Best plants/trees/bushes for runs...

[Auntiejessi3]

So I am planning to make two secondary day time runs, each about 12 x 18 x 6 tall... I will only allow the chicken access after the plants have grown to a stage that can handle the birds...

I have something similar but 36x32, I call it the chicken yard. We just built it at the beginning of spring but I planted a rose bush, fig tree, apricot tree, and a crape murtle. They don't mess with the crape myrtle at all, but I have 1"chicken wire around the rest. I did some seeding in the grass for more variety and nourishment. I can't wait to see your finished project! You've got some great responses and opinions!

 

[Krugerrand]

If you haven't seen this, you will probably enjoy reading through it.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-food-tower.1480872/#post-24678797

 

[AnnPann]

Sunflowers! They grow fast, and have very sturdy stems and big leaves for shade. I started mine inside and transplanted and they really didn't bother them (but stripped every last bit of green elsewhere). Now they are about 3-4' tall with stems 1-2" wide, have giant leaves that provide great shade, and now that the seeds are ready, they enjoy hopping up and grabbing seeds and eating any that fall. And for as cheap and easy as they are to grow, no big deal that you have to replant. We've gotten VERY little rain this year, and I didn't water them once. This is the variety I planted: https://www.johnnyseeds.com/flowers...id-1121-sunflower-f1-sunflower-seed-2603.html

I also will be transplanting some of my volunteer blackberry starts (thornless) to the new run for some shade and self-serve treats. They grow very dense foliage and provide great shade too and are pretty low maintenance during growing season. And any berries they can't reach, I get to eat!

 

[AnnPann]

I was hesitant to plant anything with fruit because I dont want to attract any more wild birds. My other run has a mulberry bush which is pretty invasive but also a wild bird magnet. Does anyone who has fruit near their run have problems with this?

Personally hate mulberries, partly b/c I'm allergic to the pollen and we have 20+ big ones of them on our property line, but I also hate how the birds eat them and then leave purple poop on everything. My run is near my garden, and I just can't really fight the wild birds, so we just live with it, and do the best I can to keep the chicken feed from getting scattered on the ground. Seems like any tree will attract birds - b/c of protection it offers, the shade, insects, seeds, etc.

 

[Perris]

I have quite a lot of the plants mentioned by BlindLemonChicken in #9 and can confirm their resistance to chicken damage and suitability. My flock loves the Mexican Orange for shade and cover (and it's evergreen), likes to hide nests in daylilies, and spends much time in and under parrotia persica, which has lots of horizontal branches to perch on (and great autumn colour).