How to plant mint around your coop

[325512]

They say that you can keep rodents away by planting mint around your coop, and that chickens eat mint. So, how do you plant mint so that your chickens do not destroy the plants? Mint is perennial, and so if planted correctly, you will not need to plant it again. The mint needs to be planted around the coop, but what do you do to protect the plants from being destroyed by your chickens?

 

[TalkALittle]

First make sure you want the mint and don't mind it spreading everywhere. It's a very invasive plant. Having grown a number of varieties, it's easy for me to believe that mint is the one plant that could stand up to chickens.

Secondly, while mint is a mild deterrent to rodents, chicken feed is a huge attractant to rodents. Do the math. You'll end up with mint that you can never get rid of and you'll still have rodents.

 

[McChooky]

I planted 2 mint plants in my chicken run. My 4 chickens devoured them within a couple of days. They LOVED it. I am just hoping it will grow more. Right now, it just looks like stems…lol

The only reason my mints alive is I planted it outside the run not in it.The mint doing great.They almost killed my beautiful butterfly bush but I moved it.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

The only reason my mints alive is I planted it outside the run not in it.The mint doing great.They almost killed my beautiful butterfly bush but I moved it.

^^^
Planting mint or other mounding, running plants (creeping thyme, oregano, etc) outside the run and allowing it to grow inward is very effective, can help with minor smells, relatively quickly covers things like predator aprons with a low carpet, provides a nice, rustic beauty, and is COMPLETELY ineffective as a bug/rodent repellent.

In season, it has some minor nutritional value, too - but mostly its (oregano, thyme) good for seasoning your birds and seasoning your drinks (mint for a mojito) on a hot day.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Has anyone tried planting mint in a chicken run? I'd like to grow some mint in my run but I know it spreads like crazy and I don't want to taking over everything and even spreading into the yard

Believe me. Your chickens will prevent the mint from spreading. Chickens could kill out Kudzu.

 

[WthrLady]

Funny story about the tenacity of mint. I had it in my garden. I never cared that it spread everywhere as I would just cut it down and walk on it where I didn't actually want it to be. Fast forward a couple of years and the garden was the spot for the new barn. LOTS of digging and scraping. 3 feet of new dirt. 18 inches of gravel and stone on top of that. and this spring? I moved a box in the barn to find a 12 inch tall mint sprig growing IN THE BARN, not even any sun!

You don't plant mint, or grow mint. You bend to it's whim and hope it doesn't drive you crazy. You co-exist with mint.

 

[aart]

I have a lot of mint that I need to transplant. But there was a nest of rats living inside the mint bush. So I don't think it repels them.

Well, that takes care of that myth.

 

[Megan Sterling]

First make sure you want the mint and don't mind it spreading everywhere. It's a very invasive plant. Having grown a number of varieties, it's easy for me to believe that mint is the one plant that could stand up to chickens.

Secondly, while mint is a mild deterrent to rodents, chicken feed is a huge attractant to rodents. Do the math. You'll end up with mint that you can never get rid of and you'll still have rodents.

Put some ground chillies in chicken for for rodents... good to keep both mice and mites from the koop. Chickens can’t taste chillies, mites can taste it on their skin, and mice can taste it and don’t like it.
Agree, mint is pretty invasive, and therefore easy to grow (especially in wetter climates).
Busy transplanting some into my run so to keep the place smelling fresher

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I always find wild min in wet areas with great soil. Does it grow in drier soil types?

I used to raise it in TX (drink a lot of mojitos there, very popular!) and do it in my raised beds in FL (I'm on a hill, so my raised beds are about 175' above sea level - which in FL is a "hill"). The stems can get a bit woody in drier conditions, and the edges of the leaves a bit brown and damaged, but yes, it will still do quite well.

Like anything, it can struggle in very dense clay soils (which is why mine is in raised beds), or nutrient poor sands (where it can spread rapidly/easily, but will never thrive, just get "leggy"). But if you have chickens, you have good soil - or will, in time.

Half convinced early man found it as a weed which outcompeted almost everything, and decided to eat it to keep it under control!

 

[Kidwantschickens]

I used to raise it in TX (drink a lot of mojitos there, very popular!) and do it in my raised beds in FL (I'm on a hill, so my raised beds are about 175' above sea level - which in FL is a "hill"). The stems can get a bit woody in drier conditions, and the edges of the leaves a bit brown and damaged, but yes, it will still do quite well.

Like anything, it can struggle in very dense clay soils (which is why mine is in raised beds), or nutrient poor sands (where it can spread rapidly/easily, but will never thrive, just get "leggy"). But if you have chickens, you have good soil - or will, in time.

Half convinced early man found it as a weed which outcompeted almost everything, and decided to eat it to keep it under control!

I'll give it a go then. Honestly I'm 95% sure that NitroGreen killed my lawn. They were supposed to fertilize and weed kill and next thing you know the whole thing is dead. They claimed I wasn't watering it enough. So I feel like nothing grows here.

We do have dry sandy soil, rocky mountains are truly rocky. Lol. Anything is worth a go to have some green. I don't care if it is stemmy and takes over the yard honestly. It would be nice to have green.