Hi I made a post about a week ago on how to keep chickens out of flower beds and found out that no body has been able to keep their free range friends out of their flower beds. So I was thinking we could make a list of flowers and herb they like to eat and ones they don't. For all of us with dual loves being chickens and gardening. I'm in the top panhadle of Florida and this is what I have found. My chickens love to eat: Yarrow creeping jenny and lots of flowers I don't know the name of sorry They don't eat: Gardenia lantana rosemary oregano Irisis I will list more as I find out. Please everyone lets make a list and then the garden people can have their free range chickens and flowers. Thanks !
hooligans list might help a bit https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart
Good luck keeping the plants in the soil! I find if I don't fence off the garden, they eat the good stuff, and scratch up and dust bath in all the bad stuff.
I didn't join until recently, but yeah, in the past, the best way to keep them out of anything that you don't like them to be in, just simply, throw chicken wire over what you want to cover is good enough. I only use 3 feet high chicken wire and its good enough. I have bantams too and they fly really high but since its there, I guess they are too lazy to do so anyhow. Haha
I thought of something. Maybe you could plant a peach tree or something in there run. That way they cant tear it down and when peaches fall they can eat them. Also the pit is to big for them to swallow. Or how about blueberry bushes or raspberry bushes?
*insert drool face* Blueberries and raspberries are soo good! They should be able to dig up deep rooted stuff like that. Be sure to wrap it in bird netting when fruiting time comes, or anything in bird reach will be gone.
There have been a few threads on this subject. It's interesting because some plants are shunned by one person's chickens but devoured by anothers. Like hosta: mine LOVE it but someone else's avoided theirs... Some ideas I got from a previous thread (things they might NOT EAT according to other gardeners Daylilies Mint Nepeta/catmint Sunflower Helianthus/Jerusalem Artichoke Arundo (giant reed) Miscanthus Yarrow Lamon Balm I would love to hear others' input (especially from northern areas and plants that do well in shady areas that they won't eat!) Stacey
Quote:LOL I see you love raspberries. I have a HUGE bush of blackberries I am going to try and transplant. The bush is over 30 feet in lenth and 10 feet wide
mine free range and this is what they don't seem to touch: nasturtiums basil spearmint spider plant ginger tomato oxalis castor bean monstera/philodendron mostly they chomp on the weeds ! spanish needle dandelion spurge grass of all sorts bamboo spiny amaranth sometimes eat clover, sometimes ignore it