This plant grows a lot like corn, and while it can’t be grown everywhere, you will have some happy chickens if you are able to grow it where you live. Pin This To Save For Later 8 Common Weeds Your Chickens Will Love 1. Your chickens will love berries of all kind, and you don’t need to run to the store to buy these antioxidant-rich jewels, either. 2.Close & Plant Your Chicken Run in the Spring. It’s also a great source of nitrogen, helping to build your soil as well as your compost pile. For the easiest, most convenient option, just plant a crabapple tree in your chicken yard and let your hens go to town – they will love the tiny little fruits! Instead of serving food free choice, only give out a half a pound a day per chicken. Lemon balm not only smells great – you may have already guessed that it smells just like lemon! Chickens generally know what is poisonous – as well as what’s good for them – and unlike humans, usually won’t overindulge on something that could make them sick. You can grow berry bushes at home with ease, and with any luck, you probably have some berry bushes growing wild on your property, too! It is high in protein and is an excellent ground cover to plant near chickens. Plants to grow next to coops: basil. They’re excellent companion plants for many common garden plants, and the seeds and flowers are supposedly a natural dewormer for poultry and other types of livestock, too! If you’d like to be more selective about what plants your chickens eat, you’ll need to pick them yourself. Some good options include red clover, alfalfa (as described above), mustard, and grain grasses. These cruciferous vegetables are good for everybody – chickens included. Toss a few fresh leaves in their nesting boxes and in their coop for a sweet smell, too. Do you need year-round foliage to hide the less-than-aesthetically-pleasing areas around your chicken yard? A head of cabbage hung by a rope in the coop will make a great toy for your chickens to peck at. Photo by @Fuchsia! These plants will do the trick. As far as what herbs are safe for chickens to eat, there are multiple printouts of herbs that you can feed chickens in this post. They are done when they are crispy and “snap”. Your chickens will be drawn to it as a snack – and will feel calmer as a result – and your coop will also be free from flies. Dandelions are a great source of fiber for your chickens, and because they’ll grow just about anywhere, you can sprinkle the seeds in your chicken yard and let the birds snack on the flowers once they emerge. Like many other herbs, lavender is a natural insect repellant that can help freshen the smell of your coop. We already mentioned using clover as a cover crop, but it serves as an excellent feed on its own, too, even when it’s not being grown as a cover crop. This is because they contain a compound called solanine. Plants that are part of the nightshade family - Members of the nightshade family include potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant. How is that poisonous to chickens. For a 25 square foot bed, you can get up to 550 plants, plant seeds approximately 4 inches apart, then thin to 10 inches once they are 2 inches tall, for extended harvest, plant rows several days apart, carefully pull apart the head to expose the seeds, soak seeds overnight in salt solution of 1/4 cup of salt for every quart of water. You can sprout dry grains and seeds to provide your chickens with valuable nutrients in a more digestible format. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Are any of these plants chicken proof. Coleus Annual Hens & Chicks 4-8 Perennial Hosta 3-7 Perennial Yucca 4-11 Perennial. Cover with 1/2 in of loose soil and water well. You can grow a large patch of melons in your garden for just a few dollars, and your chickens will stay well-fed and also hydrated from the all the water in the fruits. Allowing some chickweed to take over an area will provide a delicious, mildly sweet treat for your flock to peck at. These veggies can be eaten whole – they’ll nibble on the plant! Plant 5-6 seeds in each hill and cover with 1 inch of soil. Chicken Resistant Plants Gardening with chickens can be a pleasure as well as a frustration and challenge. Sweet potatoes are easy to grow because, since they grow underground, they don’t take up a lot of space. I use chicken wire instead of hardware cloth. Like berries, currants are incredibly easy to grow once you get them established on your property. Chicken cover crops should be no taller than 3-5 inches tall. Many herbs benefit from a trimming. If egg production drops, you can add slightly more. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I free range my chickens and this was very informative. If you’re a gardener (or aspiring gardener) with spoiled fowl, you might want to grow the 10 seed varieties we mention below and even consider getting all of them in a single 10-pack bundle straight from our USDA certified organic heirloom seed company (GrowJourney) – PayPal purchase link here and at the bottom of the article. While there are very few plants that your chickens wont love, there are several that you might want to avoid. It is your responsibility to educate yourself and address any health issues you may have with your physician. Siberian pea shrubs aren’t just gorgeous, but they also attract beneficial pollinators. I've read several places that it's not only safe, but the fruit (hops) is good for them. To dry sunflower seeds to store for year round treats: Growing pumpkins in your garden makes for some tasty treats for the family. If left to their own devices, chickens can be devastating to gardens. Chickens will also enjoy the seeds. In fact, its use is