Infrastructure, Terracing

Last year my parents and nephew helped us put a couple of terraces into the large chicken yard. In previous winters the rain turned the hillside into mud and the slope in the yard was treacherous. Anyone going out to refill the outdoor waterer or feeder was as apt as not to slip and fall.

We intended the terraces to serve two purposes: first and most important, we wanted to keep the chickens from tunneling out of the yard so quickly. Their scratching tends to move dirt downhill, so I thought terraces ought to retain the scratched dirt. Second, we'd hoped that the terraces would tend to level the slope between them, making it a bit safer to walk around in the yard.

Along with the terracing we redid the netting over the yard. We arched 1/2" PVC in hoops over the yard and then draped tree netting over this frame. It reminds me of conestoga wagons. To provide shade and some shelter from the rain, we draped a tarp over part of this canopy.

Now, the rain has finally come. How'd it all work out?

The canopy works. The chickens aren't flying out of the yard (well, mostly -- we have found a black Beatrice wandering around outside, but it's not like before the netting). The chickens seem to enjoy the shade and the rain shelter. They stand around in the yard under the tarp when it's raining and in the open when it isn't.

The terraces are a different story. They do slow down the migration of the dirt, but I think they need to be taller or else we need more of them. The chickens continue to dig away at the slope. The other morning I slipped and nearly fell in the mud. It's not really level at any point in the yard.