Author Topic: What plants can i plant for my chickens in their run? (Read 4952 times)

minibn · « **on:** January 04, 2013, 09:25:22 pm »

Good Evening

I would like to plant some stuff in my chickens run which they would like to eat and also use for a bit of shelter ect. Their run is currently very wet, although it does have some grass left in it. I would like to plant something that would grow quite quickly.

Any advice welcomed

Regards

Emily

deepinthewoods · « **Reply #1 on:** January 04, 2013, 09:27:24 pm »

all the herbs would go down well, but i would establish the plants for a couple of seasons otherwise the chooks will annihalate them within a few days!

bloomer · « **Reply #2 on:** January 04, 2013, 09:28:43 pm »

they will destroy anything unless you can rotate where there run is whilst plants recover...

minibn · « **Reply #3 on:** January 04, 2013, 09:37:14 pm »

Thank you, thats great. It is a large run which is about 20m long, so would not be able to rotate them. I will make sure that the plants are pretty big though before introducing them. Im sure they will love them.

Reagrds

Emily

HesterF · « **Reply #4 on:** January 04, 2013, 10:01:30 pm »

You could protect them with chicken wire for a bit until they're established. I tried some baby gooseberry bushes on the basis they were well thorned but they were all eaten anyway and two were pulled up by their roots. Now I've planted a blackberry but put some protection around it until it takes off. I've also been thinking about a willow structure which should dry it out a bit (willows love wet ground) and provide some shade in the summer. I've got a few little whips from our own willows which were pollarded but yet to stick them in and it'll definitely have to be roped off otherwise they'll just yank them all out before they've even rooted (I've got two geese as well which are very destructive).

Around the outside of the run I've planted some grapevines, climbing roses, buddljas, loads of self seeded lavender bushes and some raspberry canes. But I've also had to protect most of them (less fussed about the lavenders) because when they're free ranging, most of them don't go far so the stuff round the run gets lots of attention. My principle with most is that they should have enough going on above chicken (goose) height that I can eventually open up the bottoms too and just hope they don't go right through the stems.

You could think about planting herbs in there simply to be eaten - if you get the right ones it'll help their digestion (similar principle to cider vinegar) but I think you'd have to be prepared to sacrifice the herbs themselves. I was at Howletts zoo today and they have a huge herb garden where they grow herbs to feed to the various animals for various health giving purposes which is what got me thinking along these lines for my (ever dying) chickens.

H

chrismahon · « **Reply #5 on:** January 05, 2013, 07:51:25 am »

Trouble is chicken poo itself will kill anything it touches, let alone problems of digging. The ground may now be rather acidic as well and might need lime, but check ph first.

We have been unable to sustain any growth in chicken runs -except nettles.

the great composto · « **Reply #6 on:** January 05, 2013, 09:02:36 am »

My chickens get the run of the garden and there are plants still there so they dont eat everything.
In your position i would plant things that the chickens really like and in ours they go crazy for raspberries. As the fruit on a raspberry develops you could give them 2-3 weeks of entertainment as the raspberries ripen.
They dont seem to bother until they are ripe either.

harry · « **Reply #7 on:** January 05, 2013, 08:24:56 pm »

sweetcorn

Rosemary · « **Reply #8 on:** January 06, 2013, 09:42:22 am »

Comfrey

ballingall · « **Reply #9 on:** January 06, 2013, 11:17:42 am »

Would you not be better to grow herbs and grasses in pots, so that you can move in for a day and then out to recover? I've done that before, especially with grass when they have destroyed every scrap of anything green in their run. If you keep a base set of herbs, and just take cuttings regularly to grow in other pots, when big enough, put the pots in with the hens.

Beth

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #10 on:** January 07, 2013, 05:49:49 pm »

Perhaps you could plant a tree on a dwarfing rootstock, well protected by a fencewire guard wide enough to keep the droppings away from the root area while it gets established?

happygolucky · « **Reply #11 on:** January 07, 2013, 06:08:46 pm »

My bit is gravel, around the edge soil and lots of trees, I tried planting all sorts but they ate everything, so its very nicely weed free

, I do however put in the hanging baskets high up and when they are over give them to the Hens so they get cleared out..I do pick weeds when out but they love any young flowers or plants except hard leaf ones....I shall look what they are as I have forgotten......