Favorite Plants for Inside the Coop

[Side_Chick]

Hello BYC,
Apologies if this is a repeat question..
What’s your favorite types of plants to put inside the coop?
Heard that Rosemary, Mint and Lavender can be used and it deters bugs. I don’t want to plant anything that’s poisonous or that they will gobble up.

 

[rural mouse]

Inside the coop? Is there enough light for a plant to grow? What about watering the plant? Is the coop raised or to the ground? What sort of ventilation does it have? Too much moisture in the coop can cause issues for the birds. Do you mean the run?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I think you mean in the run. I haven’t had much survive there that wasn’t mature, usually trees. I plant things outside the run and try to keep the chickens from eating them until they’re big enough not to be destroyed. I have planted honeysuckle, blackberry, rosemary, and lavender outside.

 

[nuthatched]

Anything they won't eat will likely be toxic. Trying to keep plants alive in a chicken run is almost impossible

 

[Side_Chick]

Inside the coop? Is there enough light for a plant to grow? What about watering the plant? Is the coop raised or to the ground? What sort of ventilation does it have? Too much moisture in the coop can cause issues for the birds. Do you mean the run?

Yes the run

 

[Side_Chick]

I think you mean in the run. I haven’t had much survive there that wasn’t mature, usually trees. I plant things outside the run and try to keep the chickens from eating them until they’re big enough not to be destroyed. I have planted honeysuckle, blackberry, rosemary, and lavender outside.

Thank you

 

[rural mouse]

Depends upon size of run vs number of chickens vs cleaning out accessibility.

Personally, stuff for cover. I don't actually have a run. I have a coop which gets opened daily. They go all over the yard. They like places to hang out where they can see but not be seen. Overhead cover (over chickens' heads not human sized) so aerial predators can't see them. Mesh screen doesn't feel like protection.

Trees/shrubs my birds like to chill under:
Russian pea tree (caragana?)
Russian olive
Cinquefoil (potentilla)
French lilac (not standard, rounder/smaller leaves, very branchy,, more fragrant)

Shrubs they will shelter under if they must:
Spirea
Mountain honeysuckle
Upright juniper
3 feet+ tall grasses


Trees/shrubs they won't go near (for resting)
Antique roses
Any cleared to a height easy to mow under

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I have loads of lilies in my run. Also daffodils and surprise llies (naked ladies). All of these are toxic to chickens. But no worries, the chickens don't eat them! They snuggle under them for shade and dig and scratch around them for bugs. Of course they also fertilize them. This makes the lilies very happy! My run is divided in half (it's quite large) so I was able to keep the chickens off the "garden" for a year while the plants were getting established. There is also some very tough grass on both sides of the run that they have not been able to destroy in spite of their best efforts.

 

[Side_Chick]

Depends upon size of run vs number of chickens vs cleaning out accessibility.

Personally, stuff for cover. I don't actually have a run. I have a coop which gets opened daily. They go all over the yard. They like places to hang out where they can see but not be seen. Overhead cover (over chickens' heads not human sized) so aerial predators can't see them. Mesh screen doesn't feel like protection.

Trees/shrubs my birds like to chill under:
Russian pea tree (caragana?)
Russian olive
Cinquefoil (potentilla)
French lilac (not standard, rounder/smaller leaves, very branchy,, more fragrant)

Shrubs they will shelter under if they must:
Spirea
Mountain honeysuckle
Upright juniper
3 feet+ tall grasses


Trees/shrubs they won't go near (for resting)
Antique roses
Any cleared to a height easy to mow under

Great ideas - thank you

 

[Side_Chick]

Depends upon size of run vs number of chickens vs cleaning out accessibility.

Personally, stuff for cover. I don't actually have a run. I have a coop which gets opened daily. They go all over the yard. They like places to hang out where they can see but not be seen. Overhead cover (over chickens' heads not human sized) so aerial predators can't see them. Mesh screen doesn't feel like protection.

Trees/shrubs my birds like to chill under:
Russian pea tree (caragana?)
Russian olive
Cinquefoil (potentilla)
French lilac (not standard, rounder/smaller leaves, very branchy,, more fragrant)

Shrubs they will shelter under if they must:
Spirea
Mountain honeysuckle
Upright juniper
3 feet+ tall grasses


Trees/shrubs they won't go near (for resting)
Antique roses
Any cleared to a height easy to mow under

Great ideas - thank you