Zebra, Pampas & other tall ornamental grasses--are they ok??

[4CiTyCHicHENs]

My coop: 10FT wide 12FT long Front 7FT tall Back 5FT Tall
from Left to right, 3X10 Is the 'human side' 3.5 x10 is the Coop 5.5x10 is the hardware wire enclosed run
(this will legally house 4 Hens.......... Illegally & Comfortably 5/6 Hens)

Now, sun rises on the front of the coop, sets on the back...

I was thinking of planting zebra/pampas or other ornamental grass on the back (where sun sets) of the run. This would act as #1-hopefully a treat #2-wind protection (after they have grown there a few yrs they spread & thicken so in the winter months when grass dies I would keep it tall & the thickness/height will hopefully act as an insulator or barrier for winter winds) #3-some shade, although it will only be a 1/2 days shade, still decent


SO!!! IS Zebra, Pampas &/or other tall ornamental grasses BAD for chickens?? Is it Good for chickens??

 

[Imp]

I have a few ornamental grasses including Zebra. The hens have never touched it.

Imp

ETA Just remembered I did have Pampas in a pot. I got tired of taking care of it so I gave it to a neighbor. Ditto on the birds- they ignored it. And the bamboo also, although they did lay eggs in the bamboo.

 

[4CiTyCHicHENs]

its really close to them?

 

[SallyF]

IMHO, pampas grass is a royal pain. It grows outwards, so it will eventually approach your run. It sheds dry leaves all the time, so you are continually raking it out of the rest of your yard, and the edges are like razors. You have to wear protective clothing to trim it back, and if you don't trim it back yearly, it will take over your house!!! (not really, although you may get the feeling I don't like the stuff.) I finally took a mattock to mine and dug it all up, burned it and spent the next year digging up shoots. Finally got rid of it all. Maybe the other grasses would be a better choice! I used to entertain myself on weekends by going to the local nursery and standing near either the pampas grass or the Chinese wisteria, saying in a loud voice "do you mean people actually pay to plant this weed?".
Sorry if I've offended any landscapers.

 

[4CiTyCHicHENs]

yes, thw point would be to be near trhe run. I like its fence like qualities (MY NEIGHBORS ARE TOO CLOSE!!!! LOL)

 

[elmo]

I love our bamboo. I have a black thumb and usually can't grow anything. But about six or seven years ago, I picked up a small bamboo plant at Home Depot. It cost $6. I planted it next to our house next to our pool patio.

Now the whole area around our pool looks like a tropical jungle! It's beautiful year round. And what I planted was dwarf bamboo, even though many of the boles have grown twenty feet high. It's quite manageable, too. If it pops up somewhere I don't want it to grow, I simply chop it off at ground level and that's it for the year. In the spring, it's amazing how fast that stuff grows. New boles can shoot up as much as a foot in a single day.

 

[4CiTyCHicHENs]

OOOOO!!! Bamboo!!! Good Call!! do the chickens eat it? do they like it?

 

[lauriruth]

if you live in a high crime neighborhood, plant pampas outside every window. you'll never have another break-in! if anyone tries, you can follow the blood trail to track them down. those things are VICIOUS!!!!!

 

[kristenm1975]

Good heavens elmo, where do you live that bamboo grows up to a foot in a single day?!?!? I want some of that! I have neighbors who use their side yard as a dump and would love to grow a quick natural shield for all that trash. It would also be perfect to use around the coop to help hide some of the extra hens I may have. We're only allowed 3. Three hens, my fanny. If the coop fits 8, I'm getting 8 by golly.

 

[JRchickchick]

Bamboo...there are two categories... runners and clumpers. Beware the runners, unless you have PLENTY of space. They can do exactly that...run. A well developed bamboo area can send out runners (underground roots zipping over) 3' plus to send up new shoots. You can contain the bamboo, to a certain degree, but it takes some diligence to make sure the ground rhizomes (bamboo roots) don't jump the barrier and then dig in. And never plant runners anywhere close to a building (well, I wouldn't recommend clumpers next to house either, unless it is in a big planter). The rhizome/roots are very persistent and can cause foundation problems.

Don't get me wrong, I do love bamboo, and have 7 varieties. The clumpers don't spread as fast, and if it gets beyond where you want it, you dig it up. Needless to say, digging can be a bit difficult!

My dad's chickens don't pay his bamboo much mind, except to lay eggs in there sometimes. Dad usually just cuts the leaf bracts off the bottom 2' to make it easy to see if there are eggs, and it discourages most of the hens from laying there, although the bamboo leaves that drop do make a nice little nesting material for them. And, the bamboo culms make nice garden stakes.

Hope this helps.