chick friendly landscaping

[r&e_ellis]

i'm wanting to do some landscaping around my coop. its in a pretty shady spot so i'm thinking hostas, something climby (maybe a clematis), and some shade loving anuals i can replace.

does anyone have any suggestions here or know of plants i should absolutely stay away from. i just had my first chicky die last week and i would hate to inadvertantly poison one of the remaining ones!

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Here is a list:

http://www.poultryhelp.com/toxic1.html

 

[elmo]

Consider also that your chickens will do their own "landscaping" to the extent they have access to these plants, either by pecking though the wire of their pen or free ranging.

A friend of ours has shrubs that his chickens have pruned from the underside, no leaves remaining except above the height that a chicken can jump. It looks...interesting.

 

[CityChook]

Are you going to free range or will they just be for you to enjoy and the chooks won't have access.....?

Just a note - the chickens will chew those hostas right down to the ground. They LOVE them. So as long as you don't care that they won't look like hosta.... And the daylillies in my garden haven't fared well against their clumsy dinosaur feet - trample trample trample.

I put hydrangea around my coop (it's pretty shady, too) and while they're not as big as the ones that get good sun, the chickens seem to leave them alone.

They seem to leave my malva alone as well as the impatients, which I think would do well in the shade, too.

 

[alycoop]

I'm a gardener and I think I would put my hostas in larger containers up higher than they can reach...or...make some window boxes to attach to outside of coop and plant small hostas there.

 

[Sillystunt]

ummm the chickens will still get the hosta's! Lil turds

I planted all succulents and catus and they don't touch them! Finally a garden that is chicken proof and needs little water...lol