Plants in the run

[southdeb]

Good day!

Hope you all are doing well.
I was wondering if there is any plant that I could plant in the run that my chickens won't eat
I would love to have some green there

Do you have any ideas? Do anyone have plants in the run? Would love to see some pictures

Thanks!

 

[chickengirl778]

There's almost nothing chicken's won't eat, or at least try . Maybe some small pine trees?? I have mint and some other herbs poking through the wire and they are almost dead.... The herbs are good for them and make the coop smell nice when you put them in though...

 

[chickengirl778]

Found out that butterfly bushes, juniper, fir, (NO YEW TOXIC), rosebushes, and Hawthorn will work sometimes. However, you will probably have to cage the plants until they can stand up to the chickens. They are vicious with plants

 

[GldnValleyHens]

Unless your run is decent sized it isn't worth it, except for some shade shrubs or something, but the ground can't be hard packed dirt like most chicken runs or nothing can establish roots in it, at least not very well. Some people grow grass, lettuce and clover from seed, with a wire cage thing over it, and as the leafy green stuff grows through the wire, the chickens eat it, and the cycle goes on and on.

 

[jthornton]

I'm working on building some grass boxes to line the perimeter of the chain link fence. I had them perpendicular to the fence but the chickens did a lot of running over them and standing on them so I'm changing to a 12" x 48" size.

JT