i need some cheap decor ideas

[natalie53079]

My 8 first-time chicks are nearly ready for their big-girl coop outside. I've spent days working on my coop with my dad, and I'm really pleased with how it's coming along! Their coop will look adorable when finished, painted and even has shutters like a little house. My backyard, however, is not so adorable. As of now, it's so dull and ugly. I guess I just don't want my pretty new coop sitting back in a muddy mess. I have visions of potted plants, stepping stones out to the coop and boxes full of lushes greenery that the girls can eat. I don't have a large budget to play with ($75 or less) and I really don't have a "green-thumb". Can someone tell me things to plant that look pretty can won't hurt my chickens to nibble, or ways to spruce up a red-clay backyard before my coop gets in place and I can take a picture with pride of my new coop

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

What ever you plant for them to nibble on, will be nibbled on down to the dirt. Chickens will denude everything in your yard. Not even a blade of grass has the chance in the yard. So I wouldn't put too much time or money into landscaping as they are going to turn it into dirt in no time. At least mine have destroyed everything in their path!

Enjoy your new adventure and welcome to our flock!

 

[liz9910]

Welcome to BYC! x2 on TwoCrows advice.

 

[natalie53079]

What about a couple rolls of sod? Can chickens eat sod or would it hurt them? Or would they just destroy it ?

 

[WhitneyG]

They will eat every last piece of green I have a little cute sign that says "Chickens at play" hanging on my outdoor run, so you could decorate it in some way like that.
Enjoy your chickens

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Rocks, big ones, and the like, garden gnomes? There is a list of (hopefully) chicken proof plants in the Learning Center https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-proof-plants What do you have locally that would be on that list? Otherwise you are looking at caged of fenced off plants if you let the chickens near them.

 

[gander007]

 

[lizmcd]

Welcome to BYC.. I have Jasmine planted around my coop. It loves to climb on the chicken wire, looks beautiful and smells good in bloom, it's also evergreen & is very durable my girls don't bother it. Also I went to my local dollar store and picked up some cute stuff for decorating. I also took scrap plywood or 1X4's cut them small and made my own signs. I just used polyurethane over the words I pained on after the signs dried so they would hold up to the weather. Then used twine from the $ store and stapled it on in a loop on two sides and they look great. Hope this helps. Your own hand made decorations are always the best.

 

[drumstick diva]

Maybe you could put some houseplants (in pots) around the coop take pictures fast - then put plants back in house.

Just show the before picture all the time - so no one sees what damage chickens can cause.

I agree that you can make cute signs cheaply - look at some of the pictures in the coop section for ideas or if you want to name you coop etc.