~~~What Plants Will Chickens Not Eat?~~~

[ThreeBoysChicks]

bantymum - You said it.

The one thing that I have found is that my girls don't like the ornamental cabbages. But then again, neither do we.

 

[digitS']

Well, if chickens won't eat what deer won't eat - that leaves nothing.

However, there are plants that deer care less about eating and information from Coop Ex (Cooperative Extension

on the internet about these plants.

Just do a google search for: deer-resistant site:edu There are over 1500 sites listed.

"Grow" large rocks amongst your ornamental plants to deter the hens from digging.

Steve

 

[patandchickens]

This is just speculation, but I would rather doubt that deer-resistant plants equal chicken-resistant as well. Deer-resistant plants are mostly ones that the deer think taste or smell yucky (until the deer get hungry or bored, or a new gourmet fad sweeps through the herd, sigh). I do not get the impression chickens care much about taste, or about smell either unless something is quite aromatic indeed.

From watching what people write (I don't free-range mine), the plants that seem to survive around peoples' chickens seem to lean more to things that are mechanically-protected against chickens. Prickly, or with hard waxy leaves, or woody stems, or like that. And they also have to be able to tolerate scratching and digging around their roots.

Just a theory,

Pat

 

[warren]

In our garden quite a lot of plants have survived unscathed. Camellia, viburnum, rhododendron, azalea, winter jasmine, forsythia, in fact anything big enough not to get dug up. They even ate parts of the rhubarb leaves. I have hyacinth, crocus, tulips and pansies in tubs which have so far survived untouched. Most of the crocus in the ground have been walked all over. I am thinking of making a screen to protect the tomatoes in the greenhouse when I start to grow them. I have to have tomatoes!

 

[nightshade]

digitS' :

Well, if chickens won't eat what deer won't eat - that leaves nothing.

However, there are plants that deer care less about eating and information from Coop Ex (Cooperative Extension

on the internet about these plants.

Just do a google search for: deer-resistant site:edu There are over 1500 sites listed.

"Grow" large rocks amongst your ornamental plants to deter the hens from digging.

Steve

The rocks come in very handy I have found and if done right don't look half bad either. I will have to check out the some sites and do alittle trial and error this spring and see what happens. I an thinking some rodos and azaleas that are decent sized would be nice.

 

[Kaneke]

both rhododendrons and azaleas (botanically both are rhododendrons) have a lot of surface roots ... and they don't like them disturbed ... you might need to put a chicken-proof barrier fence around them, or something impervious to chicken-scratching like a heavy plastic ring, something as big as a child's plastic wading pool

my free range chickens haven't bothered the herbs in the garden (basil, rosemary, mint, oregano, thyme) or the geraniums nor nasturtiums ... and they seem to be leaving the volunteer cherry tomato plants alone too (but as I recall they love the tomatoes themselves when they ripen) ... instead they go for the spurge, the Spanish-needle, and several other weedy plants ... they also really go for grass seed ...

C

 

[nightshade]

mine love my nasturtiums, they seem to only eat the flowers though. They must not care for the pepery leaves.

Barrer- yea I am thinking more rocks lol

 

[bantymum]

Quote:
I think I know why, they are highly toxic!!! I had to relocate my azalias, rhodies, jasmine, camelias, from the bunnies to stop them being poisoned, I guess the chickens KNOW how toxic they are for them and leave them alone!!lol

 

[birdnutz]

HGTV had a thing on about stopping dogs and cats digging. Place chicken wire down and cover it with mulch. I'm going to try that this year.