in their orchard. Its amazing for the trees! They had a big tree that had stayed the same size for a few years and the first few months the chickens were in there it had probably a couple feet of new growth!
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Jimmy
As a person from Wyandotte, OK i watch Kevin all the time and hearing his friend pronounce the name correctly was super satisfying i dont know why. Every person on TV/media is always says Wayandottie when its phonetically Winedot
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As a person from Wyandotte, OK i watch Kevin all the time and hearing his friend pronounce the name correctly was super satisfying i dont know why. Every person on TV/media is always says Wayandottie when its phonetically Winedot
reply
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