Plants around the run, for them to eat, not shade?

[CatsandCrops]

We are currently building our coop and our run - the run will be 100% fenced in with hardware cloth (and buried 2 feet down) since we have tons of predators in our area. Our ladies and gent wont be able to free range, even with us outside with them, due to the massive amounts of hawks. I want to plant veggies, herbs etc around the outside of the run specifically for the chickies to snack on and will also be growing fodder indoors to supplement. We will have shade provided so there's no need for vines only etc.

I also have built two moveable/wired boxes that I will have inside the run covering an area that we can grow plants inside the run with but they are unable to get to the roots.

A lot of the searching I've done for plants focus on shade vs production of additional food - any thoughts on what would work best for us? We're in Northern Ohio and will begin planting things outdoors in early May for our gardens so I'd like to start the chick garden at that time too.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

For the covered in the run stuff, I’ll probably use wheat, clover, and some sunflower in my similar setup. I bet regular old grass seed would work too.

Outside my run I plant a lot of herbs...mint,lavender, etc.The hardware cloth should block them from picking at the outside the run stuff.

Happy chicken gardening!

 

[Chickweed9]

I want to do something like this...

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

What I have outside the run is a raised bed against the run (welded wire) with chicken wire added to the bottom of the fence so they can’t reach through and peck at the bed until the plants get tall enough.

My primary goal isn’t feeding the chickens with these plants, thus the added protection.

 

[rosemarythyme]

What I have outside the run is a raised bed against the run (welded wire) with chicken wire added to the bottom of the fence so they can’t reach through and peck at the bed until the plants get tall enough.

My primary goal isn’t feeding the chickens with these plants, thus the added protection.

I have something similar, I have a raised bed against the back wall of the run (chain link with hardware cloth up the bottom few feet) and I trellis peas up the chain link. The chickens are allowed to pick at anything that sticks through that they can reach and the hardware cloth helps provide some extra predator protection as well as protecting the plants, as the chickens can and will attempt to rip them out through the chain link.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

The extra predator protection is a plus...another is that I find it helps keep all those leaves I throw into the chicken run from getting kicked or blown back out of the run (I hate picking up the same leaf twice).

 

[CatsandCrops]

I want to do something like this...
View attachment 2087479

That's a good idea!! We have some bricks laying around; that could work. Any thoughts on what you are planting?

 

[Chickweed9]

That's a good idea!! We have some bricks laying around; that could work. Any thoughts on what you are planting?

Chicken friendly herbs and flowers. Nothing I care a whole lot about or is expensive. That way when the chickens destroy it I won’t be upset!