HRC99 Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 My girlfriend and I spent a chunk of Sunday tidying up the garden ready for spring planting. There were winter pansies & violas going half price in B&Q, so we thought, why not? So for the princely sum of about a fiver, we had some colour in our garden....for about 30 minutes before the chooks ate the lot. I was wondering are there any particular flowers that they don't eat so that I know what to do in a few weeks' time. I'm specifically thinking fuschias, lobelia etc etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluckbok Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Not sure what about a honeysuckle or something like that? Or how about some pretty hanging baskets high up where the little monkeys can't reach Other than that I'm not sure. Plants with quite tough leaves are good like Hostas, Fatisas, Rosemary etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Yep, rosemary and lavender should stand up well. Mine ate the hostas and fatsia japonica Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRC99 Posted April 11, 2008 Author Share Posted April 11, 2008 They love honeysuckle. They have cleared every last leaf that's reachable! I will have baskets but like some stuff in tubs that I'd like to survive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abbey Road Girl Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Someone has recommended lavender. I would imagine that rose bushes and other woody shrubs would stand a chance. Beddling plants are more vulnerable. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina C Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 So for the princely sum of about a fiver, we had some colour in our garden....for about 30 minutes before the chooks ate the lot. I'm sorry but that made my day - thank you for making me chuckle. They are devils aren't they? We have an old established Rosemary that ours won't touch - but a young tender plant might still get 'tasted'. Even if they don't eat them they still seem to scratch them up. So my advice is.... they won't eat/destroy the ones they can't get to... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keanie Bean Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 The only things left in my garden are the rosemary, a st johns wort that is fairly well established, they still nip the new leaves! and some spikey hard leafed grass. Sorry I dont know the name. Everything else was dug up or eaten . Sarah.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pookylover Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 My husband says you can't have a garden and chickens so we are giving up ours to chickens! I am hoping to seperate an area off for vegetables but otherwise it's going to be hanging baskets. Clare x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluckbok Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Yeah I agree, flowers don't really work that well. We've also got a Cordlyne in our garden, bit like a yukka plant, quite spikey long leaves and we've got bamboo and they not touched them YET. I don't think they will but we'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keanie Bean Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 We've also got a Cordlyne in our garden, bit like a yukka plant, quite spikey long leaves Yes thats what our spiky thing is I think. Thanks for that it was bugging me not knowing Sarah.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abwsco Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 I'm hoping that my chickens will like brambles when we get them as I've some in the garden that I can't seem to get rid of. What's the betting they don't -lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarabelle Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 I'm so surprised, I've got lovely cowslips in my garden and I thought they'd be the first thing the girls would target. But no, they are still flowering and looking pretty. I think the leaves have been nibbled a bit, but I don't think that will do the plants too much harm. On the other hand, my strawberry patch has been decimated. Think I might have to take Jamie Oliver's advice and grow them in hanging baskets this year. I'm hoping they will leave my raspberry plants alone as they are growing quite tall already, although I'm sure they will try and reach the raspberries when they appear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 I have planted pansies in my garden in tubs/pots and my girls dont touch them! how weird chickens arent all the same! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyBoo Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 I'm specifically thinking fuschias, lobelia etc etc Yup, they'll love those! It seemed to me last year that all annuals and bedding was effectively called chook food. Our shrubs survived so if you wanted colour you could get spireas, hebes, ribes, mallows, buddleas, roses, ceanothus, choysias, viburnum, that kind of stuff, all of ours survived 15 free ranging hens. On the other hand there's not a forget me not to be seen, anything in a pot on the patio or herbs or in a grow-bag or in a veg plot was either relabelled chook fud or dust bath. All gone! Hence the big run and the return to captivity this year, feel very VERY guilty but I want my garden back and it's the only way. You might manage a garden and free ranging if you had a biggish garden and only a couple of hens but not if you had loads. Mrs B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abbey Road Girl Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Well, I guess my figs are doomed unless I fence them off with the Omlet netting. Though it would be very entertaining to see the hens do big jumps to pick the figs off! Like watching American basketball. If they love raisins and grapes, I fear that they would be absolutely mad about figs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonesyboy27 Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 I think you should be ok with Cactii. I am not chinese but I called last year the Year of the chickens. Our first year with the girls. We are not house proud but the girls scoffed the lawn,then the plants I tried netting my raised beds they teamed up with the pidgeons ans scoffed the lot 8 raised beds. I got 2 leeks a galic bulb or two (smelly breath and poo) . This year my Year. Have fenced off veg patch fixed a gate so the girls are invited in for a walk round only . They even scoffed my rhubarb ( I thought leaves were poisonous not to our girls.) So I believe this should lead to a harmonious year (fingers crossed) or its the oven for the girls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FruitandNutCake Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 I haven't got my chickens yet, but I'm hoping that the area that they will be free-ranging in will not be eaten. It is the top piece of garden closest to the house -mainly all year colour from shrubs - variagated weigelia, virburnun, photinia (red robin), cornus (red stemmed dogwood), new zealand flaxes, lavender, golden privet?, tree peony, azelea, bamboo, hypericum and roses. However, the gaps are filled with my favourite paeonies, heucheria, day lilies and sedum. I guess they will be the first to be attacked - though I'm only planning to get 3 ex batts to start. I've removed all the euphorbia seedings as I know that has irritant sap, but do I need to remove all the ivy too? I've noticed the bunnies trying to eat the ivy! When I get the chickens, I'l report back which plants are not touched. I've also built a walk in run and was going to train climbers up it - maybe winter flowering jasmine and clematis- would they survive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Mine don't bother with the ivy - I think they may have pecked at it once or twice, but the leaves are quite tough and probably bitter. My clematis is fine as well - I was a bit worried about the new one, but the new shoots are well above bantam head height and they don't seem to have noticed it (I had some chicken wire ready just in case, though). Winter-flowering jasmine (the one with the yellow flowers?) is pretty tough stuff as well, so ought to be alright if you can keep them off the new shoots until it's grown a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