being studied as a natural antibiotic on several largescale poultry farms! Space the hills at least 3 feet apart in rows 3 feet apart. Often known as “yardus interuptus” as it will take over anywhere it can, mint will provide a natural insect repellent for your chickens. To see how to harvest and dry mint for tea, read the post here. A common weed that you can find in nearly any open area, and in many backyards, chickweed is a floppy plant that grows in “mats” low to the ground. What is your favorite to give to your flock? You can feed both the tops and the roots of this delicious plant, and they will provide your chickens with tons of nutrients and antioxidants. Corn is typically planted in late Spring to early summer. Keep in mind, just because a plant is “safe” does not mean it will be safe from hungry chickens. I would suggest a wire covering to keep the chickens from digging up the plants. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. So, if you want a pest-free coop, toss in herbs to the nesting boxes or hang them from the ceiling. The chickens will eat the insects that are attracted to those pods, and can also snack on the seeds and foliage, too. This plant provides several other benefits, too, serving as a great windbreak, an excellent natural dye, and one of the best ways to fix nitrogen in your soil. And, it can create shade for them as well. It takes a while to get going, but once you do, you’ll have a bountiful crop. Unlike regular white potatoes, which can be toxic to chickens, sweet potatoes are safe for your birds to eat. There are tons of leafy greens you can grow to feed to your chickens. They particularly live tender ones like kale, spinach, and chard, but they’ll eat plenty of lettuce, amaranth, roach, and spree, too. My chickens nice plush area of grass and plants looks like a desert now.Thanks for any info. The great thing is that you can actually grow some of these plants right in your backyard garden. Also, some of the plants on the safe list could be harmful if ingested in large amounts, or if they are contaminated by mold, fungus, pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals. I was going to plant my apple tree in their yard, and the orange tree in the dog yard..... My chicken ate a lemon balm leaf. Only keep the chickens you need – if you are raising chickens for eggs, make sure all of your chickens are good egg producers – don’t waste money raising ornamental breeds like Silkies if you are only raising them for production. Your chickens can snack on the larvae of those pollinators, or they can eat the fruit of the tree (as well as the leaves) once it matures. You can give them the ears right from the garden, or the leftovers after canning. If you’re already growing carrots in your garden, why not double your batch and give all the greens to your chickens? To see how to make your own chicken feed, read the post here. Please tell me. Whenever we add new tender plantings to the garden, as a precaution from overzealous chickens, we surround the new plant with chicken wire to keep it safe until it is well established. As a bonus, the seeds can provide natural de-worming  and parasite control for the chickens. Plantains are used by humans as natural laxatives, but they serve as an excellent source of food for chickens. Once you plant them there’s little work on your part to keep them thriving. I was recently asked what plants could be grown in and around a chicken pen, to provide the chooks with additional food and some green pickings. Take a look at some of these plants that you can grow to supplement your chicken feed. Is that okay? If you have a chicken coop at your barn or your backyard and you like to do gardening too, then this article is a must for you to read. It will have tiny white flowers with deeply notched petals. Tilling it up is not an option when it spreads, as the roots will continue to keep going. Add Mulberry to the tree list as well. Think carefully about how many chickens you actually need, because those extra birds are probably eating much more food than you might think. Having a flock of backyard chickens means fresh eggs, entertainment, and a sense of self reliance. Thin seedlings to 2-3 per hill when they are 2 inches high. Sweet corn is a delicacy your chicken will love. Does that mean I trust the chickens to 100% never eat anything dangerous, or that I could leave them in their chicken tractor parked over a bed of daffodils. Chickweed also can be foraged for and brought home as a treat for you and your flock. Not only are chickens fun and educational, they are beneficial to you and your garden. Since radishes mature so quickly, it’s recommended that you plant several batches, with one every week, until the growing season ends – that way, you’ll always have a fresh crop of radishes ready to go for your birds! Feeding those chickens doesn’t have to be hard, or even expensive. If you think growing sweet potatoes is reserved for gardeners in warm climates, think again -there are some varieties that can be grown even in Canada. When planting corn: To see some tips on canning and freezing sweet corn for your family, read the post here. Garlic is an exceptional immune system booster and can help rid your chickens’ guts of unwanted parasites and other diseases. Wandering Jew causes contact dermatitus in dogs.Chickens love it and it and it is safe for them to eat from all I've read. Giving your chickens herbs can help make them happier. You can grow thyme in your herb bed and allow your chickens to forage freely, or harvest it and hang it upside down in the coop for a fresh-smelling treat. This plant grows up to 18 inches tall and will come back each year. The latin name for