Edible Flowers?

[LillianMae]

I'm planning my run, today I cleane out my old one, I'm going to plant some grass in it. So I was wondering what are some edible flowers I could plant in it also?

 

[LoveChickens123]

Squash blossoms are tasty stuffed with a sausage/ricotta mixture then fried, but the chickens love them also fresh off the vine. The blossom is a good source of calcium, iron and Vitamin A, so let them indulge from time to time
Nasturtium not only attract bugs that eat the dreaded squash beetle larvae, the leaves and flowers are also edible for humans and make wonderful salad garnish. Your chickens will love eating both the loeaves and the flowers, which are thought to be a natural wormer and also have antibiotic properties. Violets make beautiful edible garnishes for cakes, cupcakes and ice cream, and also help with circulation and stop inflammation of the arteries. Your chickens will enjoy munching on them too.
Marigolds not only ward off insects in your garden, but they are also an antioxidant and promote the growth of new skin tissue. As an added bonus, chickens who eat marigolds lay eggs with bright yellow yolks.

Bee Balm is a wonderful flower whose leaves can be made into a healthful tea with antibacterial properties that is also used to clear respiratory problems in humans and chickens. It of course also attracts bees which help pollinate your flowers and fruit trees. Your chickens will enjoy both the flower and leaves.
Dandelions are a nice addition to salads. I guess technically a weed, instead of spraying them why not pick some for your chickens. They are a natural detoxifier and one of the most nutritious plants in your yard, with lots of iron, calcium and Vitamin A.Roses and rose hips cleanse blood toxins and act as antiseptics and antibacterial agents for both humans and chickens. Roses are also a classic as well as a beautiful way to decorate a cake with an edible garnish.
Sunflower seeds are obviously a favorite among the feathered crowd, and also very nutritious, providing protein and essential oils to both humans and hens. The leaves are edible as well and your chickens will enjoy stripping the stalks of them.Clover Blossoms are considered to be the most nutritious weed in your yard. Both a blood purifier and an antioxidant, clover provides calcium, iron, magnesium and Vitamins A, B-12 and E as well as respiratory benefits. Echinacea (or coneflower) flowers and seeds are excellent for improving respiratory health. Chickens are extremely susceptible to respiratory illnesses, so planting some echinacea will benefit them greatly.
Flowers to Steer Clear Of:
For the most part, chickens will avoid those flowers that are harmful to them, but to be on the safe side, it's best to AVOID planting the following potentially toxic plants in areas your chickens can access: azalea, black nightshade, buttercup, castor bean, clematis, corn cockle, foxglove, henbane, honeysuckle, irises, lily of the valley, oleander, privet, rhubarb leaves, rhododendron, St. John's Wort, sweet pea, trumpet vine, vetch, yew

There are many, many more potentially harmful flowers and plants....but if you stick to the ten safe AND nutritious flowers above, your chickens will thank you !

 

[mandelyn]

Don't plant anything that is deer resistant, as that typically means it's incredibly toxic.

Sunflowers are a good one if they get to grow, the tall varieties offer shade, then later treats from the seeds if you cut the head for drying before the wild birds get it. They're nice along the side of the run (outside) that gets the most sun. You'll get shade from the growth and seeds with a good amount of protein just in time for when they start to molt.

Not sure what else. I've seen grape vines planted to grow at corner posts of runs. I haven't done that because we haven't bought the house we're in. Saving that idea for when we own a property and can commit to plantings that require more growth time.

If you're going for edibles, dark leafy greens and veggie garden things are going to have more nutrition.

If you're going for pretty landscaping, you'll need to protect it and prevent the birds from having access to it until it's mature enough to handle some chicken pruning. If it's the only green thing around, they'll quickly eat it down and kill it.

I'll do trailing petunias in the window boxes, well out of the chicken's reach and it can be seen from far away. Makes a nice well landscaped effect around the area. Prune them twice and feed once in the season, and they really fill out and fall out of those boxes, really pretty. I found some clearance flower pots, they're huge. 3 feet tall, so anything I put into them will be safe from chickens. Was thinking on tropicals to bring in over the winter, something with some height to it maybe. Not sure yet. But at $9 each, I had to buy those giant pots!

We have several beds around the coop area... sort of like a compound to control access between the dogs and the birds, and the garden. Each box gets 4 tomato plants, 3 pepper plants, cucumbers where ever they will fit, and a handful of strawberry plants or greens or things that stay small. Last year we had a ton of sweet basil as filler. Anything that grows through the fence barrier is fair game to the chickens. They keep the growth pruned back nicely. They don't seem to care for cucumber vine, that made it through the fence and produced fruit at the end even.

The chickens loved the sweet basil. It has a nice looking leaf, and when mature it'll grow a cute little white flower. Doing spices is easy, not bad looking, the birds will munch on it, and you can cook with it.

We're working with a small space, so we try to use as many multi purpose plants as possible. I spend about $50 on flowers every year, the rest is food.

 

[LoveChickens123]

hope this helps!

 

[LillianMae]

Thanks guys, this really does help a lot. I'm probably going to plant a couple edible flowers in there then. Thankfully they're just chicks now so me and my dad have plenty of time to repair our run and predator proof everything again I can't wait to plant grass

 

[LoveChickens123]

Thanks guys, this really does help a lot. I'm probably going to plant a couple edible flowers in there then. Thankfully they're just chicks now so me and my dad have plenty of time to repair our run and predator proof everything again I can't wait to plant grass

If you want to lean more about the flowers go to wwww.Fresheggsdaliy.com
that's where i got the edible flowers from!! so check it out

 

[LillianMae]

I'll look at it, thanks a bunch

 

[LoveChickens123]

your welcome!!!

 

[arcatamarcia]

If you are going to plant flowers in your run you need to protect them from the chickens until they get big enough to actually flower. Otherwise the chickens will eat the fresh little shoots and the plant will never get big enough to actually flower. I planted nasturtiums in my run last year, and protected them with wire and they never did get big enough to flower. The minute the leaves got close to the wire, the chickens pecked at them through the wire until it was just bare stems. This year I'm going to fully fence the area with the flowers and then take the fence down when there's enough there for the girls to eat. And then, after months of growing, they will probably dispense with it in a matter of hours.

 

[LillianMae]

yeah that's what I might do. I'm probably not going to do that this year though. After i added up what the majority of the cost of predator proofing everything in my barn and what's going to be the run I probably won't have enough money to do flowers. My dad does have some sunflower seeds that I might plant high up. With some seeds I already have I'm going to build flower boxes and plant them high up on a stump.