DIY Chicken Tunnels/Bug Moat
Modular, movable tunnels give chickens forage & adventure!
It all started, as experiments often do, with a Youtube video. Titled simply "Chicken Tunnel Man," it features Bruce Morgan, who has come up with an innovative system of lightweight, modular tunnel segments that connect in various configurations to let his chickens work the whole 15 meter length of his garden. Cutoff gates open and close access in different areas, depending on where the tunnels are connected and where the chickens are being rotated at the time.
"I believe there's no point in having chooks [chickens] if you don't make them work for a living," chuckles Morgan. For example, he uses his chickens in areas where he has harvested potatoes to prepare the area for the next year's planting, as well as to mow grassy areas.
From Ecofilm Australia's excellent chicken tunnels article:
"Bruce likes to make his tunnel sections modular and easy to carry. He makes his tunnels from anything found around the house including wire trays from refrigerators now used as doors for his tunnel system.
They should be stack-able when not in use and preferably made from easy to find materials."
I've channeled Bruce throughout the years with various chicken tunnel configurations, none of which I've done a terribly great job of photographing (read: they were mostly janky-looking so I didn't bother).
Taking the idea a step further, we come to the "bug moat" usage of a more permanent style of tunnel like this.
This is an idea from Patricia Allison, who has a system like this at her garden in Earthaven Ecovillage at Medicine Wheel Collective. The chickens & ducks patrol the perimeter of the garden and intercept bugs as they attempt to invade from the surrounding landscape, and it works pretty darn well, so I hear. I have photos of it, but it honestly looks so chaotic and confusing with everything else going on that using this drawing to explain is better:
For happy and safe chickens, enriched garden soil, and natural pest control, chicken tunnels may be one of the best ideas yet!
I loved this idea when I saw it, but it would never work here. The raccoons would reach right through the wire and kill the birds. There's not enough room for them to get away. :((
That makes sense, I've heard about raccoons and their reaching before. Definitely a daytime or supervised thing in predator heavy areas
Love love love it!! I really want to make chicken tunnels and have seen them.before... one day!!! Thanks for reminding me!
You're so welcome! I'm glad to remind you. They work super well for me in my urban setting!
What would be the benefit of this over a couple individual tractors?
In a large space, I think straight up chicken tractors would be better. In my mind, this is more of an urban strategy for giving them mobility from place to place while still staying contained. That said, Chicken Tunnel Man himself does move his around a pretty large garden, so I guess it depends on your preferences. The advantage of the bug moat would be the consistent patrolling!
Interesting. I can imagine distinct advantages to both. That may be something to use with a hybrid system. Maybe half your flock on a boat, half on tractors. Or maybe I'm over thinking it like I always do lol
Naw it's good to think of all the possibilities! The ultimate answer as you probably know in permaculture is "it depends," (on a zillion site and situation specific things) & I could def see a situation to use both