these plants is Solanaceae. You can harvest the heads and feed them to your chickens then, or you can allow them to tear up that section of your garden once a heavy frost has hit. Soak them in a bowl and spread them onto a container with drainage holes. To harvest a pumpkin, you can check for color, skin firmness, and stem firmness: Harvest the pumpkin by cutting 2 inches above the stem with sharp knife. Another fun idea for free range time is to plant a garden just for your chickens, full of their favorite weeds and plants! If you’re planning on landscaping the chicken run, then here’s the list of some chicken-friendly plants you might need to consider. The Homesteading Hippy is a participant in the Amazon Services L.L.C. However there are some plants and foods that can cause illness or be fatal to your hungry hens. Most of the things naturally growing in your yard will be fine for your chickens to peck and eat- keep them away from tomato plants & potato plants (nightshades), ornamental plants, and seedpods (especially wisteria). You can feed any type of peas to chickens, including winter peas and snow peas. But what you probably didn’t know is that they can also serve as an excellent source of feed! Your chickens can have some shade from the sunlight while outside their coop if you have any of these plants growing around them. Today I’m sharing my top 8 perennial and annual vines that are chicken safe, hardy, and delicious for both you and your flock. 1) Sunflowers Not only will the seeds of this plant provide you with a delicious treat, but your chickens will love them as well. The perfect often overlooked place to consider growing vines is on your chicken coop. When you free-range your flock, you gain helpful gardeners who aerate soil, rid plants of insects, provide composting, and, best of all, supply food — their eggs! They can also help to prevent weeds from emerging. :-) Let’s start! Even on a small homestead, you can grow wheat. Nope. Note: Provide them with safe access to your yard, and your flock will quickly seek out grass as well as common weeds such as … This can save you some cash because a feed bag can be somewhat expensive, and if you’re growing these plants, your chickens will love the treats that they generate. Fennel plants not only attract beneficial butterfly larvae and other helpful insects, but they provide valuable chicken feed, too. Chickens will eat most things you feed them. Ration – this is a controversial tip, because providing free-choice feed is a great way to improve your birds’ health and also to improve your overall yields. This is just a damn pretty plant that grows like weed and comes back year after year. I didn’t notice anything about that in your article. Chickens are gaining popularity quickly. Having the right plants to grow around your chicken coop can be beneficial to your chicken and to yourself as well. They’ll love them! To plant alfalfa, plant in rows 18 inches apart, and gently broadcast seeds. It will also fertilize your garden for you! If you aren’t already growing nasturtiums in your garden, you need to start. When planting pumpkins, you will want to grow them in hills. However, it can backfire if your girls are constantly eating and not producing. This plant is another commonly grown plant, and it’s actually viewed as a garden weed in many places! Remember, this is not an exhaustive list: To keep your chickens safe, do your research. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and to limit their access to poisonous plants in ways that make sense. They are thought to help make the yolk a brighter color when you scatter some petals throughout their run. You must log in or register to reply here. Herbs to Plant For Chickens. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and to limit their access to poisonous plants in ways that make sense. You can feed your chickens raw carrots, too, but they’ll especially love the greens. Save the seeds, and you’ll have a great treat for the fall and winter months. There are dozens of cover crops to choose from, but some popular choices include cereal rye, buckwheat, and winterpeas. Sage is another herb that can hep repel flies and other pests from your chicken coop. What plants do you grow in your chicken garden? You can harvest the berries to feed directly to your chickens, or you can let them graze among the bushes. The great thing is that you can actually grow some of these plants right in your backyard garden. Add an extra plant near your chicken run and allow the vines to climb over fencing. Is clematis vine safe for chickens? Wheat, rye, barley. Your chickens will get a good dose of carbohydrates, eating the grains directly off the plant. Chickens benefit from fresh greens during the colder months when they don’t have access to pasture. It can improve chicken health, particularly in the winter time when your girls are confined more often to the coop. Cull unnecessary flock members – this might be tough for you to envision, but there might come a time when you need to either give away or cull old hens, old roosters, or chickens that are either genetically undesirable or unproductive. Spring is a great time to completely close off access to your chicken run and relocate chickens during the daylight hours (free-range your chickens or place them in a tractor to till garden beds). I Don’t know about the rest of you, but everything I plant for my chickens is devoured in a few days. To be safe, remove all yews from the landscape if you free-range your flock. Late cabbages can be started in mid summer, and seedlings planted 12 inches apart. A classic permaculture recommendation is to plant a mulberry tree in or just outside the chicken run.