We have a herb pot planted with wild strawberries. I first put them in this pot because when in the garden they spread too rampantly, however the soil gets washed out through the side holes and although I have topped it up many times it has sunk again and looks an untidy mess.
We also have a hanging basket of strawberries but this is about five years old and well past it’s production time.
I decided to put both pots in the chicken run today and let the girls have some fun with them.
The girls are very cautious
Amber is intrigued
I tipped the larger strawberry plant out of the pot.
The whole flock are intrigued
The flock are very interested in the plants
The girls were having a lot of fun pecking at the plants and scratching at the bigger plant’s roots.
I went back later to find most of the green gone so I decided to empty the herb pot. I left the soil in a heap and went back indoors to get my camera. On my way back up to the girls I stopped to chat to my neighbour for a few minutes. By the time I got back to the run the heap had gone.
The soil from the herb pot has been spread already
There wasn’t much root on the smaller plants and the contents of the pot were very quickly dispersed.
The girls were enjoying scratching in the fresh soil
The roots of the strawberry plant are getting lots of attention
I think the bigger plant will keep the girls occupied for a few days. They love pecking and scratching at the roots and the rosemary I gave them last week ended up looking like a tumble weed with it’s roots completely bare. The strawberry plant’s roots are much more compacted so should occupy the girls for a bit longer. The girls are so easily entertained.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Doing something like this really show just how curious our chickens are! They clearly loved it.
I always say to my husband that they are so nosey because anything I do in the coop or run has to be investigated but as you say they are just really curious. At first they were so wary as if they must check first that it’s not going to bite them then when they realize it is safe they just love it. I can’t believe how much value the girls have got from one compacted strawberry plant. See my next post for a further days entertainment from it.