DIY Chicken Salad Bar

I've been wanting to build a covered 'salad bar' in the run for my chickens for awhile now.  I wanted somewhere that I could safely grow grasses and other seeds for them to munch on when greens are scarce, but would allow the seeds to sprout and grow without being bothered by the hens.

I have been savings odds and ends from other projects for awhile to use and also found some boards out behind our barn that I salvaged for the project, so I ended up not having to buy anything!

The instructions below are using what I had on hand, but you can certainly adapt the project to use what you have handy. I also wanted to keep it fairly small so the top wouldn't sag when my hens stood on it, which you KNOW they will do! But feel free to size it to your liking.

Here are the instructions to build your own.

DIY SALAD BAR INSTRUCTIONS

~Materials~

Two 3' boards and two 2' boards (I think the ones I used were 1x6s)

8 long deck screws

10' furring strip cut into two 3' long lengths and two 2' long lengths

3' x 2'-2" piece of 1/2" hardware cloth
Four flat brackets

Set of small hinges

Eyehook

Topsoil

Packet of seed

~Tools Needed~
Jigsaw
Cordless Drill
Tape measure
Wire cutters
Staple gun/staples
Pencil

~How to Build your Bar~
Measure and cut your boards as noted above.

Using the deck screws, form the four 1x6 boards into a square.

Position the box where you want it, preferably in full sun in the run.  At this point, the Quality Control team will probably want to inspect your handiwork.

Staple the hardware cloth to the furring strips. If you staple at a diagonal on the 'X's of the cloth, it won't slip.

Then screw in the flat brackets at the corners for additional support.

Attach the hinges, one near each corner of your lid. And then screw the other part to the back of the box.

 

Drill holes in the center front of the box and lid and attach the eye hook.

Add an inch or two of nice topsoil. At this point, Quality Control is definitely going to have to take another look!

Kick all the chickens out of the box and sprinkle your seed mix into the dirt, then cover it up with a bit more topsoil.  The Chicken Salad Seed Mix from My Pet Chicken that I am using is a mix of Rape, Turnip, Mustard and Clover.

Water your salad bar well.  Keep watering as needed and in a few weeks, you should have a yummy  and nutritious offering of greens for your chickens !

After just a few days, we've already got sprouts !

It's been a week now and the Salad Bar is coming along quite nicely !

It's only been a week and a half, but the 'salad' is growing really fast !  Two of the girls got a little taste this morning.

When the "Salad" has grown to  the height of the hardware cloth, the salad bar will be open and I"ll have very happy girls !

 let them get used to the taste...

Purchase Chicken Salad Seed Mix HERE.

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