Planting grass/plants inside run...

[Matilda Belle]

I was thinking about making a grazing garden for my chickens similar to the one pictured. Has anyone here tried it? Should I plant more than just grass?

I feel like a need more green space inside the run, but obviously the chickens eat everything. Is there a safe plant to plant inside the run that the chickens won't eat?

 

[azygous]

It's useless to try to get anything to grow inside a chicken run unless you want to make a career out of trying to cultivate it. Bottom line, it's a losing battle. Whatever is growing inside a run, whether or not the chickens find it tasty, it will be uprooted eventually due to those feet scratching in the dirt.

Those grazing frames are your best bet, but I've tried it and found it very time/cost ineffective and inefficient.

About the only plant, that's edible by the way, that can survive chicken activity is native bunch grass with deep vertical root systems rather than horizontal and shallow as sod grasses have. But it can take a couple years for the grass to become established and firmly rooted against chicken attempts to search and destroy.

 

[aart]

I liked the grazing frames, they do take time and effort to plant and maintain.
Haven't done much with them since I started using wood chippings tho.
Now I just toss some 'weeds', mostly sunchokes, in there for them to nosh on every few days.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/grazing-frames.73645/

 

[Matilda Belle]

I do really want to try the grazing frame.

For plants, I was thinking of maybe starting out with one lavender plant, surrounding it with rock/brick, and seeing what happens. That would probably improve the smell some too.

 

[aart]

For plants, I was thinking of maybe starting out with one lavender plant, surrounding it with rock/brick, and seeing what happens. That would probably improve the smell some too.

You'll have to put a wire mesh(holes smaller than a chicken head) cylinder around it too.
Long term, not sure seriously doubt it would be hardy enough to ever be left unprotected.

If your run smells, a lavender plant is not going to help much.
That's why I went to wood chip bedding, to 'eat up' the odors.

 

[Matilda Belle]

You'll have to put a wire mesh(holes smaller than a chicken head) cylinder around it too.
Long term, not sure seriously doubt it would be hardy enough to ever be left unprotected.

If your run smells, a lavender plant is not going to help much.
That's why I went to wood chip bedding, to 'eat up' the odors.

Will do! I think it's worth a try. My run doesn't smell terrible (I use fresh pine shavings weekly), but it could always smell better.

 

[harmonyp]

I try to fight the good fight. I always have a bag of rye grass seed. I sprinkle some new seed around every two weeks, and water every day. I try VERY hard to keep grass in the pens, sometimes I think I just don't learn the lesson... This doesn't look too bad as the pen had a couple month break before getting a new set of chicks. Grass is looking worse by the day... but never completely dies out. Looks better in winter (I'm in CA - desert-ish in summer)

 

[adickenscoop]

Here is a list of safe plants for chickens - http://www.poultrydvm.com/nontoxic.php

and toxic ones - http://www.chickendvm.com/toxic.php

 

[Matilda Belle]

I try to fight the good fight. I always have a bag of rye grass seed. I sprinkle some new seed around every two weeks, and water every day. I try VERY hard to keep grass in the pens, sometimes I think I just don't learn the lesson... This doesn't look too bad as the pen had a couple month break before getting a new set of chicks. Grass is looking worse by the day... but never completely dies out. Looks better in winter (I'm in CA - desert-ish in summer)
View attachment 1835603

That looks great! When you sprinkle the new seed, I assume you block off that area awhile so the chickens don't eat the seeds?

 

[harmonyp]

Silkiekeeper - I probably should, but don't. They don't seem all that interested in rye grass seed. And I rake the area and try to lightly cover the seed with soil.

I also didn't mention the thompson grapes planted around the outside. They grow like weeds, and the chickens absolutely love the leaves AND the grapes.