Looking for a bush / tree to plant that chickens won't eat as it grows, north east facing

[Sire12]

I was digging in the yard for soil to fill pots and by the time I filled each pot I had dug a hole roughly 6 foot long by 3 deep and about 3 across, at first I thought I could fit a tiny pond in here with a few minnows but I wouldn't be able to upkeep that well and would need to buy a filter etc, plus I'm not sure whether the chooks might try and fish them out or not, so since the hole is there and took a while to dig I'm wondering if there's something beneficial that I could plant there for them like a berry bush but is there anything that they won't peck at while its growing without having to fence it off? I really like pyracantha but I'm not sure if the thorns would put them off from eating the leaves

 

[SueT]

Mine don't eat the Chinese elm seedlings that came up in and around their run. Ditto for tomato plants, basil plants, and prolific weeds such as lambs quarter and pigweed....all of these can grow to a bushy size and not be eaten, but you still might have to protect them from trampling.

 

[chickens really]

Lilac trees...Mine don't bother those and use them as shelter...

 

[RWise]

My rooster took it on himself to kill out a flower that grew here, wandering jew, anyway he goes out in it, and starts ripping it out, all the while telling the girls "eat this", in 2 days it was all gone. There is none left there today! They will eat anything, tomatoes, basil, polk, sour dock, absolutely luv lambs quarter, but I eat those too, they will eat anything! Even if it kills them,,,

 

[kwhites634]

Lilac trees...Mine don't bother those and use them as shelter...

My lilac's a bush, but chickens definitely like to hang out under it.

 

[aart]

a hole roughly 6 foot long by 3 deep and about 3 across

That's a pretty big hole!
If you do plant something there, where will you get the soil to cover the roots of the new plants?!

What ever you might plant, best to fence it off from the birds until it's well established.

 

[kwhites634]

I was digging in the yard for soil to fill pots and by the time I filled each pot I had dug a hole roughly 6 foot long by 3 deep and about 3 across, at first I thought I could fit a tiny pond in here with a few minnows but I wouldn't be able to upkeep that well and would need to buy a filter etc, plus I'm not sure whether the chooks might try and fish them out or not, so since the hole is there and took a while to dig I'm wondering if there's something beneficial that I could plant there for them like a berry bush but is there anything that they won't peck at while its growing without having to fence it off? I really like pyracantha but I'm not sure if the thorns would put them off from eating the leaves

Holly? One sex has the red berries, which would for sure attract the chickens, but the other sex doesn't; I don't know which is which.
Azalias?(sp)
Yew?
Whatever you get, 'specially if it produces berries, make sure it isn't toxic to chickens. I know the Yew is toxic to horses; don't know about chickens. Most animals have sense enough not to eat anything that's bad for them, but chickens ain't the sharpest knives in the drawer, so who knows?