Potted plants

[TheQuackHouseCW]

Im thinking of putting some potted herbs and marigolds in the chicken run. Has anyone had success with this? The intention would be to allow them to eat it but not destroy it.... This is a new run this year. so its a blank slate. if not potted plants how have you all added a "garden" to your runs? extra points for pictures!!

 

[igorsMistress]

Hi there. No matter what you put in a run with chickens you’ll need a cage around it for protection and some bricks or large rocks near the base so they don’t bathe under it.

That green wire fencing works great for making cages. Keeps a nice round shape and reusable. You’ll need to pin it down and your flocks can pick at the greens through the bars. Tomato cages wrapped in chicken wire also work great.

Grass frames are also useful.. make a square or rectangle with 2x4s with the 2” side as top and bottom. Attach HWC and plant grass seed. They can nip off the ends but not dig it all up. Or grow it, move the frame to a new spot so they can dig up the old one and start again in a new spot.

Be sure to check for toxicity before putting anything in for them to munch.

I don’t have pics on my phone of the cages, will post some later.

 

[TheQuackHouseCW]

Hi there. No matter what you put in a run with chickens you’ll need a cage around it for protection and some bricks or large rocks near the base so they don’t bathe under it.

That green wire fencing works great for making cages. Keeps a nice round shape and reusable. You’ll need to pin it down and your flocks can pick at the greens through the bars. Tomato cages wrapped in chicken wire also work great.

Grass frames are also useful.. make a square or rectangle with 2x4s with the 2” side as top and bottom. Attach HWC and plant grass seed. They can nip off the ends but not dig it all up. Or grow it, move the frame to a new spot so they can dig up the old one and start again in a new spot.

Be sure to check for toxicity before putting anything in for them to munch.

I don’t have pics on my phone of the cages, will post some later.

Thank you. This is what I was thinking I’d have to do in terms of the “grow box” I’m curious about the upright cages though. I will have to investigate that.

 

[igorsMistress]

Thank you. This is what I was thinking I’d have to do in terms of the “grow box” I’m curious about the upright cages though. I will have to investigate that.

If you use tomato cages covered in chicken wire a lot of things with smaller leaves will grow right through the holes in the wire. If you trim the top off dill, my chickens love it, it’ll get really bushy.