Best Foliage For Hiding

[DobieLover]

Zone 5 for me

Great!
Dappled willow grows incredibly fast and can be planted in poorly draining areas.
Privet hedge grows fast and you can prune the lower branches to make it a better canopy for the chickens to get under.
I also have a PeeGee hydrangea. They grow fast and the chickens don't destroy the leaves on them.
I will also be using @21hens-incharge 's idea of putting chicken shelters in among the juvenile plantings. I have unlimited access to 55-gallon barrels from work. I will be cutting the tops and bottoms off of the barrels then cutting them in half the long way to make two curved "chicken caves" that are open on both ends so they can run under them whenever they want. They will be black so hopefully will blend in behind the plantings better than bright white or blue.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Great!
Dappled willow grows incredibly fast and can be planted in poorly draining areas.
Privet hedge grows fast and you can prune the lower branches to make it a better canopy for the chickens to get under.
I also have a PeeGee hydrangea. They grow fast and the chickens don't destroy the leaves on them.
I will also be using @21hens-incharge 's idea of putting chicken shelters in among the juvenile plantings. I have unlimited access to 55-gallon barrels from work. I will be cutting the tops and bottoms off of the barrels then cutting them in half the long way to make two curved "chicken caves" that are open on both ends so they can run under them whenever they want. They will be black so hopefully will blend in behind the plantings better than bright white or blue.

Definitely use those barrels! They will work great!

That hawk that almost took my Delaware wouldn't have even touched her if that area has not been a dead end.

Whatever people use to make hiding places having dead ends can be THE thing that allows the hawk to grab a bird.

 

[CreativePullet]

Definitely use those barrels! They will work great!

That hawk that almost took my Delaware wouldn't have even touched her if that area has not been a dead end.

Whatever people use to make hiding places having dead ends can be THE thing that allows the hawk to grab a bird.

I'll keep that in mind and I'm really sorry about your Delaware. I know all to well what it's like to lose a pet.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I'll keep that in mind and I'm really sorry about your Delaware. I know all to well what it's like to lose a pet.

oH dear!! I wasn't clear.

No the hawk did not manage to kill or even seriously harm her.
I saw it bank around the tree and dove back outside. It was on her but she was fighting it AND the area was very restricted. It couldn't get a good kill maneuver.

She lived several more years.

Knock on wood I have yet to lose a chicken to a predator......ducks on the other hand .