Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: robbiechick on January 25, 2009, 16:25
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Every year i always grow flowers from seeds but now that ive got chickens i know that it is going to be hit and miss as to what they will destroy or leave alone.Dont get me wrong the chickens come first but has anybody got any ideas what i could grow this year that chickens arent to keen on. Thanks.
RC
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Anything that grows well on the moon seems to be let alone by my chickens.
Someone did tell me that they don't like asparagus. They have never eaten the daffodil flowers either but have dug the bulbs up.
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Cacti ??
Hanging baskets on a 6ft post ?
Rob 8)
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And if they don't eat them outright they will dig them up while dust bathing. A netting type enclosure over the flower beds is about the only answer.
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Hi this is something I too need to establish. Currently my four hens have a flower bed with Chinese lanterns (they heft them well alone), a small conifer (again left alone), daffodil and crocus bulbs have been continuously snapped by them scratching around (but I believe they don't like the flowers). Hellebore's have survived but as they were only small plants don't look that good but perhaps a larger plant would be OK. There are a few other plants but right now I cannot think of their names. They don't like rosemary so this may be OK you could also try sage and thyme not sure if they would be eaten or survive (perhaps someone has tried). I have read that shrubs like Lavateras and flowering currents will survive, as will buddleia. I have various plants I would like to try as looking to use from my garden rather than buying. However not sure of names yet so will have to investigate.
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There not keen on plastic or silk flowers.
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Mine have devoured 2 rosemary plants, in my garden the only things that have survived are the yuccas, ornamental grasses fair well, but the cat chews them :roll: the Fatsia Japonica and the mahonia, trees are ok as they can't get at them, but after that what they don't eat they trample the only real way is to keep them off, whether thats in a permanent run or netting over the plants etc.
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Mine haven't touched the lavender or hebe in my borders they love the insects living in them.
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Mine seem to eat everything. Even caught them eating my hubbys beloved Acer. I just plant in pots then move the pots in while they are in their run. Does everyone else have a garden covered in mud and stones with nothing else growing? or is it just me.
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Does everyone else have a garden covered in mud and stones with nothing else growing? or is it just me.
Nope mines not a lot better, they are confined to barracks for a week or so to give everything a rest. Their not happy tho' :roll:
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Plastic flowers are good - just stick them back in the ground after they've been dug up :wink:
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:unsure:Thanks for all your replys.Im going to grow what i normally grow and see what they do with all my other plants,i might just put things in pots and put them in my boarders.My chickens have a good size run 10ftx70ft but i love to see them in the garden aswell.Ill let you know what is a sucess and whats not and wheather you can have a nice flowery garden or not with chickens(im not holding my breath). :)
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Hmm, trees and shrubs over 2ft tall? :wub:
It's not the eating so much as the scratching that's the problem. :(
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Mine keep breaking into the veggie patch at the mo, thats not good. :wub:
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only way to be sure is to put chicken wire around anything you want to keep.
::)
I've had to put it round all my pots too because they seem to love anything in there.
mostly i have mint in pots, but not had any mint-flavoured eggs!
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They are everything in my garden except gerainiums(sp?) :mad: :mad: :D
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the established shrubs have been left alone, mahonia, skimmia, holly, flame of the forest, yucca, and monkey puzzle, most of the ground plants, primula, pansies etc have been nibbled
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Martyn, all the ones that have been left alone are ones recommended to deter theives and the like aren't they? :lol:
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Mine didn't touch the raspberries in the summer so I've planted more, along with currants and gooseberries. So far so good. I've wired off the raised beds but they hop into a nearby bush and launch themselves at the tall purple sprouting. They only peck the edges so I'm not too worried. Really funny to watch!
My pulmonaria and alpines survived the summer but were completely razed to the ground this winter. My winter pansies that I planted in old chimney pots got razed so I've netted them. I'm hoping that when the grass starts growing again the chooks will leave well alone. They're obviously needing more greens although I grow them kale and cabbage.
All the acid loving plants like hellebores, ferns, camelias, rhodedendron, hebe etc. are doing really well (hen poo) and the perpetual wallflowers, daisies and perennial geraniums have survived and spread. Might not look TOTALLY bad in the summer.(sigh)
Have to accept you can't have a brilliant garden AND chickens!!!
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not sure about theives, unless you count the chickens...the mahonia and holly are prickly, the flame of the forest and skimmia smell great in the spring....
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They definitely don't like geraniums but that's the only one I can think of.
Survival rate for anything smallish is low because of the excavation tho! >:( >:(
Mine are definitely outside the gate this year ....... that's until I miss them round the kitchen door I suppose :unsure:
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We have nothing left except for a small shrub which we planted in memory of Poppy (chook no. 8), everything else has been eaten or dug up. Strawberries, blueberry bush, sprouts, comfrey, kiwi, herbs, cauli, pansies, wallflowers - all have leaves missing or NO leaves. So far, the only thing the haven't eaten is the onion shoots but they have dug up the daff bulbs - oh well ::)
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this picture is proof they dont like geraniums.....this patch was full of summer bedding plants till they got the munchies :D
(http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx238/dizzylizzie_photo/008.jpg)
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is that their own fantasy island dizzylizzy? - and are those fairy lights going around the outside? :D
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the fairy lights are going all around the patio and weaved in the trellis, looks lovely in summer when we are outside. Bought the lights in the sales after Christmas
...... so the chickens are actually in MY bit of the garden :mad: :D
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Roses, lavendar, rosemary, thyme penstemons ,various flowering shrubs.
But the roses seem to really thrive. Both climbing and bush.I think they like the extemely weed free soil, which is thanks to our ladies.
I try new plants out in pots before planting in the ground. If they dont get too pecked I plant them with slate pieces around the roots to let them get established .
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I had a nice garden then came the distroyers :tongue2: i found that they will eat or dig up enything thats green/red/blue lol just about everything realy :nowink: well at least the girls are happy :D