Planting for POULTRY

Yolks will be yellower; combs, redder; and feathers, glossier — if your hens forage vitamin-rich fresh greens and other vegetables from their own garden.

BY SEPTEMBER MORN

For chicken-keepers who also like to garden, why not create a garden specifically for your chickens? It’s not a difficult or expensive project, and it’s easy to maintain, as chickens consider the weeds as delicious as the planted crops.

If you already grow a vegetable garden for your family, adding an extra row or two for your chickens shouldn’t be difficult. If you don’t garden yet, don’t worry; chicken gardens don’t require much expertise!

GET GARDENING

If you’re planning a chicken garden to let your hens forage and you have space for a fairly large one, use 4-foot-tall wire mesh fencing to divide the space into quarters or halves. Let your birds forage each section in rotation, moving them to the next section before they’ve eaten the plants down to the ground. Many greens, weeds and grasses will regrow if not all of the above ground plant is eaten.

When you are ready to replant a section of your gardhen, let your flock finish off those plants and scratch up the soil. Replanting can be as simple as roughing up the top surface with a spading fork or rake, tossing down some new seeds and keeping them moist enough to sprout and grow. Keep your hens out of the new growth until the plants become fairly well-established, and then let them chow down!