Landscaping the chicken home

[4CiTyCHicHENs]

SUNFLOWERS!!!!

Bamboo?!?! the back of my run is gettin it! that way in the winter it will protect from wind, rain & in the summer look beautiful!!

 

[NoelTate]

What a fun thread! I am getting ready to build a new coop that will house my four birds as well as my chickens, so I had been thinking about plants I might could incorporate. Likely, they will kill anything I try to plant inside, but I do plan to have plants along the outside. The idea of a stump inside the coop is great, though...a HUGE oak tree in my field fell during a hurricane years back. It is too big to cut up, even with the largest chainsaw I can find. I have tried to burn it, but the fire always dies out before much damage is done. It still has not rotted. I think I will just build the coop around it and let the chickens run around on it! It'll give them something to entertain themselves with, and they will probably make it rot faster.

 

[scooter147]

I planted bamboo on the west side of my run (outside of the run). It is hardy, grows thick so it provides lots of shade in the summer, stays green most of the year and I have found hard to kill. The stuff that grows to close that the hens can stick their head thruogh the wire gets eaten but it does grow up and out so there is some that grows up and through and over the run. It does spread through runners so it can be evasive so be careful were you plant it.

 

[4CiTyCHicHENs]

see, I thought Pampas Grass but, was quickly told that would be very evasive & hard to kill & bamboo was much easier to keep under control.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=310498

 

[delawarechickmom]

My next thought, we have a ton of peppermint growing in a planter box, because I love it in iced tea, and my rabbit and hamster loves it as a treat. Anyone see any harm in giving some to the girls, or planting it right outside the run to give it a change to invade the run? Worst case (as long as it's safe for them), is they will not like it and I would be able to keep something alive in their run. Also, I love the stump idea, we have a company in town that is harvesting some wood on their property and there are lots of stumps laying around. . .wonder if they would miss one or two or three - I'm beginning to see the process of building a playground out of stumps. . .hmmm.

 

[AnnainMD]

Quote:
To anyone interested in planting bamboo, please read about it first. I'd hate for anyone to plant it not realizing what they were getting into.
There are 2 types: clumping and running. This refers to it's growing habit. The running bamboo is very hard to stop running, it will eventually take over your yard, or at least large portions of it. The clumping type tends to form dense clumps and is supposedly easier to control. Please be aware that bamboo is extremely difficult to get rid of. You can't just cut it down like a tree, when you try to do that, it actually sends out several more shoots from the one stump, resulting in more stumps. From what I've read, when each stump is cut, it has to be covered with tar-type material or painted with an herbicide . In addition, the roots will send up new shoots. So you have to get rid of ALL the ROOTS.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/230034/how_to_kill_running_or_clumping_bamboo.html

Just type in "killing bamboo" into Google, it'll give you an idea of what you may be up against-before you plant!

 

[verlaj]

I was delighted to find out that they leave all of my salvias alone! Just have to prevent them from scratching them out by the roots - but they don't eat the leaves.

 

[NoelTate]

I have had both pompas grass and bamboo. Now, it might have been the type of bamboo I had, but I found it MUCH more invasive than the pompas. The pompas made one LARGE, thick clump over about 40 years. I cut it down several times, but it always came back. I even burned it, but it came back. Finally, it got too big for us to see to get out of the driveway, so I had to dig it. That was not an easy chore. On the other hand, my dad planted bamboo on our property about 25 years ago. I am still fighting it. Digging, pulling, spraying it with Round Up, whatever I can do to get rid of it. It has put up shoots a good 100 feet away from his original clump. It is beautiful in other places, and I think we should cultivate it for paper and building materials, but I don't want it in my yard!!! lol