Oleander and tips for a chicken compatible garden?

[Nako]

I want to plant grass in the run of my coop! San Antonio has passed a law against free ranging, so we extended our run to 88 sqft. I also plan on picking up edible flower seeds in the spring (nastarums, pansies, and other cheap yet fast growing plants) to grow in pots for the chickens. From our experience our gals also love, love, love pepper plants and baby lettuce plants. It's tough growing a garden with chickens about...

 

[Cherstin]

I have a few oleander in my yard, too, along with a few eggs in the incubator, so I was really interested in this thread. The more I read on, it started to occur to me that perhaps the chickens and oleander are more beneficial than dangerous to one another? In Florida (and probably elsewhere, too), our oleander are extremely susceptible to oleander caterpillars. I'm pretty sure they turn into a moth: they're orange with black muffs. They eat the trees down to sticks, and it's a horrible sight to look at. I wonder if the chickens eat those, so perhaps they appreciate the plant being around?

Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying to *plant* oleander for that reason, I'm just kind of thinking out loud about it. I had planned on moving mine once the chickens are out of the brooder, but if I continue to follow this thread, I might change my mind.

Thank you, all, for the personal responses. I always like hearing people's personal experiences more than just reading a list of "rules" from a book.

 

[Melissa Rose]

Hi

I know them as spider flower or cleome. I have them growing every where too! They are beautiful and everybody loves them! I see small wild birds hanging from them eating the seed pods to. Truly beautiful!!! Thanks for the tip that the chicks love to eat them

 

[Nero192]

Well, after my 12 hens scratch under the bunch of big oleander bushes on my lot for years without any problems I come to the conclusion that they know whats good for them. I have never see them picking up a leaf nor pecking it of the bushes. They just scratch for bugs and seeds under the bushes. Btw, I also have 5 Golden Retrievers on the lot and same here. Have never had any problems with Oleander bushes.

Just my 2 cent.