What can I plant in the pen?

[TK Poultry]

well thankyou...... I was thinking about planting some things in the pen to give it some "wow" but I guess not now.... is there anything i could plant as like a border around to kind of maybe pretty it up that way

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Rocks. Logs. Plastic plants. Garden gnomes.

Seriously.

You can plant things around the OUTSIDE of the run if you want, but if your run fencing is large enough mesh for chickens to stick their heads out anywhere, they will, and prune the stuff back to the limits of what they can reach, so it needs to be nontoxic.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[teach1rusl]

I've planted raspberries in my run, but I have them protected right now. When they're bigger, I'll probably take the protective wire off.
I think you could plant different shrubs, as long as they were protected until they gained full size. The undersides might get eat up, but you can shape the upper parts to look nice possibly??? I've also planted blueberries just outside of the run, so that some branches will grow inside the wire as the plants get larger. The only plants/shrubs my chickens have bothered so far are our azalias...picking the blossums off.

 

[TK Poultry]

I thought about putting some potted flowers just out of reach to kind of spruce it up a bit.... i also have thought of make a flowerbed of sorts just outside the pens and putting chicken wire behind it so the can't get to it.... But I don't know I'm not set on putting things out there.... I just like it to look nice when buyers come out. has anyone ever landscaped around their runs and coops before? I'd like to see some pictures

 

[elmo]

I have bamboo growing in my yard and some came up this spring inside my winter coop run. Our hens were brooding so they had not time to get after it while it was new, and now it's five feet tall. I topped it off so it wouldn't grow through the roof of the pen, and now the leaves are coming out and before long it should give them some nice shade and cover. I notice when they're out in the yard they always like to scratch around under the bamboo.

 

[Moxiechick]

Sunflowers might be nice as a border around the outside of the coop. Just be sure to protect them from inquisitive beaks while they are still small. As a bonus, come fall, you have homegrown chicken treats from the seed heads.

 

[TK Poultry]

Quote:
good idea.... and can i see pictures of the bamboo

 

[Moxiechick]

Quote:
good idea.... and can i see pictures of the bamboo

Just be aware that bamboo can be extremely invasive. When we were visiting Maryland a few weeks ago, we saw bamboo shoots pushing up through pavement!

 

[TK Poultry]

Quote:
good idea.... and can i see pictures of the bamboo

Just be aware that bamboo can be extremely invasive. When we were visiting Maryland a few weeks ago, we saw bamboo shoots pushing up through pavement!

Ok I'll be aware of that

 

[La_TomboyGirl]

Also, please be aware that all parts of the AZALEA plant are poisonous. I'm not sure about the effects on chickens, but why risk it? They are pretty, & I have some in the front yard but the chickens never go over there...

http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/poison/plants/ppazale.htm