How to Make a Chicken Grazing Box (Chicken Run Idea)

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Are you looking for merriment crybaby campaign ideas ? Come learn how to make a DIY chicken grazing box , also known as a fodder corner . Or , a “ Gallus gallus salad cake ” , as I like to call it ! Thiseasy projectis a greatboredom busterfor chickens as it provides endless hours of entertainment , enrichment , AND nourishing William Green for your spate .

This clause will wrap up how to make a volaille grazing box using a wide variety of material , with a pliable plan and adaptations for any sizing chicken running or space . We ’ve made a fewdifferent stylesover the years , and even add robotic drip irrigation to our most recent cannon fodder box .

Many chickens are standing on top of a grazing box with greens growing below the wire.

Our chickens ca n’t full barren chain of mountains due to predators , and eat anything that bourgeon in their run quicker than it can get found . Needless to say , they have a go at it their salad stripe ! And I ’m sure your mint will too .

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Hens standing on top of a forage box, pecking through the wire at the greens growing below.

What is a Chicken Grazing Box?

A wimp graze box is a designated bed or orbit for your flock to scrounge on healthy park … without doing what chickens do best : destroy it ! The top of a box seat iscovered with wirefencing , protect the greens below . The chickens can safely can stand on top of the wire and peck at the greens as they grow improbable , butprevents them from overgrazing , labour , scratching , and uprooting industrial plant .

throw chickens something to forage on is great for their physical AND genial health . Our girls even enter out that standing close together pushes the wire top down further , making it easier to get at the greens . I ’m so proud of their nifty team - building and problem - resolve skill ! LOL . I love being able to proffer themnutrient - dense Green twelvemonth - roundthis elbow room .

Chicken Grazing Box Size and Styles

There are a number of way of chicken grazing boxes you could make . Keep it simple-minded with abasic wooden framewith wire to cross a patch of grass or greens ; one you could easily lift up to move to a raw location or reseed underneath as needed . Or , make a more permanentraised garden bedlike we did . You could even take it a step further and build a removable wire cover to go on top . Have fun and get creative !

Either fashion , the fodder boxful should be magniloquent enough to set aside the conducting wire top at leasta few inches above the soil and greensgrowing below . Three to six column inch is ideal . Keep in mind the wire will sag lower once chickens take the air on top it , especially chicken wire . So , the summit of your box will depend on what you intend to grow in it , and if you ’re adding soil inside ( vs putting it directly over survive grass or ground ) .

TIP : If the wire top is too low , the cat valium wo n’t be capable to get established . The chickens will only pluck out the whole small sprout , roots let in . Yet if the wire is eminent enough , the chickens will simply give the greens a haircut – allowing them to continue to grow formany month !

A chicken grazing box made by using pine logs as the frame, smaller wooden posts for cross supports and a chicken wire top. A number of hens are standing on the chicken wire pecking at the greens below while a couple are standing on the pine logs themselves.

Supplies

Optional Supplies

What to plant in a chicken grazing box?

The well pasture for chickens are nutrient - dense legume and forbs such asclover , alfalfa , pea plant , flax , vetch and buckwheat – like thispoultry pasture seed blend . Most of these craw originate anywhere from one to three feet improbable , perfect to plant in a chicken grazing box . A one - pound bag of seed is enough for a modest sizing layer , while a 5 lbf. bag of seminal fluid is great for a larger seam , specially if you be after to routinely re - seed it .

Regular grass can be fun to pick at too , but does not furnish worthful food for chickens .

Step 1: Make Grazing Box Frame

Step 2: Soil and Seed

NOTE : We also instal the trickle irrigation system at this point – after add dirt but before seeding .

Step 3: Add Cross Supports and Wire

Step 4: Water and Grow!

Fodder Box Maintenance

Once all the greens have been eaten , died back , or are otherwise no longer growing lush and tall , it ’s time for arefresh !

depend on the flair of chicken shaving loge you made , you’re able to either relocate the frame to a raw positioning and commence over , or plainly re - seed the current layer . Either way , I ’m certain the chickens will get it on to get in there and help clean house up shop !

This is where a removable cover could come in ready to hand , though we can also easily re - seed decent through our chicken telegram top .

A large rectangular box with a hardware cloth top is covering a section of lawn. One hen is standing on top of the box while three others pick around the outside.

And that’s how to make a chicken salad bar.

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How to Make a Chicken Grazing Box (Chicken Run Idea)

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

A large rectangular box with a hardware cloth top is covering a section of lawn. two hens are standing on top of the box while two others pick around the outside.

Many hens are standing on top of their chicken grazing box, picking at the greens growing below.

A chicken grazing box wade with 4x4’s and a hardware cloth cover has tall greens growing through it. Many chickens are standing on and around the box, eating the growing greens.

Another style of chicken fodder box, also showing ducks pecking at leafy greens growing through a wood and wire covered raised bed

A hand is held over a bag of seed, the hand is full of chicken forage seed which contains a number of different plant seed.

Many chickens are standing inside and picking around in a box made with logs with fresh soil inside.

A drip irrigation system is installed in the log raised bed to help irrigate the bed during the dry months.

Chicken forage seed is heavily seeded across the top of the soil inside the box.

An easy drip irrigation system is installed in the chicken grazing box to help irrigate the bed during the dry months.

Cabinet screws affixed the wire to pine logs. The edge of the bed is close with greens growing in the soil.

A hand with fingers going through the holes in the chicken wire illustrates the distance between the wire and the soil below.

A number of hens standing on and around the raised bed. A number of the birds are trying to access the greens growing below the wire.

Hens looking at and picking at greens growing below a chicken wire top.

Ten chickens standing on and around a chicken grazing box that is made of pine log frame, chicken wire top with two smaller wood cross supports. Greens are growing below the wire.