Best Plants for Chicken Run??

[ryanguevara1983]

Does anybody have any tips for plants to grow in a chicken coop?

I want to provide some shade and extra interest, there is lots of man made shade - pallets etc but I'd like to make it a bit more natural.

Does anybody know any plants that will grow fairly quickly, without being eaten by the chickens! Prickly ones? Berberis??

[veggiechicken]

Mine used to have a run in the raspberry canes (surplus ones). They'd jump up and down for the fruit!

[RedThorn]

Mine ate the raspberries....... canes and all

[BarleySugar]

I'm glad mine like raspberry canes. Their run is built on top of the old raspberry site, and although we tried to dig them all out, there are (or were) still suckers growing up. So far I haven't come across anything my ladies won't eat, they love violets.
Chicken Resistant Plants | Hanbury House looks interesting and has a link to further advice.

[jessmorris]

Mine don't eat Buddleia, holly, Prunus lusitanica or cotoneaster. They will eat Eleagnus though.

[kathyd]

Mine have a go at a variegated evergreen with long lilac flowers - a veronica maybe? They peck at the flowers but don't demolish the shrub, and love the semi-shade underneath where they spend hours snoozing. They also love the (huge) berberis, but you may need to chop away some of the lower stuff so they can get inside it because they get thick right from the bottom. Mine don't appear to eat lavender, primulas, heathers, azaleas, rhododendrons, laurel, forsythia or snowdrops. I wouldn't use anything too prickly if you want them to make the most of any shading that's offered underneath / inside. Also check final sizes of shrubs before planting - laurel can get huge really quickly and needs regular chopping to keep it in check.