Need advice for the best vines and plants for in a chicken run!

[Zenmonkey]

Yes, many different varieties of bamboo. I find it quite beautiful actually but some (not all) varieties spread like wildfire.
Kudzu is from Japan originally, I’d imagine it would be invasive in most of the US.

Joking aside, I looked into growing kudzu a decade or two ago. At the time a guy in Texas had one growing in a pot on his patio. Pretty standard leafy vine fair. It seemed unlikely to survive if he planted it out.

There was a field in Connecticut that had been left as kudzu for something like a century and it was still alive, though it had slowly shrunk to one tiny corner.

My understanding is that south east USA has the right combination of sun, warmth, and humidity for it to run rampant. And unlike its home country not much eats it.

It was planted as a forage crop, supposedly more protein rich hay than alfalfa. However it suffered from the same brittle issues in baling as alfalfa, but with a significantly decreased palatability amongst cattle and horses.

There was a lot of reflex panic that it was invasive everywhere. And a number of states outlawed it. But it's really only a concern in a couple states.

 

[ChaosMom]

... If the winters were just a little warmer, I think it would go wild…

I think it would be wise for all of us to realize that all our winters are probably going to get warmer, and to start looking at plants that currently do well a bit south of where we live (north for those in the southern hemisphere).

 

[ChaosMom]

Joking aside, I looked into growing kudzu a decade or two ago. At the time a guy in Texas had one growing in a pot on his patio. Pretty standard leafy vine fair. It seemed unlikely to survive if he planted it out.

There was a field in Connecticut that had been left as kudzu for something like a century and it was still alive, though it had slowly shrunk to one tiny corner.

My understanding is that south east USA has the right combination of sun, warmth, and humidity for it to run rampant. And unlike its home country not much eats it.

It was planted as a forage crop, supposedly more protein rich hay than alfalfa. However it suffered from the same brittle issues in baling as alfalfa, but with a significantly decreased palatability amongst cattle and horses.

There was a lot of reflex panic that it was invasive everywhere. And a number of states outlawed it. But it's really only a concern in a couple states.

Well, more than “a couple”, couple being defined as two.

When it’s bad, it’s REALLY bad.

There are shrubs and trees somewhere under all this:

 

[tlcmurphy]

Well, more than “a couple”, couple being defined as two.

When it’s bad, it’s REALLY bad.

There are shrubs and trees somewhere under all this:
View attachment 4104090

This

 

[Zenmonkey]

There are shrubs and trees somewhere under all this:
View attachment 4104090

Not any more there isn't!

 

[BoundlessLove]

@tlcmurphy
Spot on about kudzu in Georgia.
There is a Kudzu festival every year in Dalton, Georgia. I have family just north of Dalton. You would not believe the crowd. Live music, arts and crafts…
Vendors sell anything Kudzu.
Kudzu jelly, Fried kudzu, kudzu salad, etc.