Plants Chickens won't eat?

[lubelle]

I am wanting to plant some tall perennials around the chicken coop for shade in the summer and possibly some other flowers around the coop. However, I do let my hens free range during the day? Will it be possible to plant anything that the chickens won't eat? Has anyone had luck with certain flowers/plants that the hens tend to stay away from? They stayed away from the Society Garlic plant for a while, but eventually ate it. They are fed quite well and have plenty of chicken snacks, etc. Thanks for any input.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Hi lubelle, here is a link from the BYC Learning Center on plants that have been successfully grown in chicken runs. I have rosemary and lavender growing around the outside of the run and the chickens do not eat either. I have grapevines growing over top of the run, which the chickens eat a lot. That's funny how they can suddenly turn on a plant after ignoring it for so long.

 

[HudspethsHens]

I am wanting to plant some tall perennials around the chicken coop for shade in the summer and possibly some other flowers around the coop. However, I do let my hens free range during the day? Will it be possible to plant anything that the chickens won't eat? Has anyone had luck with certain flowers/plants that the hens tend to stay away from? They stayed away from the Society Garlic plant for a while, but eventually ate it. They are fed quite well and have plenty of chicken snacks, etc. Thanks for any input.

Good to know about the society garlic around my run so may just see how they do. We are having a problem with mosquitoes this year and while I have not standing water around they are just bad. So I am on the war path and am planting any plants that will keep them away.

 

[Compost King]

I found the hard way that chickens will eat anything if they run out of plants they like to forage. Not everyone has the same experience I had so don't let this negative post discourage you for doing what you do, your chickens might not be as forage crazy as mine were. I have a Nursery where I grow trees that chickens will not eat but when I ran out of grass and weeds for them to eat they started eating my ever greens stunting their growth for a year. I would allow chickens to go through my nursery because they ate the weeds in the pots but not the trees.

 

[PajamaGardener]

I don't know about tall plants, but my girls have not been interested in my salvia hotlips or my pineapple sage (shrubs

), nor my little violas or lambs ears.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I'm in Zone 4: When my flock is free ranging they don't seem to eat the hollyhocks, daylilies, iris, cup plant, hydrangea bush, lilac bush, and coneflowers.

 

[PajamaGardener]

Lilac and coneflowers ... I am sold.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Mine don’t seem to have eaten the hosta’s or basil but that’s about it

 

[greenwos]

I'm in Zone 4: When my flock is free ranging they don't seem to eat the hollyhocks, daylilies, iris, cup plant, hydrangea bush, lilac bush, and coneflowers.

Good to know! I have a very wild and overgrown flower garden (previous owners, not me) and was hoping to send the chickens in there to do the dirty work and start cleaning it up. I want to keep the lavender, hydrangea, and peonies. I was going to try and protect protect all of those, but won’t worry too much about it, except the peonies.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Good to know! I have a very wild and overgrown flower garden (previous owners, not me) and was hoping to send the chickens in there to do the dirty work and start cleaning it up. I want to keep the lavender, hydrangea, and peonies. I was going to try and protect protect all of those, but won’t worry too much about it, except the peonies.

I have lots of different colored peonies. My flock leaves them completely alone expect for the ants that are attracted to them.