Is this idea any good?

[pandasyard]

My bright idea here is to move my chicken run from where it currently is to a new position and then use where it has been as a veg bed. The plan was the box it in and then mix in some MPC with what the chickens have left there plus some more mess out the coop and dig it over and use it maybe later this year for something like onions if it will work.

I assumed the manure and the fact they have killed almost everything would be a great start and the size of the bed would be perfect.

Any advice would be great

[fishpond]

Moving a chicken run from bed to bed is an old idea and which has proven itself time and time again, for the reasons you mention.
I wish I could move mine also, but as its 25ft long it would need a crane which to me would outweigh any benefits.
I would like to free range my cluckies over my beds, but when you tell them not to eat something, they take no notice.
To answer your question:-
Of course you can and your chickens and veg will thank you for it.

[muddled]

You may be better using the bed in Spring though.
As fishpond said, growing where the chooks were is excellent husbandry, breaking the lifecycle of chicken parasites and feeding your veg at the same time.

But chicken manure is extremely strong and as I'm sure you can smell, very high in ammonia. Six months minimum rotting time is required to prevent it burning the plant roots.

Also, I throw most of my compostable plant waste into the run (along with armfuls of lemonbalm to deter flies) and my chooks scrtch through it, eating what they like particularly the weedseeds. This keeps a nice deep friable top and means I don't have to add any MPC.

[pandasyard]

That's great then! I never knew it existed just thought it would be good. I will do a few beds this way then. One should be ready to dig over in the next week and I'll move them on to making me another new one

[pandasyard]

Just replied before I saw your reply Muddled....

That's no issue at all then, I would rather be able to use it than it kill my veg/plants etc so I'll wait and let it do its business.

Thanks for the advice

[muddled]

If you look on gurgle for 'Chicken Tractors' you'll get loads of ideas. People make a run the exact size of their beds and just slowly move it along providing the chooks with clean forage and the gardener with fertilised and raked over beds.

[pandasyard]

Just another question.... (I am sorry my knowledge is shocking its my 1st year having never done anything like this before)

Would digging all of the sawdust, straw and poop out of the coop in to the ground before covering it till spring help it some more? Also I saw about adding food waste and peelings etc would that help it?

[BUFFS]

I planted blackcurrant bushes onto the old chooks run and what a revelation, they grew to nearly 9ft last year and even after cutting them back they grew to over 7ft this year and the amount of fruit has been unbelievable, so shift it all around and reap the benefits...