Best vine for growing on chicken run fene

[DebH]

I like some of the ideas shared here but was also wanting to plant a vine that smelled great! I love honeysuckle and star jasmine. Both do well in the hot Calif sun. Will they be ok for the girls? Any other vine that smells good but won't make them sick?

 

[Louise Waffles]

Honeysuckle is poisonous to chickens, jasmine is not. There is a false jasmine, and that is poisonous to chickens.

 

[Howard E]

Rather than growing ANYTHING on your chain link fence, I'd suggest an alternative approach. Leave the fence bare and grow your plants in beds or rows well away from it. That keeps the birds away from the fence where they might be tempted to explore what is on the other side, and if they are attracted to plants on the fence, that puts them in nearly direct contact with any predators lurking on the other side.

So for the fence, keep it clean and keep them away from it. I'd want my perimeter fence to look like this:




For your beds, use some scattered clumps of tall ornamental grasses, grape vines, sunflowers, sweet corn, okra......in short, anything tall and upright that gives them shade and cover. I'd want the interior to look like this:

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'm planning on planting nasturtium on one side of my run, just out of range of the chickens so that some of the leaves and flowers (both safe for people to eat as well) that grow in will eventually be close enough for them to snack on. And it'll look nice having a row of flowers between my chicken run and garage.

On the back of the run I've put in a new garden bed and plan on growing sugar snap peas that will trellis on the run fence so the chickens can pick at whatever they can reach from there.

 

[Alabama Jack]

We're planning to plant Hops on our chicken run. Supposed to be good for them.

 

[Louise Waffles]

Honeysuckle is poisonous to chickens, jasmine is not. There is a false jasmine, and that is poisonous to chickens.

I heard a honeysickle VINE is okay, and honeysuckle BUSH is not?? Does anyone know for sure?

 

[aart]

I'd be careful growing anything on the run structure itself...many a plant has taken down a sturdy structure.