fruiting hedge/bush for chickens?

[Altairsky]

Yes mine get really tall (up to 2 meters with a fertile soil) and the chickens love the shade, the fruit and eat all the nasty bugs like stink bugs.

 

[Perris]

While i do appreciate the response, I do know there is a vast number of options. Part of why i am specifically asking if anyone had information regarding what worked best for them. Mainly trying to narrow down my options and see what chickens generally like and benefit from the most.

Elder is popular here, as an attractor of insects to eat when it flowers, and the berries to eat when it fruits. But it could be considered torture if you're going to plant it outside the run so the chickens could see but not touch either. Have you considered planting bush(es) inside the run instead of outside it? Elder is easy to keep under control as it bears pruning well.

 

[Ralph_Mueller]

Elder is popular here, as an attractor of insects to eat when it flowers, and the berries to eat when it fruits. But it could be considered torture if you're going to plant it outside the run so the chickens could see but not touch either. Have you considered planting bush(es) inside the run instead of outside it? Elder is easy to keep under control as it bears pruning well.

I can see where you're coming from but I have family and their children that tend to like to pick and eat fruits and berries from my property and I worry about the toxicity of Elderberries to small children.

 

[Perris]

I worry about the toxicity of Elderberries to small children

what do you think is toxic about elderberries?

 

[Ralph_Mueller]

what do you think is toxic about elderberries?

I've been told they have some toxic compounds in them to people if eaten fresh. If i'm wrong do educate me. I did find this on WebMD

Elderberry plants belong to the Sambucus genus of flowering plants, and they're found all over the world. Elderberries come in different colors including red, black, and blue. They’re a popular addition to gardens with their pop of color, but many people also enjoy them in a freshly brewed cup of tea.

The raw, unripe berries of the elderberry plant are actually poisonous, along with the leaves and stems. They contain the toxic substance sambunigrin. When sambunigrin is ingested, it degrades into hydrogen cyanide, which can be harmful. If you eat the toxic portions of the elderberry plant, you may experience nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

 

[Perris]

No-one is going to eat a *raw unripe* elderberry.

Birds know better, babies know better. If they put something in their mouth and it's bitter they spit it out. Their senses have evolved over millennia to inform them what is edible and what is not, and it works almost all the time. It is a lot more reliable than a lot of stuff on the internet.

This is a more reliable site for checking the nutritional quality of foods than commercial sites (which have domain ending .com)
https://www.nutritionvalue.org/Elderberries,_raw_nutritional_value.html

 

[BonnieBlue]

In your climate, blackberries grow easily and while not really high, spread easily and produce tasty fruit for you and chickens. There are some excellent thornless ones. I saw raspberries mentioned, but 9B is likely too warm. I live in 9A and raspberries are difficult to grow here (too warm) but blackberries go crazy.

I am glad you asked, because I was thinking of planting some screenings so the run won't stand out like a sore thumb from the street. Some blackberries might be just the ticket for part of that.

 

[Altairsky]

In my area temperatures go from a minimum of - 6c in winter up to +40c in summer. Raspberries do fine, with watering they carry fruits throughout the whole good season. The easiest way to get hardy plants is getting some locally farmed raspberries so they're used to the soil and climate. I love blueberries a whole lot, I tried to plant them but it's too hot and too sunny here for them, and the plants die after a year or 2. Raspberries on the other hand are a literal pest. I have to mow them regularly or they would already have replaced half my lawn. They spread extremely fast.

 

[Perris]

I've been told they have some toxic compounds in them to people if eaten fresh. If i'm wrong do educate me.

This reminds me of the 'apple pips are toxic with cyanide' urban myth/ misunderstanding.

You might find this informative
https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/plant-resistance-against-herbivory-96675700/

 

[Perris]

Raspberries on the other hand are a literal pest.

same here.