What would do well in a Chicken Garden?

[lazy gardener]

How do you keep other birds from stealing all the seeds before you can harvest? I tried growing some sunflowers last year, and every time I thought a flower was 'ripe' enough to pick for the chickens, the seeds were already picked out by the local wild birds! Maybe I just waited too long?

You could make some nets out of tulle from the fabric store. Think "bridal veil" material. The stuff is cheap, and it wouldn't be too difficult to tie it over a sunflower seed head.

 

[lazy gardener]

That's a cool idea. Although it would look pretty awful in the garden!

So I was thinking-- seeing the thread here about butting raised beds right up against chicken runs-- if I put a raised bed on the far side of our run (it will be the west-facing side), is there any reason why I couldn't grow cucumbers in it, using the wire wall of the run itself as a trellis for the vines? My thinking is that some of the cucumbers would develop on the inside, where the chickens could eat them, and some would develop on the outside, where I could harvest them for table, and the vines would shade the run a bit from the western summer sun.

Would the vines damage the run in any way? Or block too much airflow through the run? Thoughts?

The worst thing that would happen is that the chickens would decimate the plants where ever they could reach them. How sturdy is your run? Cucumber plants can be pretty heavy, depending how closely they are planted. what are you using for wire? If they can reach through it, you won't get any cukes! One of the plusses of this plan is that the chickens should help with cucumber beetle infestations.

 

[Arielle]

lazy garden made some good points. Perhaps try a section, and see what happens. Often the western sun is too hot and shade is welcome.

 

[appps]

Tansy keeps mites away so I've planted below our nesting box.

Wormwood is good for mite repelling and if the eat expells intestinal worms.

 

[Arielle]

DOes Tansy work on repelling other insects, do you know??

 

[appps]

I do think fleas as well at least.

For insects you could also try growing some citrenella. My sister has some by her back door to keep the flies out and rubs a couple of leaves on her arms when in the garden to keep mozzies away.
Don't know if that and chooks mix though.

 

[Spikes Chooks]

I have planted both Tansy and Wormwood in large pots by the run. The chooks love the Tansy especially, but even the Wormwood gets a bit hammered from time to time. So I have made some cloches out of a cylinder of plastic bird netting, tied at the top with a plastic tweistie. The girls only get what pokes ou, then, and from time to time I take the cloche off so they can have a good go at it for half an hour or so. Anmy longer and they can strip it!

 

[appps]

Oh that's good to hear. We had to fence off a little 1m corner of our run to comply with distance rules from neighbours. I'm planning to plant the wormwood in that useless space and hoped they would nibble the leaves that grew through the wire. Sounds like they will

 

[RedneckGurl]

I have planted both Tansy and Wormwood in large pots by the run. The chooks love the Tansy especially, but even the Wormwood gets a bit hammered from time to time. So I have made some cloches out of a cylinder of plastic bird netting, tied at the top with a plastic tweistie. The girls only get what pokes ou, then, and from time to time I take the cloche off so they can have a good go at it for half an hour or so. Anmy longer and they can strip it!

When you say Tansy are you referring to tansy ragwort, the plant with small, yellow button-like flowers? I've read that it is considered toxic to humans, pets, and livestock and should be avoided. All I know about Wormwood is it is a prime ingredient in absinthe.

 

[Arielle]

I do think fleas as well at least.

For insects you could also try growing some citrenella. My sister has some by her back door to keep the flies out and rubs a couple of leaves on her arms when in the garden to keep mozzies away.
Don't know if that and chooks mix though.

GOsh, I wonder if I can grow citronella here? Probalby too cold.

Didn't even know it was a plant-- I thought it ws a made up name by the advertizers. LOL