Omlet Smart Autodoor - New in box

[Hayleybug]

Hi, i am cordoning off a section of my lawn for the chickens to FR in (not over using as i want to try to keep some grass there!) and i was considering some naturalised planting such as snowdrops, crocuses, bluebells. if i did this would the chickens just destroy them though??

[chickencam]

The short answer I am afraid is yes.

[Olly]

I think they'll just dig them out, sorry.

[Lesley]

You could try nettles, thistles and docks - they don't eat those!!

 

They don't eat chamomile either, one of our runs has a lot of chamomile in and always looks good.

[Hayleybug]

thanks everyone, might just do that in the part of the lawn they wont be allowed on then! chamomile sounds like a good idea tho, so may give that a go

[bluekarin]

I don't know if this is the same for everyone else, but the slugs ate my chamomile this year

[Lesley]

I don't know if this is the same for everyone else, but the slugs ate my chamomile this year

 

The slugs here only eat useful stuff.....like my potatoes - they haven't touched the chamomile.....we had to put the lawnmower over the chicken run yesterday......we couldn't see the hens!

[Cinnamon]

There are other things you can do to make a hen pen look nice too.

Piles of stones & cobbles look good or look out for logs & branches,which can be replaced easily when they get mucky (which they will)

These also give the hens something to jump & perch on,which they love to do.

[Ms Marple]

In my chicken run I have: flowering currant, buddleia and bamboo at the moment. All have survived. I do protect their lower branches though with plant support type things.

[welovemarmite]

does anyone know if chickens eat comfrey?

[Chicken Momma]

I have just moved my two chooks into a 'natural' area of the garden and of course they made a beeline for the flower border. All I have in it at the moment are marigolds and borage (both of which spread wildly); buddleia; a goosberry bush and some lavender bushes. They quickly established dustbaths for themselves which of course I will NOT plant and spend most of the day scratching up and eating the worms and the weeds Even though next year they will undoubtedly stuff themselves on marigold and borage seeds I am hopeful that enough plants will make it through next spring (although they'll probably eat the seedlings as well! I've also just transplanted some crocosmia - which grows pretty wild here on the Isle of Man and have a couple of apple saplings.

 

I'm okay with what they are doing as I always wanted my chooks to be able to free-range. I'll watch what they destroy and not plant that again!

 

Long answer to a short question but - no - I do not plan to put in daffs, snowdrops etc as I think that would just be another expensive food item for Betty and Margo!

 

Good luck!

 

P.S. There's also some established mallow in the corner which is currently about 5ft high and the girls LOVE scratching around in that corner.

[Chicken Momma]

[quote

 

They don't eat chamomile either, one of our runs has a lot of chamomile in and always looks good.

 

 

Now that's a nice idea! Thanks for the tip!

[Valkyrie]

They don't appear to touch cyclamen - I have several clumps that look very healthy. Nor do they seem to be scratching it up! I'll probably find it's all gone next year now! My cyclamen was buried rather deep when we leveled the garden so anything that gets up to the air must be really tough!