posted 5 years ago
I have a backyard bare of annuals because of just 5 chickens.
I pile autumn leaves in the back bed and they spend most of their time there, scratching, even though I feed them up by the house.
So, definitely give them wood chips, but I would subdivided their yard as well.
A six foot by 75 foot corridor along one side of the run would give access to four yards, each about 18x24.
Pile your wood chips and compost into the corridor, grow stuff in the yards, cycle them them through each yard for a day or more.
You could subdivide the yards even smaller, make each of them 10x 24, and have one for each day of the week.
I would also cover most of the corridor with tarps, diverting the rain into the grow yards and into rain barrels.
On the fence lines, morninga and willow trees, maybe mulberries.