Plant These Things In Your Garden For Your Chickens
Are you looking to add some great plants to your garden for happy healthy and full chickens on a budget this list will get you started. Plant these things in your garden to feed to your chickens or directly in their free-ranging space to give them a higher-quality foraging area.
This is just a starter list and I intend to keep it growing as I discover more great plants that our chickens really love in our garden year after year.
Oregano
If you are looking at things to grow in your garden for your chickens you cannot go wrong with oregano. This culinary herb is a great immune booster for both you and your chickens. you can add dried oregano to your chicken’s feed to help boost their immune system, and fight off illnesses and other issues.
Like mint, rosemary, and other aromatic herbs I grow this one and place the herbs directly into nest boxes and dust bath areas to help keep external parasites at bay.
Grow oregano in your garden this year and never worry about running out for the perfect batch of chicken noodle soup.
Cayenne pepper
This pepper is used to make the red pepper flakes many chicken owners add to their chicken feed to encourage laying and help boost their chicken’s immune system.
After harvesting take these peppers and dehydrate them before running through your food processor.
A few cayenne pepper plants can keep your flock stocked all year long while leaving plenty for your own kitchen.
if you want to grow a variety of peppers in your garden you can make red pepper flakes with a mix of cayenne pepper, red bell peppers, and red jalopino peppers for more variety.
I like to use red pepper flakes in my kitchen for everything from chili to sprinkling on my pizza so i love to make a large batch of red pepper flakes from the garden. Try growing a variety pack of pepper seeds in your garden this year for a fun flavorful addition to your kitchen.
Sunflowers
We all know that our chickens love the black oil sunflower seeds as treats. When you grab a bag for your chickens take the time to plan some of those seeds and protect them from your chickens until they are at least a foot tall.
These are great for growing in your garden as the stems hold many toxins the plant pulls out of the soil and the seeds can feed your chickens. Grow sunflowers in a different area of your bed every single year.
Corn
If you have the space to grow plenty of corn this is a great way to save money on feed for the winter. Dry it out and hang the ears of dried corn inside the chicken run as a treat that will help keep them entertained in the winter.
Corn is best grown with the three sisters method to get the best crop in your backyard.
Pumpkin
Pumpkin is a natural dewormer and makes a great addition to your summer garden. I find that we can grow pumpkins right in the areas where our chickens free-range and they will leave them all on until we cut open the pumpkins for them.
This helps us make the most of our garden space and the chickens love to use the pumpkins as cover. We do have to check the pumpkin vines for nests when we have missing chicken eggs. That is probably the worst part of allowing your chickens to free-range.
Mulberry
We love making mulberry jam, mulberry waffles, and even mulberry syrup from the mulberries in our yard. The chickens like to hang out under the mulberry trees and eat the falling berries and leaves, sometimes they will perch in the trees and munch on the leaves helping to save money on chicken feed in the summer.
Lettuce
Chickens love lettuce and you can take a head of lettuce and place it into a feeding net in your chicken run to help keep your chickens busy when the weather is bad so they do not pick at each other. Fresh l3ettuce right from your garden can be a great treat well into the summer if planted where taller plants provide shade from the heat of the sun.
Companion plant your lettuce with your tomatoes. When the tomatoes need the space the most your spring lettuce will be finished for the season and act as a mulch while it is growing. This is a great way to make the most of your garden and grow more food for your family and your chickens.
Swiss Chard
While my family is not a fan of Swiss chard the seeds tend to come in pretty much every variety pack of vegetable seeds. We plant this in areas around the chicken coop and block them with bird netting until the plants are larger in size. Then pull down the netting and allow the chickens to forage all they want while free-ranging in the yard.
This is a great way to make use of seeds your family may not use for themselves while providing your chickens with amazing nutrition.
Marigold
Each year I harvest some of our mature marigolds to keep the seeds for adding more to our garden where the chickens forage the next year. Marigolds help give your chickens yolks that rich flavor and bright orange color that set home-raised chicken eggs apart from factory-farmed ones.
What are your favorite things to plant in your garden for your chickens?
