a garden in my coop???

[CluckinMa7nUp]

I have heard of a chicken herb garden and was wondering if they should be special herbs or can i use any mix of my kitchen herb garden seeds??Also can i let them range in a bean sprout box?

 

[kmatt87]

i've heard of people gardening on top of their coops...like a raised bed type thing....but never IN the coop. I would think that the chickens might eat them

 

[CluckinMa7nUp]

Yeah thats what i am wondering these will be raised free range so in their coop n run when they are caged up would it be a problem to grow them a garden in the coop and if it had to be a certain type ...

 

[Johnboy78]

Speaking only for my own chickens, they do not like herbs, did not touch the mint, the oregano, the parsley, the basil, or the tarragon. All the damage they did was due to the scratching between the plants. They ate only certain flowers in my flower box, most they did not like. This spring they ignored my bleed ing hearts. They don't care for ferns.
My chickens roam my backyard so they have access to lots of variety, I don't know how they would act if they were confined, but watching them I would guess they like weeds better than typical garden plants. Except hostas.

 

[chestypuller]

do chickens eat clover or dandylions?

 

[fiddlebanshee]

Mine do with gusto. They also liked the oregano that I threw in the run because it is taking over my herb garden this year. They also liked the various mustards that we have growing as weeds in the woods (field mustard and garlic mustard).

 

[albert w]

When I raised old English games, each pen had a box made of wire. The boxes were maybe a foot square and about 8 inches tall. They sat right on the ground. I dropped grass seed inside the wire, so the grass grew up and through the wire. The birds could eat any of it that stuck through the wire but couldn't get in to scratch it to death.

 

[nuchickontheblock]

there are a couple of older threads here about having greens growing for your chickens in their run. I think if you search for chicken salad bar (I think that's what they call it), you could probably find the info.
Mine seem to like grass the best -- don't seem to be eating the dandelions at all.

 

[Janebo]

Well I've been wanting to grow a selection of herbs that I know chooks love plus extra lettuce, cabbage, spinach and kale just for my chooks

. Where we are living in Western Australia on a sheep and cropping farm.... it is very dry and last year was not a good year for rain and so my chooks just got into everything they could! From weeds, parsley, garlic chives, sweet potato leaves, pumpkins and the leaves and if I didn't rescue the 8 comfrey plants growing in old motor car tyre's.... they would be gone in a flash. I have 23 mature white Sussex hens and 11 Buff Sussex... 4 rotating cockerels and then of course there are over 70 young chicks.

. Also they are not fussed when it comes to eating whatever is growing in my flower garden... they just love Irises, geraniums, nasturtiums and all the daisy bushes and pig out on the Canna leaves. They are healthy and all this eating of whatever they can get into; reference greens.... seems to be okay

for them. Does anyone know what herbs are good for chooks that I can grow inside their run that they can have the benefit from? Definitely will put chicken wire around the potted herbs... so they can just eat what is growing through the wire.