plant life in run?

[urbanfarmette]

i am thinking of putting a bush of some sort in my run. will the hens destroy it? what kind should i get? something really hardy like a cedar or landscape hedge? i was thinking of a berry bush (raspberry or currant berry etc) but i'm wondering if it will last. the run will be about 6ft high and 4 ft wide so nothing too large. i would like to add the bush as a form of entertainment, shade, and hiding place for the hens.

jessica

 

[Capvin]

I have a run that is 8 ft X 16Ft and in a small part of it I put in some grass sod. The rest is sand as where we are the ground is naturally sandy. They do love pecking around in the grass but seem to like the sandy part equally well. Also we have palmettos that grow naturally and even though we did clear the ground when we constructed the run some small palmettos are coming up. They do like to play with the leaves so I would imagine that you could plant a bush in their run and they would like it. I would make sure that is quite hardy because even as little chicks they are rough on everything.

 

[Naughty]

I have planted a mulberry tree in my chicken yard - but i have a hardware cloth guard around it until it gets old enough to survive them on its own - but i figure in 10 years i'll have free berries for my kids and my feathered kids too lol