chicken tunnel size?

I'm busy daydreaming about my dream greenhouse, and specifically thinking about letting chickens patrol the perimiter via chicken tunnels.  What size should a chicken tunnel be to still allow scratching room?

Good idea! You wanting suggestions for height and width? Part of width is that if you're trying to intersect bugs, I'd go wider rather than narrower myself the way a chicken moat is supposed to work.

https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/garden-pest-control-zmaz88mjzgoe/
https://www.noble.org/news/publications/ag-news-and-views/2019/april/using-a-chicken-moat-to-grow-fruit-vegetables-and-raise-poultry/

I think of chicken "tunnels" as only for getting birds from one spot to another, rather than as an area for foraging and bug catching. If you do choose the "tunnel" approach, I'd make sure it was in small sections that can be lifted for access in case there's a problem and humans need in.

The moats in the link are large enough for humans to enter - although the second link looks like a typical adult would have to duck somewhat, they at least wouldn't have to crawl on hand and knees while carrying an injured chicken to get it back to help! Been there, done that with poorly designed runs the former owner built.

I have some portable shelters I made for momma ducks with ducklings that are 4ft x8ft buy a smidge over 4 ft high. They are supper easy to move, and at the moment I have a small group of chickens living in one. I move them every day. Something like that which you moved around the greenhouse a patch at a time might be helpful if the cost of fencing the whole area seems too much. Personally, I'd still start saving for the sort of set up the first link shows, but something portable might help in the short term.

I like Jay's suggestions.

Here are some chicken tunnels from Pinterest.

This one says: "As for me and our Chunnel, I used 3 foot- 1x1 inch hardware (cloth):


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Jay Angler wrote:I think of chicken "tunnels" as only for getting birds from one spot to another, rather than as an area for foraging and bug catching.

Yeah, I think "moat" is probably a better term for what I'm trying to do.  

From a recent Curtis Stone video
I really liked the idea of letting his chickens be in the greenhouse during winter... but to be able to use it for growing at the same time, the birds would have to be more contained or I'm sure they'd wreak havok.

(See attached doodle for the general plan)

I'd say you've got two choices - contain the chickens or contain the plants!  However, my key points stand.  I'd try to design something that is panels on a frame so it's easy to open it up to add mulch or deal with problems, or design something you can walk into. I have seen situations were baby plants were up on tables, and the chickens were contained under the tables. When I considered this, I decided that if I had a large commercial greenhouse, I could make something work, but even a 10x12 greenhouse it would be too much work to be worth it unless you were just dealing with small backyard flock type numbers of less than 12 birds. I tend to be old-school and trust the numbers that to be healthy and productive, layer hens need a minimum of 8 square feet/bird. They don't need that just to sleep, but if the goal is to forage to improve their diet, that's a minimum. A foraging/bug hunting hen is a happy hen! Lots of people run their chickens in their greenhouses in the winter, but usually not while they're actively harvesting people food from the area.

I feel the concept of what people are calling "chunnels" would work just inside the greenhouse as in your sketch.

I was envisioning the tunnels around the outside of the greenhouse.

This might be interesting:

Bill Mollison’s Greenhouse/Chicken Coop