Spring has sprung! And after the Insane Winter Storm of February 2021, I welcome spring this year more than ever. I love my backyard chickens, and I love plants and gardening. As I work to create perfect harmony in my chicken run, I’ve found some hardy perennials and trees that go beautifully with my little flock. Here’s my spring 2021 list of the plants in my chicken run.

Don’t forget to see my full Chickens And Your Garden playlist on Youtube for a virtual tour and other goodies!

So here’s the deal: I love chickens and I love plants. But it’s harder than it looks to combine the two. Chickens will dig up newly-planted bushes and trees, and they’ll eat some plants down to the ground. 

So this is what I look for when I want a new plant in my chicken run:

  • Hardy for my climate (Zone 8, drought, etc.)
    • Not sure what zone you are? Go to www.USDA.gov
  • Perennial (won’t die after one season)
  • Potential health benefit for chickens if consumed
  • Cannot be poisonous to dogs or chickens
  • I have ample space for the full-sized version
  • Provides shade when established
  • I also like to play with leaf color, shape, bloom color, and overall shape of the plant to have some variation

Finally, consider a few other things:

  • How will I protect the base of the plant at ground level so the chickens can’t just dig it back up?
  • How will I protect the plant itself from being eaten?
  • Will I be able to “baby” the plant for the first few months it is in the ground until it gets established?
  • Am I sure I want it in that location?
  • Can I experiment with depth, like using pots and hanging baskets and trees?

Ok enough of that – onto the plants in my chicken run!

Ornamental Trees

  • Traveller redbud
  • Little gem magnolia
  • Vitex lilac

Perennial Bushes and Shrubs

  • Silverado sage
  • Esperanza (yellow and orange)
  • Firebush
  • Mexican bush sage
  • Mystic spires salvia
  • Salvia greggii
  • Lantana
  • Bougainvillea
  • Golden thyrallis
  • Hibiscus
  • Bottlebrush

Pots and Hanging Baskets

  • Bougainvillea
  • Rosemary
  • Mexican heather

Vines

  • Muscadine grapevine
  • Vitis grapevine
  • (The bougainvillea will grow vinelike as well)

And there you have it! I hope that this was helpful so that you can make a beautiful nature-friendly paradise for your flora and fauna. Let me know in the comments what you think and what you love to plant in your chicken run too!

Find the Spring 2021 tour of Plants in my Chicken Run here.

And don’t forget to find RSM on YouTube here.