Chickens are notorious for decimating plants, so keeping anything growing around your coop can be a futile struggle.  But, chicken coops aren’t the prettiest things in the world, and for those of you who pin all sorts of “pretty coops” with daydreams of a happy, lush farm, that is just not reality.

As much as pinterest also likes to show us near impossible cakes and crafts, it also gives us an unrealistic vision of a chicken coop, and a chicken friendly garden.

In fact, I am going to bet most of those pictures were taken BEFORE the chickens actually went near the coop!

Chickens are a cloud of locusts. They EAT. They POOP. The SCRATCH and destroy.  They climb on everything, poop on everything and eat ANYTHING, so it is REALLY hard to plant a chicken friendly garden.

So, how does one even start to TRY and make their coop nicely landscaped?

First of all, plant “chicken friendly” plants.  Things the hens won’t eat (unless they suddenly decide they want to)  Rhododendrons, buddleia and some herbs are some of our go-to favourites.  Chocolate mint, and lemon balm specifically, as the chickens don’t seem to like the flavour as much as some of the others.

But more important than the plant, it is HOW you plant them.  A chicken will destroy a rhododendron without eating a single leaf in a matter of days!

So, check out my short and sweet video to get my SECRET to keeping plants alive in and around my chicken coop!  And trust me, this has been tried and tested on our flock of 50+ hens that free range around these plants ALL DAY.

Unbelievable that it is THAT easy!  Now your visions of a fully landscaped coop can become a reality! Not only can you have pretty foliage and plants, BUT you can also cover up the coop so it blends into your garden and becomes part of your homestead!

Good luck and keep me posted on how it works, or what other tips you have found!