Landscaping with free range chickens

[Milk and Honey Homestead]

Hey guy! I'm getting ready to do our landscaping at our new house and I'm looking for plants and flowers that my chickens won't eat. Anyone have any they they have had success with?

 

[MissChick@dee]

I don’t know of any plant they won’t peck LOL it’s in their DNA they will peck to test things out. Research your plants before planting. I keep all chicken friendly bushes and flowers in my back yard. I vegetable garden too w/fencing. There’s a difference between something that is toxic (will make them sick) and poisonous (could kill them)
So I don’t know what type/style of landscape you like. One delightful discovery chickens don’t like raspberries so I have 3 different types YAY! Do a little research based on your personal tastes and what grows in your zone. Best wishes.

 

[DobieLover]

Where are you?
I have found that in general our chickens don't really harm any plant with thicker, leathery leaves or any conifer trees or shrubs.

 

[leighks]

I recently got some dogwood shrubs, they have red twigs so they will look nice in winter when the landscape is bare. They also produce berries that apparently the chickens love, so it’s a win-win for all. One thing I have found out though the hard way, chickens love to dig mulch out of beds!

 

[Mrs. K]

I don't think the issue is with them eating things, as much as them digging things up, especially new plantings. And kicking out any fancy mulch.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! Chickens love to rearrange mulch, and eat hostas, at least. Shrubs and trees are fine, except for that mulch issue. Most herbs are left alone, but edibles like strawberries are loved.
I'd avoid seriously toxic plants, especially near the coop and run, like Japanese yew or foxglove, for example. Given a lot of space and a variety of edible plants, chickens will avoid the bad stuff. Usually.
Having chickens in you yard is like having dogs; you can have perfect landscaping, or the critters, not both.
Mary

 

[centrarchid]

My wife made me give up on free-range chickens in the yard because of conflicts with landscaping. I had four years to try and work something out. I could not even get it to work with a small harem (hen, rooster, and chicks) because they would literally follow us around even on days we did yard work. They would even jump into bed of truck for mulch and bags of soil to mess around as we getting the stuff out. The plantings that are intended to be pleasing to our eyes are also excellent resources in the eyes of the chickens. I had to move chickens about 100 yards away from the house install a separate landscaping effort for purpose of distracting the flocks away from house. I have cheated a little since by confining a rooster and hen in one of those little purchased coops and releasing them only late each evening in a "trap crop" to forage.

 

[Milk and Honey Homestead]

I don’t know of any plant they won’t peck LOL it’s in their DNA they will peck to test things out. Research your plants before planting. I keep all chicken friendly bushes and flowers in my back yard. I vegetable garden too w/fencing. There’s a difference between something that is toxic (will make them sick) and poisonous (could kill them)
So I don’t know what type/style of landscape you like. One delightful discovery chickens don’t like raspberries so I have 3 different types YAY! Do a little research based on your personal tastes and what grows in your zone. Best wishes.

Thanks for the info. Yes, I have two different vegetable and herb gardens behind fences. And I did NOT know they don't like raspberry. Good news. I'm primarily wanting to do some landscaping in the flower bed in front of the house. This house is a restoration property and that bed is completely empty right now. I'm thinking about getting the standard bixwoods and barberries. I typically do daylillies and monkey grass (larope), but I have heard all those are of no use with chickens. I'm wondering what I can use in their places.

 

[MissChick@dee]

I have big beautiful mums. The girls don’t even give them a second look. Very hardy long lasting blooms. You could get fall or spring varieties. EasyPeasy. My fall bloom has just started believe or not!! Crazy it may not show but it’s 3’ tall and about 4’ wide. They come in all colors.

 

[MissChick@dee]

What garden zone do you live in? That’s a huge factor when you go to make choices too.