Which plants WON'T a chicken eat???

[cheeky girls]

Hi
I've just joined this forum yesterday looking for an answer to what herb to feed my chickens to stop their pooh smelling. I've had my chickens for a couple of months now and when I was reading about keeping them before they arrived I did read on the internet about a herb that does this but of course I didn't bookmark it and now I can't find it.

Anyway to get back to your problem about yor chickens eating your lovely garden plants. I try to garden as green as I can and therefore don't want to use chemicals, so what I use to get rid of green/black fly may be your answer. For the fly I use an age old remedy of washing up water. After doing the dishes use the water , I use it in a handy spray bottle keeping at hand when I do my eavening walk about the garden dead heading etc and spray anything suspect spraying especially the underside of the leaves where the blighters cling. I thought that this may be the answer to my chickens who all of a sudden decide they like a particular plant after completely ignoring it previously. I thought just yesterday why not try the soapy water surely the won't like the taste of soapy rhubarb leaves etc. It won't do the plants or chickens any harm so its worth a go I'll keep you posted.

 

[momofthehouse]

Love this list guys! I was just researching this! I had an idea why not put the plants on the outside of your run til they grow some that way the chickens will stay away til the plants get hardy. (Unless you free range) I am building a new coop so have to keep them in the run for awhile anyways. I love the idea of putting a vine up on the fencing for shade!

 

[Umpire]

They don't seem to eat poison ivy, although they will run around in it. Doesn't bother them. (Bad part was, my son would get infected when he played with them)

 

[funny farmer]

I have lavender plants and butterfly bushes in my run, and my girls leave them alone. the worst thing they do is dig little holes around them to lay in their shade and sometimes I have to go out and push the dirt back around the roots. One thing to keep in mind however, is that butterfly bush (buddleia) is now considered an invasive weed. My neighbor (AKA my mother, who is a Master Gardener) just about came undone when she saw me planting them in my run. I made a promise to her that I wouldn't let them go to seed. She did say though that there are hybrid sterile varieties available that are not invasive, so I'm planning on replacing mine with those. I have to say. Nothing prettier than seeing my Australorps and Silver laced Wyandottes relaxing under that beautiful bush with lavender flowers. I keep trying to take a picture, but whenever they see me coming, they run for the fence, hoping for a handout.

 

[momofthehouse]

Thoughts on these plants if they would work or not... a potato vine, clematis, passion fruit vine, honey suckle, or grape vines?

My plan is to take the list to my local nursery and see what works for our climate. Would love if it was green year round!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Thoughts on these plants if they would work or not... a potato vine, clematis, passion fruit vine, honey suckle, or grape vines?

My plan is to take the list to my local nursery and see what works for our climate. Would love if it was green year round!

I have experience with some of these plants. I'm not sure about the potato vine. I know it's not the same, but my chickens have recently grown to love sweet potato vines. After years of ignoring them they suddenly decided they are tasty. I don't have any personal experience with the honey suckle or clematis. Very early this spring I planted two passion fruit vines in the yard where the chickens free range and they have not touched them at all and they're finally starting to grow like wildfire. Of course, like with the sweet potato vines, they may change their minds at some point in the future. I built my run around three grape vines so that the vines would grow up and out over the top of the wire covered run. The chickens absolutely love eating the grape leaves, but the way the vines grow it's not a problem. The vines grow out of canes that are too tall for the chickens to reach when they emerge in spring. By the time the vines grow over and onto the ground in early summer they grow too fast for the chickens to eat them all. We love the grape vines, they provide lots of shade and lots to eat. It would be nice if the grape vines were green year round, but they go dormant here after the first frost.


Grape vines getting ready to grow over the run in spring:


Early summer:

 

[momofthehouse]

I have experience with some of these plants. I'm not sure about the potato vine. I know it's not the same, but my chickens have recently grown to love sweet potato vines. After years of ignoring them they suddenly decided they are tasty. I don't have any personal experience with the honey suckle or clematis. Very early this spring I planted two passion fruit vines in the yard where the chickens free range and they have not touched them at all and they're finally starting to grow like wildfire. Of course, like with the sweet potato vines, they may change their minds at some point in the future. I built my run around three grape vines so that the vines would grow up and out over the top of the wire covered run. The chickens absolutely love eating the grape leaves, but the way the vines grow it's not a problem. The vines grow out of canes that are too tall for the chickens to reach when they emerge in spring. By the time the vines grow over and onto the ground in early summer they grow too fast for the chickens to eat them all. We love the grape vines, they provide lots of shade and lots to eat. It would be nice if the grape vines were green year round, but they go dormant here after the first frost.


Grape vines getting ready to grow over the run in spring:


Early summer:

That looks nice! So did you plant them outside your run then? I am thinking I will just plant it outside of it. Are yours in straw?

 

[momofthehouse]

Someone also mentioned it could tear down my fencing? I have hardware cloth attached to 2x4s cross ways and 4x4s attached. That is up 3ft high then I have horse corral fencing which is more plastic like fencing for another 4ft up. The run is 40ft

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

They are planted inside the run. Yes, they do weigh a bit. A couple years ago I weighed the winter trimmings from all three vines (minus the leaves) and the total was just under 50 lbs. I'm not familiar with the material on top part of your fence to know how it would hold up.

 

[momofthehouse]

They are planted inside the run. Yes, they do weigh a bit. A couple years ago I weighed the winter trimmings from all three vines (minus the leaves) and the total was just under 50 lbs. I'm not familiar with the material on top part of your fence to know how it would hold up.

What fencing is yours on?