Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: trinamc on May 22, 2014, 13:44
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Hi I was looking for some larger plants to put in the chicken runs to provide some shade in the summer(hears hoping ;)) Would bamboo be safe for the chooks and is there any other shrubs you can suggest if only to give themsomething to scratch in
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probably not much shade with a bamboo. a small table could be nice. If the ground is dirt they would scratch in that. I have an old sandpit with soil/ash/louse powder in it as the run area is covered to keep it dry. straw is also good, change it weekly if it gets wet
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i have a mature bamboo. they do eat the lower leaves (no surprise there) and then they lay in between to stalks and get some shade from above.
Mine is a non invasive type, dont know which one as it was a gift. I think whatever you put in it will get munched to some extent but if you get something big enough at least they will only eat the lower half. They will also dig around the bottom of the plant and probably uproot anything newly planted but you could plant something in a large pot and protect the roots with some large stones
Our coop is on legs so they go under for some shade and our neighbour has a lovely tree that overhangs one corner of the run giving more shade
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An old pallet on short posts works well for providing shade, it can be covered over during the winter to provide a rain shelter. Mine like to chill out on the top sunbathng :D it also provides something interesting for them to do I hang cabbage from mine
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I have used 2pallets leaning against each other to form a tent shape. You do need to ensure they are not at risk of falling though! :wacko: