Can chicken eat mint , if planted around a run??

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Ditto on the catnip. It's the only thing in the chicken yard my girls won't touch, but they do enjoy scratching the smaller plants to bits.
 
My Rhode Island Reds enjoy eating my Pepper Mint. Just had to say what type of mint it was in case someone wanted to try it or was wondering why chickens were not eating their type of mint.
 
DH's grandmother had four o'clocks growin IN her chicken pen. I don't know how she did it. The hens pretty much left the plants and flowers alone, but ate the seeds as soon as they popped off the plants. They pooped the seeds and spread the plants around. Her pen was always so pretty with all the flowers. I think they were even thick enough to provide shade for the flock. I'm going from memory there, though. I was just a little girl when Grandma Hattie had laying hens.
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Whether or not your girls eat it, fresh mint is a natural rodent repellent (they don't like the smell) so its something to think about planting anyway.
 
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I put a potted mint plant in the run, and the girls left it alone for a couple of weeks, then I went outside yesterday and they have eaten all the leaves. I actually got it for the fly repellent properties. It did pretty good until they ate it. Now I guess I should buy another one.
 
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I have been thinking about planting mint around our coop/run to deter mice, ants, earwigs, etc. and did a search to see if it was safe for our girls. I came upon this thread, and found it very interesting. Thank you all for sharing your thoughts. I have been using peppermint oil, and though it does work, it doesn't last for long, and it gets a little expensive after a while. Soooo......I'm not concerned about safety anymore, and no one has mentioned mint as being a pest deterrent, but I did learn one thing. If your chickens DO eat mint, you get some pretty nasty...........


wait for it.......




EXCRE-MINT ! :tongue :wee :celebrate
 
Mine free ranged on some mint, but once it went to flower they left it. Didn't touch the spearmint. Left the Chives too. Liked the Tomatoes so I caged them off and still fed to them but now they want nothing to do with it.
I also have a HUGE bush of Wormwood and they don't eat it :( but kinda peck at it. If I pull some off and feed it they stay away.
They don't eat Day-lilies or Bergamont but managed to scratch the Hostas till almost gone. Oh well
 
Our girls love watermelon, and of course corn. But we try not to give them too much corn. They like tomatoes and cucumbers too. Every night before we go to bed I have to put some kind of "treat" out for them. If I don't they really let us know about it early in the morning. (Our coop/run is right outside our bedroom window) Did I mention that they're probably the most spoiled chickens in Rhode Island? Yeah, they definitely are.
 

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