What Plants Can You Plant Around Chickens?

Looking for more ideas? Try more grain-like plants like Clover, Alfalfa, Sunflowers, Peas, Lentils, and Buckwheat. You can also try more fruit trees and canes like Raspberries, Blueberries, and Mulberries. While many people consider them weeds, Chickweed, Dandelions, and Nettles are also decent additions as well.

What should you not plant around chickens?

What Plants Should I Avoid Growing Near Chicken?

• Daffodils.
• Foxglove.
• Hydrangea.
• Rhododendron.
• Nightshade plants (including tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes)
• Honeysuckle.
• Daphne.
• Tulips.

What flowers can I plant that my chickens won’t eat?

As with deer, however, there are plenty of herbs that can be incorporated into the landscape that chickens will avoid. These include: borage, calendula (pot marigold), catnip, chives, feverfew, lavender, marjoram, Mexican sage, peppermint and spearmint, rosemary, sage, salvias, St. John’s wort, tansy and yarrow.

What can I put on the ground around my chicken coop?

Ground cover within the coop can be anything from wood chips, straw and grass to bare ground. Organic materials tend to break down quickly and plain sand is a popular choice for its durability. Whatever you choose, make sure the chickens may easily scratch and dig.

Can you put plants in a chicken coop?

Good landscaping in and around your chicken coop can improve flock health by providing well-ventilated shade in the heat of summer and fresh supplemental forage year-round.

What shrubs are safe for chickens?

List of Chicken-Friendly Plants:

• Comfrey.
• Fennel.
• Thyme.
• Lavender.
• Nasturtium.
• Rosemary.
• Sage.
• Wormwood.

Are marigolds good for chickens?

Much as with mint and lavender, adding some fresh marigolds to your chickens’ nesting boxes can help keep them insect-free. If your chickens eat the marigold petals, their egg yolks, beaks, and feet will become a gorgeous, vibrant orange color. Marigold is also an antioxidant and helps detoxify the body when ingested.

Will chickens avoid poisonous plants?

In most circumstances, free-range chickens avoid eating poisonous plants, but that doesn’t mean you want to keep the plants nearby. Make sure you never feed these plants to your chickens and avoid growing them in an area that your chickens might be confined.

Is rosemary safe for chickens?

Surprisingly, rosemary is great to help relieve any pain your chickens may have. You can take some rosemary to make a salve. It can also be eaten fresh by your chickens and applied fresh directly to your chicken’s wound.

Are hydrangeas safe for chickens?

The buds, flowers, and leaves of the hydrangea plant contain cyanogenic glycosides, specifically a compound called hydrangin. Hydrangin converts into cyanide when ingested. This meanings that poultry which consume this plant are at risk of developing cyanide poisoning.

What is the best ground cover for a chicken run?

Ground Covers For A Chicken Run Relevant Tips
The most suitable sand to use as chicken run soil is construction sand or river sand. This sand can also include small pebbles. Chicken raisers usually rake the droppings out of the sand instead of using a shovel. They then remove the top layer of sand every six months.

Do chickens need grass in their run?

In short, no, you don’t need grass in a chicken run area and if you do place a run onto grass it will quickly get destroyed through constant scratching, leaving behind bare soil or dirt.

Do chickens prefer grass or dirt?

Chickens love scratching up dirt, dust bathing in it, and gobbling up grass, weed seeds, and insects, worms, and other invertebrates they find while scratching. When confined to a small outdoor run even a few chickens will soon devour every bit of grass and convert it to bare dirt.

Will chickens eat lavender plants?

Lavender also increases blood circulation so it’s especially beneficial to chickens sitting on eggs who don’t get up and move around as much as they should. As the hens sit, they will pick at the lavender and eat some, thereby getting the full benefits. Best use: Add fresh or dried to nesting boxes.

Can you plant mint in chicken Run?

Mint can provide shade for the chicken run
Because certain mint varieties can grow so tall, mint can be a great source of shade. Another bonus is that it grows quickly! While trees and bushes can take years to grow large enough to provide adequate shade, mint can be grown in just a couple months!

What is toxic to chickens?

Garlic and onions are the two most common culprits that may impact egg flavor. A few other foods should be avoided because they contain toxins that can make birds ill or even be fatal. Avocado pits and skins are toxic to chickens as they contain a toxin called persin.

Are roses safe for chickens?

Did you know that not only CAN chickens eat flowers like nasturtium, marigold, roses, clover blossoms, violets, dandelions and lavender blooms, but they SHOULD. They are super nutritious for them and also nasturtium is a natural wormer and the marigold will make super vibrant egg yolks.

What herbs are good for chickens?

Other Herbs you can use in the Chickens Housing:

• Bay Leaves.
• Lemon Balm.
• Lemon Grass.
• Pineapple Sage.
• Rosemary.
• Thyme.
• Basil.
• Bee Balm.

Can chickens eat tomatoes?

Rich in antioxidants, fibre and potassium, as well as vitamins C, K and B9, it turns out that tomatoes can be one of the most nutritious sources of food for your flock to peck at. When it comes to their food, chickens aren’t picky animals, so they’ll equally enjoy cooked tomatoes as much as they do raw tomatoes.

Can chickens eat basil?

Good for your Hens
Chicken speak, Basil promotes mucus membrane and respiratory system health, so adding some crushed basil to your chicken feed will keep your chicks clucky, and their egg yolks a radiant orange. (mix it with dill, thyme, clover and cinnamon for a superfood boost!)

Are marigolds poisonous to chickens?

Marigolds not only ward off insects in your garden, but they are also an antioxidant and promote the growth of new skin tissue. As an added bonus, chickens who eat marigolds lay eggs with bright yellow yolks.