what can I grow in the garden that the chickens can eat

[chelsey21211]

?

 

[mbjr73]

I actually planted some Beans around the edge of the coop/run, figured they could munch on them if they want to., Mine love greens and maters..

 

[chelsey21211]

Thank you! That was my plan also to plant their snacks around the run

 

[RedneckGurl]

Chelsey,
I just purchased an excellent book "Free-Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken-Friendly Yard" that I have just begun reading, so I don't have any plant recommendations to make just yet. But for anyone who wants to plan their garden and yard with chickens in mind, I would say this is the book for you. I got mine new at Barnes & Noble for $19.99 but you can get it used on Amazon. Unless you get free shipping, though, it works out to be about the same for a used book as for a new one. Plus, I was able to start reading it right away instead of having to wait for it to arrive.

A really important page to read is #138 where the author lists plants which are TOXIC to chickens. From my standpoint, I think it would be even more important to know what NOT to plant than what to plant to keep healthy, happy chickens. We are building our coop and run adjacent to our garden plot and will allow the chickens to free range in the garden for short periods to do bug patrol and weed abatement. I plan to cover or protect most of the garden plants with either a short chicken wire fence or hoop, however, I do plan to leave a plant or two available for them to forage on to get some fresh veggies. And, of course, anything that should fall off the vine would be theirs to eat as well.