Hedges for forage and cover

Very educational and well referenced, Perris. Kudos!
In my region (northern mid-west US) I have wild rose (rosa rugosa) growing along the sandy shore in front of my cabin. I took a few stems with strong roots this spring to propagate a hedge. Perhaps the species is not ideal for chickens, however I’m hoping to keep rabbits from invading more prized plantings.

Ooh sorry I didn't review this before! This is 5 stars fantastic as usual Perris!

I was wondering if you've read anything by James Rebanks? A Shepherd's Life and English Pastoral.

This will be a wonderful resource to come back to whilst working on my hedgerow project(s) - thank you so much for this!

I live in a totally different climate. I also have a hedge on 2 sides of my property. I now have a research project for plants that grow here to enrich and expand my hedges to better support the chickens foraging and shelter options. I'm rather excited about this as it's something I've wanted to do but didn't know where to start. Now I have a direction to go in. Thank you!

Wow, didn't even realize this article was here but what a great read! Even though we're in the U.S., I loved your list of plants/bushes, and I happen to have some honeysuckle bushes waiting to be planted. I'll reread this again when I have more time and copying down some of the tips and that list. We border a forest, so we could do way better than hostas! Thanks for the educational article! Great pictures too!

Excellent article with great pictures, Perris.
Love a good hedge - I would say they can’t be beaten, however many of the older ones that form parish boundaries still are - if interested in this British eccentricity see https://heritagehunter.co.uk/beating-the-bounds/. I think the oldest UK hedge is still thought to be Judith’s hedge in Cambridgeshire which is at least 900 years old and a remnant of an ancient woodland. So many reasons to love a good hedge both for our chickens, ourselves and wildlife…..

A stunning good informative article about the benefits of hedges.

Sadly enough most hedges in the Dutch landscape disappeared approximately 50-60 years ago when the farmers started to buy tractors and larger equipment to work on the fields, and wanted to make as much profit as possible.

And our gardens are often so small , the old type of hedges would take too much space. BTW: A simple hedge like on the photo gives less protection but works too for simple shelter.

Wonderful article - I don’t know how I missed it previously. Blackberrying along hedges is an important childhood memory for me, and I have been saddened that so many have been destroyed over the years.

Very informative! Great use of photos

This is a very informative article about hedgerows!

Informative and interesting topic, of which I knew little...until reading this article. The photos helped illustrate the author's descriptions as well. Nice job!

Very Informative! Love it!

Very informative! I had no idea hedges could be so beneficial for the local flora and fauna. Great ideas on how to make more cover for the chickens

I'm a hedge fan. Breaks my heart when I see hedges around houses ripped out in favour of a brick wall or fencing.
A well presented article with lovely pictures on a topic that is very relevant to ranging and free ranging chickens. A managed Blackthorn hedge keeps most creatures out.

Very informative and inspiring. We have been considering fencing off our property from the road to give the chickens full access, but I think in addition to fencing, we should do hedges on the inside. It is a beautiful way to add security and make the area more interesting for our babies. Thank you @Perris

Thank you, Perris, for a very interesting article.

Excellent info and the photos are very good.