A Predator-Proof Poultry and Garden Frame for Permaculture Enthusiasts

 

The garden structure not long after I moved it to its present location here on the ranch. It isn't quite so barren now but gives you a good look at the concept and layout. 

It started with a series of feathered tragedies. In my previous home, bobcats and coyotes - the emboldened rural / suburban / urban intermix variety of coyotes - repeatedly attacked my little chicken flock, despite my efforts to build strong, safe enclosures. At one point I relied on chain link pens, including chain link flooring and roofing, with poultry netting half-way up the wire. Bobcats reached through the wire above the poultry netting and decapitated my sweet little hens, leaving their headless bodies in the pen. Nice.

So I sat down with pencil and graph paper and sketched out my dream poultry pen. It would be predator proof - strong enough for zoo animals - and have two separate pens (because there are always a few different flocks in my poultry works) with a garden enclosure between them. Rain on the steel roofs would run off into large stock tanks at either end, and I would use the rain water for the garden. I'd have gates on front and back of the poultry pens, they'd be fully roofed for safety, and there'd be a steel mesh top on the garden enclosure in between to keep critters out and to allow rain water and sunlight in. Since I have peahens in one of the poultry pens, I needed a "loft" on the upper end of one of the pens. 

I had a neighbor at the time starting up his own fence company, and I hired him to build my garden and poultry frame. He used Del Mar panels (very heavy duty, stiff steel mesh panels) and black steel piping, and he followed my plans perfectly. It has been ideal - heavy-duty, convenient, adaptable - and predators have been unable to attack my poultry, although I've found rattlesnakes hanging around the edges of it on many occasions (and I'm pretty sure bullsnakes have stolen a few eggs). 

I'd barely gotten the structure working well when I decided to pull up stakes and move to a remote corner of the state 400 miles away. There was no way I was leaving that beautiful garden and poultry frame behind, so I hired a shed-moving company to bring it with me. I've expanded my flock into the poultry coop and hen-house that was here when I bought the new ranch, so the steel poultry frame houses my peahens on one side and little banties on the other. The garden is still not at maximum effectiveness but I'm getting there!

Should you want to build a similar structure, here are the details and what I've liked and learned from this frame.

The features I love about this structure are the strength of the Del Mar panels. In addition to protecting my poultry, I can hang potted plants from the top and sides. Passionfruit vines (potted) cling to the steel mesh and help shade the other plants and the poultry during summer. I installed a few plant hooks as well so more potted plants can decorate the whole shebang. In the poultry pens, I can suspend feeders and waterers from the top as well. I am easily able to attach roosts to the mesh for the hens.

The water lilies, thriving in the rainwater / runoff tank on the side of the poultry frame, fed by goldfish.

I love being able to harvest rainwater (on those rare occasions it actually, you know, rains here). At present only one of the tanks has water in it, thanks to the drought. That tank has a thriving colony of goldfish and some water lilies in it. The goldfish feed on mosquito larvae and control that issue; their abundant feces feed the water lilies; the water lilies shade the goldfish during the summer; and I use the water in the tank to water the garden, so the plants are fertilized with each watering as well. I am on a well, and water is precious here. I have the runoff hose from the retention tank at the well routed to the goldfish tank; on those rare occasions my well actually pumps too much water, the runoff goes directly into the tank.

I planted an ornamental Passionfruit vine on one side and an edible Passionfruit vine on the other, both of  which produce the most exquisite flowers! Often flowers dangle above me and along the sides of the structure.

I love that the plants are all in containers, since it's harder to grow things in the soil here than in pots. I planted a lot of petunias in the hanging pots and some of the standing containers. Not only are they attractive and fragrant, but the peahens and chickens love eating the blossoms once they fade and wilt.  

I love that deer, javelina, skunks, foxes, and rabbits are unable to get into the garden or poultry areas. I haven't had predators trying to dig under it, despite the very persistent skunks that dug into the other poultry coops. Smaller birds are able to get inside, though. It hasn't been enough of a problem to compel me to install poultry netting all the way around, but that's always an option. I do have wire part-way up to keep baby chicks from slipping through.

I love having steel roofs on the poultry sides of the structure. I know the critters are now safe and have solid shade. I also love having a system of sorts, where I can rake up chicken manure and used straw and easily drop it into a composting container. 

That poultry frame is something of a happy little refuge for me when the flowers are blooming and the plants are producing. The poultry love it; it's peaceful and they know they are safe. I love being able to pluck leaves, fruit, and blossoms from the plants and toss them to the poultry as treats.

What I don't love? I designed it for the hotter, harsher summers / moderate winters of the area I lived in before. It's significantly colder and extremely windy down here in the south-eastern corner of the state where I am now. The open mesh is not suitable for our winters. That meant my banties needed more protection from the elements, so I assembled one of those pre-made poultry house kits inside the banty-side of the structure. They are perfectly comfortable now. I still need to reinforce the sides somewhat with some sort of solid siding, though, before the winter comes. We get a considerable amount of snow and it just blows right in and covers the poultry pens. I am considering putting up plywood that's attached by quick-links and snaps so I can remove it when late spring comes - sort of like storm shutters but for my poultry.

The new hen house I added to provide more protection for the chickens from the harsh winters we get here. The steel trash cans to the rear hold chicken feed and potting soil.

 

I had the structure built in two phases: first, the garden and one poultry pen to the right of it. I had a door on either end of the garden section, but only a front door on the poultry pen. When I had the second pen (for the peahens) added on, I was smart enough to have a door on either end. I dearly wish I had that rear door on the original poultry pen so I could add a larger run for the hens. At the old house, I opened their door during the day and they had a run in front of the structure. Here, that's not ideal because of the layout of my garden and poultry area. I recommend having those doors built in on both sides, all the way around. 

As I mentioned, I'm still not done getting the "right" containers in the garden section, and I do want to have more hanging planters - including inside the poultry pens. I initially also had potted plants in the peahen enclosure, and would like to do so again, so the birds can enjoy a more naturalistic habitat. I primarily use steel stock tanks (old ones with rusted-out bottoms) as planters. They're large enough I can plants several different types of plants in each. I am also currently using an old wheelbarrow and some small and medium-sized pots for various plants as well. I'd like to revamp the entire thing so I am using space more efficiently, hopefully using a tiered system of pots on one side or, better, a wall-mounted unit - perhaps something like these. (Affiliate link: I may receive compensation for items purchased through this link.) Wall-Mounted Pots for Plants (affiliate link)  I first saw these at the Tucson Botanical Gardens and was immediately smitten. They used them for a succulent wall, but I will fill them with alternating edible and flowering plants - including plenty of strawberries. Since they will back up to the poultry pens, all plants will need to be safe for the birds - that means no garlic or onions within their reach.

The succulent wall at Tucson Botanical Gardens, using self-watering wall-mounted pots. Impressive!

My future plans (or maybe dreams) for the structure include landscaping the areas around it with benches, a firepit and wood-fired oven, walkways and hand-made stepping stones with stone mosaics (I'm currently working on those!); planting some birdhouse gourds that will vine across the top of the garden structure; and bringing my compost roller to the rear of the structure for convenience. 

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