Favorite herbs for chickens? Toys for chickens?

[OreoH]

Hi everyone! I have six 5 week old chicks who are getting ready to move into the coop. This is my first time owning chickens and I'm very enthusiastic about building everything. We are still in the process of building the run. It is an 8 by 8 run with a commercial chicken coop we converted into a hen house. I want to plant some herbs around the outside (in those long pots I forget the name of). I want to do at least oregano and basil. I also want to make them some toys. I've planned one of those chicken staircase perches and a swing set. Are their any other ideas? As for the herbs, are there any that repel pests, or are good for chickens to peck at free choice? Thanks!

 

[OreoH]

This is just going to be a poll for the same subject I already posted on. Just to see what the collective opinion is.

 

[rosemarythyme]

"Toys" can be anything they can climb on or run around/under, or dig through (like a bale of straw or pile of dried leaves).

 

[CatsandCrops]

They will rip out any herbs they have free access to so be careful with placement of the pots. My girls LOVE dill; they will fight over it. It grows all over in the woods by our house so we constantly have a good supply for them

 

[OreoH]

Thank you! I'll definitely plant some dill.

 

[fowlosophy]

Hi everyone! I have six 5 week old chicks who are getting ready to move into the coop. This is my first time owning chickens and I'm very enthusiastic about building everything. We are still in the process of building the run. It is an 8 by 8 run with a commercial chicken coop we converted into a hen house. I want to plant some herbs around the outside (in those long pots I forget the name of). I want to do at least oregano and basil. I also want to make them some toys. I've planned one of those chicken staircase perches and a swing set. Are their any other ideas? As for the herbs, are there any that repel pests, or are good for chickens to peck at free choice? Thanks!

I just wanted to add a couple of prolific plants that I didn't see on the list that my girls love:

Dandelion
Clover
Echinacea
Sweet Woodruff
Plantain Lily (wild-type hosta)
Creeping Jenny

 

[fowlosophy]

I just wanted to add a couple of prolific plants that I didn't see on the list that my girls love:

Dandelion
Clover
Echinacea
Sweet Woodruff
Plantain Lily (wild-type hosta)
Creeping Jenny

Oh... and I forgot to add:

Garlic Mustard
Lamb's Quarters

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I have dried my herbs and flowers to mix into their feed. I like to include nasturtium leaves and flowers, marigolds, catnip, peppermint, lavender, parsley, thyme, kale, shredded carrot,really anything that a chicken can eat that can be dehydrated. I'd like to think it gives them a little wintertime nutritional boost, while the flowers in the summer can help give a deep golden color to the yolks. I have no scientific evidence that I'm actually achieving anything good, but the gals don't complain.