Plants for chickens and environmental enrichment????

[LostBoi73]

Hi I'm looking for ways to enrich the lives of my chickens. Don't get me wrong they have a good life having both a large enclosure and free range of out smallholding (14 acres) including muck heaps,fields and wooded areas. I've ordered some catnip as there are supposed to be good or at,east OK for chickens and are a natural antiseptic and insecticide. We also have many nettles and other wild plants but I want to put some in the run for days when I don't want them out. There is a grown over section of my run for them to forage in with wild plants and weeds. There are also scratch beds for them and places round the sides I can plant things. What can you suggest? For them to peck at or just enjoying. Also I see many things like swings on Web sites but being a dab hand and having both a wood and metal workshop's at hope I can make just about anything, what do you have that your chickens seem to love, even if it's just something you put in there to see before you throw it out of your house, I want to make their lives better and more engaging.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions and even if I don't use yours then I'm sure someone reading this will.
James

 

[CluckerFamily]

I have logs that stand up at different levels and are grouped together. I also have an antique wringer washer wood stand that the chickens can perch on throughout the day.
If you have old, unused chairs, you could add those to the run.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

branches can be put in there for perching and scratching

 

[3KillerBs]

Unless you take precautions to protect them, plants other than well-established bushes and trees do not generally survive in a chicken run.

Here's a very useful thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

My own modest contribution: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-“chickens-101”-articles-don’t-mention.76003/

And photos of my run, which is a bit overcrowded with *STUFF* to my eye right now, but which the chickens seems to enjoy.

(Yes, the photos don't all match. I've rearranged things several times adding additional chickens and moving the fence).

 

[LostBoi73]

I'm not so bothered about things surviving as the chickens having some fun. And mostly they are out free ranging. I just keep them in the enclosure for an hour first thing so they han eat in peace and not have the other chuks competing for food and then a hour or 2 before sundow until there ready to go into their coop and be full locked-down for the night

 

[bgmathteach]

I'm not so bothered about things surviving as the chickens having some fun. And mostly they are out free ranging. I just keep them in the enclosure for an hour first thing so they han eat in peace and not have the other chuks competing for food and then a hour or 2 before sundow until there ready to go into their coop and be full locked-down for the night

If you can keep something protected at the base, or at least until it gets established, here are some options:

Bamboo ( shoots are edible, grows tall enough to give them shade and something to 'traipse' through later in the season. Lot of varieties that grow anywhere from 2' tall to 10 or so feet tall. Clumping variety are less likely to spread than Running varieties. Chooks will probably keep it from spreading...but just be aware of that.

Mint: Any of the mints are healthy and fairly hardy once established. They can also take over an area, so be forewarned. (P.S. Catnip is a member of the mint family)

For annuals: Peas (planted next to run wire - either inside or outside the run), nasturtiums (ditto - next to run wire), and marigolds. All edible and good for chooks. Plan on them being destroyed unless base is protected. I plant peas in early spring outside my run. The tendrils grow through the wire & the chickens nibble on them without destroying the plant. I also plant nasturtiums outside & inside with marigolds. For inside, I built something like a grazer, but taller, and let the plants get to decent size/established, then let the chooks have at it.

You could also plant some shrubs (how tall is your run?) A blueberry bush or two - again, protected until established - would be a great hit, especially in july when the berries ripen! I planted a shrub in my run at my previous place with good results. Used 2x3 wire over ground where shrub was planted...then encased shrub with a cage of chicken wire. This kept them from scratching up roots and also from killing shrub by eating leaves until it got to decent size. Then removed cage, but kept the 2x3 wire on ground that shrub grew up through.

 

[Lizzy733]

Wrap a cloche around anything you plant until it gets established. We have lavender in our run and one big kaka beak. It's the perfect chicken shade, but I doubt you can get it overseas as it's an NZ native.

Grapes are great if you can get them to leave new buds alone.

I've also found adding legs to small pallets makes for a great climbing frame, though I recommend sanding the pallet first. We even have a 'porch' on our coop and another perch made of a big branch and two wooden stakes.

The ultimate is a dedicated covered dust bath though. We dug out a large pit and lined it with wooden garden edging and filled it with play sand and DE. It's directly under their coop and they 'live' in it on rainy days. There's enough room for the entire flock.