Green pickin’s are rare for my city chickens, so I decided to plant a patch of forage for them. I included perennial clovers, grains and vetches. I raked in the assorted seeds, covered them with a thin layer of seedy hay, and then watered them. Next, I laid scrap pieces of 4-by-4-inch welded-wire fencing (which I received from a local fencer who was glad to get rid of them) over the top. After the crop matured somewhat, I let the chickens in to feast.
The chickens can’t dig up the roots of their forage because of the wire fencing cover. I periodically fence out the birds, which allows the forage patch to re-establish growth and last a long time. These handy welded-wire fencing pieces can also do double-duty to protect newly planted garden beds so chickens can’t reach fragile seedlings.
Jewel Langenderfer
Eugene, Oregon
