Plants in run

[Cheep a'lil Talk a'lil]

I would like to plant some plants in the run that the chickens would enjoy. I know I would have to protect them and get some good growth. We live in the Pacific Northwest and get tons of rain in the fall, winter and will I guess the spring too! Any suggestions?

 

[4 luv of eggs]

I would get some windowbox planters and sprout some sunflower seeds or maybe some grass seed (the kind without built-in fertilizer). After they sprout and get some growth on them, put one in the run and leave the other(s) to grow. When the chick eat all the growth in one box, switch them out and sprout some more in one you just took out. Revolving smorgasbord!

 

[teach1rusl]

You could always go the blueberry, raspberry, blackberry route. You would definitely have to protect them for the first year or two until they got big enough. I've got berries, azalias, and a form of bamboo. Obviously the latter two are just for shade and a more natural look. I'm keeping everything in a circle of chicken wire until they grow a bit. I'd just choose things that are hardy that will grow in your area, and that grow large enough for the chickens to perhaps crawl up under (for shade and such) when mature.

 

[Cheep a'lil Talk a'lil]

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What a fantastic idea, I think I'll give it a go! Thank you so much!!

 

[Cheep a'lil Talk a'lil]

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Awwww, blackberrys, my old nemesis!

We cleared 1/3 of our land from blackberrys two years ago and continue to snip the runners regularly. The coop and run are at the edge of our property along the fence line. The land next door is for sale so they only mow it once a year. Their blackberrys are going nuts along the fence line and will easily be growing into the run. Not to mention the runners already in there. Good to know they will be having fun with them, thanks! Hopefully they will be able to keep them trimmed down so I won't have to.

 

[Ms~Silkie~Girl]

I would put up planters, thats what we did, and the chickens havent bothered them...yet. Today i planted some of the last of the plwer seeds we have left and i saw them scraching there already, so i dont think plating anything on the ground would stay there for more than an hour.

 

[teach1rusl]

Cheep a'lil Talk a'lil :

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Awwww, blackberrys, my old nemesis!

We cleared 1/3 of our land from blackberrys two years ago and continue to snip the runners regularly. The coop and run are at the edge of our property along the fence line. The land next door is for sale so they only mow it once a year. Their blackberrys are going nuts along the fence line and will easily be growing into the run. Not to mention the runners already in there. Good to know they will be having fun with them, thanks! Hopefully they will be able to keep them trimmed down so I won't have to.

Yeah...my brother has been fighting honeysuckle vines with a vengeance around his place, while I would LOVE to find some to plant around my run. I know it's invasive, but it smells wonderful, and could provide some wonderful shade if I could plant some to grow up and around my run... And yes...your chickens should thoroughly enjoy the blackberries if they come over the fence...​

 

[Cheep a'lil Talk a'lil]

Their run is under two huge cedar trees so they get plenty of shade. I was working out there today and saw some Morning Glorys growing back. I thought most of them were torn out with the blackberries but looks as if they are making a come back too. The blackberries and Morning Gs were fighting for control over the yard (ha ha I won!) it will be interesting to see how well the ladies keep them under control or if I have to step in again.

 

[darkmatter]

Tomatoes. Grow them in a chicken proof cage cylinder up to a trellis and the tomatoes will drop free food till frost to the chickens and grow really well in the chicken run. I built my tomato trellis out of concrete remesh wire, 3 cages with a remesh trellis connecting all 3 at the top, planted the tomatoes, then wrapped the cages with a finer mesh that I can remove for planting/weeding etc.

 

[Cheep a'lil Talk a'lil]

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Great idea! I would have never thought about planting them their own veggie garden. I'm thinking maybe I can plant the tomatoes on the outside of the fence and as it grows larger I can poke some of the stems through the fence (using chain link).
Thanks for sharing!

Oh and off topic, I read your BYC page and had no idea about the pine needles in with the sand for dusting. We have plenty of pine needles up here!!