A New England Farmer's Story of Landscaping a Hen Coop
How worried we had to move to Maine last summer and take root again in New England. It was a shame to leave our Virginia farm. So many nice little things brought by years of building, enlarging, creating and leaving them behind was cruel. One of the amazing creations was our landscape chicken coop.
As you know, it takes some time to grow plants anywhere, but especially where chickens are involved! Many plants have been thrown into the wind over the years as I experimented with various methods to make them inaccessible to chickens during growth, but little by little I managed to create a real oasis for my flock and enjoy it to the fullest.
And now I'm back to square one. Our fenced-in backyard, which was covered in lush green grass last August, is now a barren, mud-filled plaza. I am so happy that spring is finally here and I can plant the plants! On top of that, I moved 900 miles north - from zone 7 to zone 5 - but luckily I could easily find similar plants in Virginia that would do just as well in Maine.
My years of trial and error gave me the opportunity to draw up a plan on site and I turned to Nature Hills Nursery, who agreed to provide me with a variety of plants that would be resistant to the attention of chickens and would be perfect for our new job.
Planting bushes and shrubs mainly serves several purposes, the most important of which are:
- provide chicks with shade and wind protection;
- serve as a screen from neighbors and any predators passing by.
The fun will be the little candy eyes in the backyard that will watch us care for chickens or peer through the kitchen window when we cook dinner or wash the dishes.
Everything I chose from Nature Hills nursery
Buddlea
I'm partial to buddleys because they not only grow incredibly fast and bloom beautifully, but they also have drooping branches that provide the perfect place for my chickens to take a nap or rest from the sun. They are not toxic to birds, but chickens have never been interested in eating the leaves, so buddleys are my first choice for breeding. Of course, I made a stone base in a ring to protect the roots, and also placed the bushes in the cages. Until they grow up, this is a good way to protect them.
I have chosen these three varieties:
- buddley Nahno Blue;
- buddleya Pink Delight;
- two-color buddley.
rose flower
I decided to plant some climbing roses outside the hedge along one side, so that they would grow upwards and then over the top of the fence to provide even more shade, and also mask some parts of the fence. Chickens love to eat roses and will stand under bushes waiting for the petals to fall. In addition, they will eat the fruit if they are broken in half.
The varieties of roses that I have chosen:
- climbing rose Zephirine Drouhin;
- climbing rose William Baffin.
Blueberry
Since we are in Maine, I decided to plant blueberries. The chickens love blueberries and to protect the bushes I decided to plant them on the outside of the chicken coop. They will continue to provide protection from the wind, as well as keep the chickens safe from prying eyes and predators - and I am sure they will share the berries with the chickens!
I have selected these two varieties of blueberries:
- blueberry Duke;
- blueberry Northblue.
Juniper
Junipers and other evergreen shrubs are excellent perennial choices because the chickens do not touch them and they remain green all year round with few flowers. Again, I will set up a base with stones to protect the roots.
I have selected these two types of juniper:
- Juniper Compacta Andorra;
- juniper Gray Owl.
Plants shipped from Nature Hills nursery are specific to the area. Everything I chose came in large containers and looked alive and well. I was very pleased with the quality. I have planted all the bushes and so far they all seem to be doing very well.
I leave rocks around the base of all plants so the chickens won't be able to damage the roots, but I'll remove the cells as soon as the plant is two feet tall. Even if the chickens eat the lower branches and leaves, the plant should still do well in this place.
Stay tuned in the coming months for more photos so you can see the plants grow, ripen and combine to provide shade and draw eyes to our new chicken coop! I think it will be good and worth the wait to see these beautiful plants grow and bloom!