greenery in the chicken run

[pixie]

I would like to get some greenery in our chicken run but they seem to strip everything bare. We have 10 young hens fenced off in around 40-45 square metres of garden, and I have 3 fruit trees in with them (which they can't reach to strip) and not much else. I tried transplanting a large well established lavetera shrub, but not only did they manage to eat every leaf, they had pulled off all the bark within a week. I've put up a few climbers, but had to secure them behind quite fine meshing to keep them safe. Other than nettles, is there ANYTHING they won't eat? (By the way, I do feed them plenty you know!)

[Two_Sheds]

Nope. They eat everything!
Can you move them round a bit, to strip a different patch while the first recovers? Leafbeet or Chard would be quick growing and nutritious for them

[serenity]

I grew some pea shoots especially for my chucks

[pixie]

Yours are lucky chooks - I hope they appreciate how spoiled they are. I was intending to feed them a lot of the waste veg plants later in the year, but have not thought to grow something specially for them! I do have some spare grass seed though...

[chickenjane]

I agree they eat everything.
If you have any weeds in your garden they particularly like
Groundsel
Chick-weed(er surpise)
Goose grass
speedwell.
Later on in the summer they go mad for windfall plums.
In the dark months I lob in all the brassica leaves & stalks that I can & even go to my local farmshop & beg the cauliflower trimmings,which they are only too happy to give me.
Last winter the kids got adventurous (=silly) & chucked in a whole pumpin.it burst open on impact & only the rindwas left a week later.

[yoanbob]

Yep they eat the lot, exept ragwort, but as its illigal to allow it to florish i wouldnt bother, also if they eat it by accident no more chook.