The girls have quite a few big shrubs in their run but last year I put in a new shrub. As it was being stripped I enclosed it in a cage of chicken wire to allow it to get taller than the height that the chickens strip the leaves from.
A year later and is still hasn’t grown very tall. I was fed up with the ugly cage and the space it took up in the run so I decided to let the shrub free. I decided that if it got stripped it didn’t matter too much as there are plenty of established plants in their run.
As soon as I uncovered it the girls were straight to it to investigate. They scratched around it and set about stripping the leaves from it despite having had their mid morning spinach.
The girls are very interested in this plant
Only broody Topaz is missing as she is sitting the nest box.
I don’t think this plant will last long
There are plenty of other established plants in the run
The hypericum is just starting to flower
This shades the table which is probably why that is a favourite place to sit and they also have the apple tree too.
By the afternoon the shrub has been stripped to peck height
It will probably go further and get stripped to jump height next. Only tall things can survive the girls but luckily there are plenty of big and tall things in here already so this little shrub can just take it’s chance.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
It is always interesting to see how they know exactly what to eat.
As you know my chickens have never touched my bay tree, or the mock orange that is in the run . I brought two lavender bushes to test them out and they did not touch them for two weeks. Suddenly Chelsea discovered them and with in minutes all the flowers were gone .
Your girls love rose petals. Mind turn their beaks up and touch none of them .
It is very odd. My girls seem to eat anything unless it’s too tough for them which I would assume would be the bay and with mine was the rosemary prunings I put in for them. Yet some chickens eat Christmas tree needles which I would have thought would be tough. Mine too ignored the lavender at first and then just when I thought it was safe from them they stripped it.
The little shrub that I uncovered yesterday now has only a circle of leaves at the top which is just out of reach.