Are there flowers chickens won't eat?

[jdgrell]

My chickens love to eat flowers. They eat the whole plant down to base. When I plant flowers they eat them. Inpatients, pansies, geraniums, you name it, they eat it.
Ordinarily this would not be a problem for me because I like chickens more than flowers. However, my wife greatly prefers flowers to chickens. She has threatened to eat the chickens if they eat any more flowers. (I hope jokingly)

They free range and I don’t want to keep them penned. The fun for us is to have them running around the yard.

Any suggestion on flowers they won't eat?

Thank You!

 

[emrys]

Well don't bother with roses!!! I WATCHED my rooster call the girls over to enjoy the lovely, tender rosebuds he had discovered. Shoot, I wondered why that rose hadn't bloomed this year!!! They haven't bothered the verbena or the dinner plate hybiscus. Though they crowd under the hybiscus looking for shade or bugs the blooms haven't been pecked.

 

[wyliefarms]

Silk flowers?

 

[digitS']

My backyard flock does not bother the iris that I have there. Beyond the iris, there are only herbs.

They pay no attention to the mints and I've got a selection of chocolate mint, ginger mint, spearmint, applemint, and lemon balm. Other than scratching around them, the chickens are much more interested in eating blue grass and white clover than the mints.

Altho' I don't have them in my backyard, there are a number of ornamentals that are in the mint family: agastache, monarda, catmint, and more! I've wondered if they would leave these alone, also.

You can discourage them from scratching by using a stone mulch. I suggest fairly large stones - like double the size of your fist. A hen can be remarkably athletic when she thinks that there are juicy worms under something lying on the ground.

Steve

 

[dieselgrl48]

Good luck lol.This is the first year I have actualy had some plant's in my yard.But then again I don't have the geese that always someone left gate open and let them in.I still have new duck's this year and got all new bird's.I have a few flighty OE's that fly over but so far they really havent gotten in the flower bed's YET!.The best GREEN plant's you can have in your chicken yard are I think they are called Yucca bushes.The green is so tough you can'T weed eat the stuff down and they do flower around 3/4 feet.We have had them in our coop area for 6 years they were here when we moved in.Maybe Gladoilia's ... They flower when tall also I plant more of those this year too.

 

[chickencrazymamahen]

Ours don't seem to bother the geraniums in pots, marigolds, lillies or coneflowers.....good luck!!

 

[dichotomymom]

Fortunately, mine don't eat any of my flowers (they have turned my beds to crap though). I have yarrow, purple sage, irises, multiflora rose, dianthus and hollyhocks.

 

[MrsStephan]

Sounds like the same plants that deer don't like. Although deer and chickens both seem to try anything at least once. My chickens actually ran away from some mint that I tossed in the coop. Probably don't like strong smelling plants.

 

[tinahoak]

nothing is safe. what they don't eat they dig up!

 

[vajrajen]

my girls ate all of my mint - every last bit. they also loved my sweet peas, impatiens, dahlia and fever few. i am going to try some of your suggestions - verbena, coneflower, marigolds, hybiscus. thanks!