Gardening with chickens

[KingSpeck]

I'm just looking ahead to next spring and was wondering what plants (perennials/shrubs) you have found to be fairly chicken-proof. This was our first summer with our girls and not much made it in our yard. The majority of my flowers are in my front yard away from them but it would be nice to to have a few things out back. I'm in the mountains of N.C. probably a zone 7. Thanks.

 

[TheCoopers]

We have yucca's in various spots and they do not bother them of course.
When we let the chickens out to free range they enjoy the yucca areas for dirt baths and also hiding when the guinea or roo alerts to something not being right.
So the yucca serves 2 purposes for us.

 

[GooseGirl]

Well, I have to say how surprised I was at the destruction the chickens can do. As far as what did well, the zinnias, compacta hollies and other assorted hollies, and salvias were still standing at the end of the summer. I did notice that anything mulched with compost would be nearly dug up. They LOVE rose bushes, azeleas, rose of sharon, trumpet plants and any vegtable plant. Now, the girls free ranging is curtailed to give things a chance to recover. I live in deep east texas and I think all these things would do ok where you are.

 

[lngrid]

I've been wondering about this, too. Would it be a good idea to make up a list of landscape and garden plants chickens tend not to eat and have a sticky somewhere?

 

[rhoda_bruce]

They used to leave my Iris' and lilys alone. I have a vegetable garden and I use them with it, but for an entirely different reason than you are mentioning. I pasture them to do my weeding. I love not needing a lawnmower.

 

[The Zoo]

Mine never ate my penstemon. Of course I have now built them a completely separate chicken run so they can't get to the backyard any more.

 

[digitS']

About the only things that survive the "chicken attack" in my backyard are the iris and mints.

I have a fair number of mints and except for some scratching around at their roots, they are all in fairly good shape. These are herbs but there are lots of ornamentals in this family. Mint Family, Wikimedia As with you KingSpeck, most of my flowers are in the front yard and otherwise out of reach for the chickens.

One thing that helps limit the scratching and the roots and soil is a stone mulch. Your plants can grow between stones of about grapefruit size and be safe from uprooting. If you have questions about whether a rock can be turned over by one of your laying hens - go bigger rather than smaller. It's surprising what they can kick around the yard.

The Easy Garden has a Gardening With Animals forum with questions and answers about chickens.

Steve

 

[TarzantheChickenMan]

my birds smoked my wifes glads once and a while they maul a host otherwise they dont seem to eat much anything else once and a while they maul a hosta

 

[chookchick]

Look on the web and find a list of "deer resistant plants". I think you will find that these are ones that chickens will not touch, as this has been discussed in the past. They don't taste good, or are slightly poisonous, many smell strong. If you want to grow anything else, like a vegetable garden, you will have to fence it off. Little devils....but better than deer!

 

[thefishery]

Quote:
do they not eat your veggies?