Landscaping around coop/run?

[jthornton]

Anything short of a tree that you plant where chickens can get to it will be eaten to nub in short order if it is not protected. Pots are perfect dust bath places for chickens. I use grass boxes for my grass so they can't eat it down to the ground and kill it.



JT

 

[boatagor]

I am going to put some of the frames inside the run to grow grass that they can't decimate. I can't free range so when they are out of the coop, they are in a moveable fence. I could always keep fence away from the plants until they are well established so they aren't destroyed.

 

[jthornton]

In the winter time I sprout wheat and toss that out for some green treats every afternoon.

JT

 

[andreanar]

I'm planting lavender, oregano, parsley, catmint, nasturtium and sunflowers inside the run and around the coop this year. Protecting the roots of course, otherwise it would all be destroyed in a day!

 

[Hopperkiller]

I am going to put some of the frames inside the run to grow grass that they can't decimate. I can't free range so when they are out of the coop, they are in a moveable fence. I could always keep fence away from the plants until they are well established so they aren't destroyed.

A friend has an area of raised beds in her dedicated chicken yard. She planted cherry or grape variety of tomatoes. I was surprised how well that worked. They used the bush to hide from 100 degree sun and they did not touch a tomato till it turned to red. She had indeterminate variety of tomato that produced the whole season. She also planted grapevines for shade and gave in when she saw the chickens hopping trying to get the grapes. I didnt look but i bet she protected the soil with chicken wire around the tomatoes so they didnt dig them up. I am gonna move my 1/2 plastic barrel pots next to my run and dedicate a couple of tomato plants for mine. I dont grow beans but after reading this thread i may have to plant some viney type of beans.

PS called my friend. They wrapped chicken wire around tomato cage and turned it upside down on the plant, removed it when plant was established. They never saw any tomato worms or ripe tomatoes on those plants.

 

[rosemarythyme]

They never saw any tomato worms or ripe tomatoes on those plants.

I can confirm that you'll never see any unripe cherry tomatoes either. My chickens happily ate any they could get, ripe or not.

 

[Folly's place]

I planted a river birch on the south side of the coop for shade, and viburnums, and kousa dogwood off to the side. On the west side and north sides are large spruces for shade and winter windbreak. Then there's catnip near the coop; the birds don't eat it.
LG has a good plant list here!
Fruit trees and shrubs, native non-toxic trees and shrubs, and garden herbs all work well, depending on siting and your soil.
Wood chips and mulch get rearranged bigtime!
I put some 2" to 4" diameter rocks around the tree and shrubs right up near the coop, to protect them.
Mary

 

[Mahlzeit]

Nice looking coop!

This is what I like using for coop landscaping...

Fruit trees, squash & Sunflowers: Not only do chickens love to eat fallen fruit, squash (even squash seeds) and sunflower seeds (if you let them out) but they benefit the plants by eating the bugs, which helps keep them nice and healthy.

Avoid bark/wood chips for landscaping: Even if you keep chickens in the coop, and the bark is on the outside, bark, wood chips travel easily and often cause foot problems in chickens.

I disagree with your wood chip theory. I have my chicken run loaded with wood chips and it has been amazing. I have never had a foot injury, it creates movement and exercise for the birds because they have to scratch in it to find their treats, it keeps the run from getting muddy and smelly, their manure gets mixed in isn't sitting there attracting flies and it turns into amazing compost.

 

[Teila]

Granted, I only have bantams but I have potted ferns in their run; they like to lay under them in the dirt.

Yes, they do jump up and pick off the lower leaves but the taller parts are doing OK. I have rocks in the top of the pots to stop the girls digging in them and it makes the pots a bit heavier and less likely to topple when one does jump on the pot.

I also have 'recovering ferns' in the shade house so if one in particular it taking a bit of a beating from some high jumping I can switch it out and let it 'recover' for a while.

This one is growing both inside and outside of the run:

You can see a bantam chicken laying under the ferns and no way she is getting those top leaves

Sorry, not the best pictures but I took them in a hurry cos I should be working

 

[17 chickens]

I plant a vegetable garden for my chickens next to my run but fenced off from the deer... Planted sunflowers peas, beans cucumber and anything that will climb to give them shade but fresh veges. I have place hardware cloth on outside of fencing so the wont eat it to the ground but lets me pick it to give to them.