Vegetation in run?

[K0k0shka]

a chocolate vine

Oooo, that sounds awesome! Do you get actual beans from it? Have you made anything with them?

 

[CatWhisperer]

Google chocolate vine. It doesn’t produce chocolate. But it is evergreen where I live.

 

[aart]

Woody vines like wisteria, honeysuckle, etc. may be easier to protect. Plus they are fast growing.

But it will take over and ruin your mesh runs walls/roof.

 

[K0k0shka]

Google chocolate vine. It doesn’t produce chocolate. But it is evergreen where I live.

Ooh... that's right, the actual chocolate tree is not a vine... And I should know that because I've seen a real one, duh Just looked it up. Looks cool! But it's invasive in the US so I'll pass. I was considering letting some kind of vine crawl up the back wall of the run, but something local that ideally won't get too heavy and weigh down the run structure.

 

[FortCluck]

I use rose bushes, but I grow them in big pots until they get big enough to where the chickens don't destroy them. The chickens don't touch them, but use them for shade.

You can do any type of bush, but grow it in a big pot first then transplant it into the run. You can also just leave it in the pot then the roots will always be protected.

 

[CatWhisperer]

This is my coop that has the chocolate vine on the corner and grape vine on front. The chocolate vine was planted 5 years ago and the grapevine 3 years ago. They are not invading anything.

 

[Shadrach]

I don't have chickens yet but I'm hoping to get some in the spring. In addition to my coop, which will be a converted area of my existing barn, I plan to build an enclosed run that will be approx 20×20'. Is it beneficial to add any vegetation in the run? I was in a work meeting the other day and looking out the window and we have large rhododendrons outside, and I was thinking wow, what a great plant to provide shelter and allow for roosting (already have chicken brain haha!).

So just curious- would it in fact be a good idea to plant something like a rhododendron for shade/shelter/roosting, or will it just take up too much space with minimal benefit?

Yes, large shrubs are a very good idea in a run. Favorites here are large thyme and rosemary bushes and some species of dwarf pine.

 

[K0k0shka]

This is my coop that has the chocolate vine on the corner and grape vine on front. The chocolate vine was planted 5 years ago and the grapevine 3 years ago. They are not invading anything.

Ooh that looks nice!! I definitely want some kind of vine. The grapevine is still young and thin in this photo, but they do get very thick as they grow. Like a real tree. But at least they are extremely prunable, so you can shape it however you want and keep it from overtaking the structure. The chickens will enjoy any dropped grapes, too.

 

[Matilda Belle]

I made grazing boxes for my chickens.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

A wild grape volunteered over the corner of our smallest run. The chickens seem to have no interest in it, so it provides shade over that one corner. We had also planted lilies in a garden that has now become their big run, and they don't bother those either except to find shade under them and fertilize them. They don't seem to bother any of my flower bulbs, which I have all over the property. Everything else is big old trees which they can't harm. We gave up on gardening except for the flowers.