You Chicken? 6 Fowl-Friendly Plants For Backyard Coops

Chickens are total eating machines and are happy to graze and snack all through the day—though, who can blame them? Sounds like a typical Wednesday if you ask me. But seriously, it can make a huge difference in your chicken’s physical and mental wellbeing if you provide some fragrant, non-toxic plants in their coop. Here are six fowl-friendly plants you should definitely add into your backyard chicken coop.

Thyme

You might be more accustomed to seasoning chicken with thyme, rather than feeding them thyme, but they love it just as much as we do! Thyme has natural antibacterial properties, to help keep things sanitary and prevent illness in your chickens. It’s also really great for their respiratory systems so that they can breathe easy.

Plant your thyme in a spot with well-draining soil and plenty of sunshine. No need to water your thyme too heavily—wait for the soil to dry out completely before giving your plants a drink.

Rosemary

Rosemary and thyme go together like Simon and Garfunkel—they wrote a song about it, didn’t they? Chickens will love nibbling on this fragrant, woody herb, and the scent will help to repel unwanted insects and pests. It’s quite drought-tolerant, so if your soil is a bit on the sandy side, that’s totally fine! Just make sure your plants get plenty of sun. 

Lavender

The dreamy scent of lavender has long been used for aromatherapy to help ease stress and relieve anxiety. But it doesn’t just work on us humans—it chills out the chickens too! Chicken coops aren’t exactly known for being the most aesthetically appealing backyard feature, but by adding some of these gorgeous purple flowers, it will look a lot more lovely!

Sage

This popular culinary herb is practically a superfood for chickens! The high levels of antioxidants are great for their health, and it can actually help prevent salmonella. Plant your sage in loose, sandy soil, with partial or full sunlight. Don’t overwater it, or else the roots will start to get funky. Funky chickens are fine, but funky plant roots are a no-no. 

Comfrey

For a boost in overall health and egg-laying, plant some comfrey in the coop! This perennial plant is packed with calcium, potassium, and protein, and chickens love to snack on it. It can grow quite big—up to five feet high—and it has vibrant flowers in shades of yellow, purple, or pink. Make sure it has adequate space in the coop so that you can enjoy its bold colors, and the chickens can enjoy its tasty leaves. 

Comfrey has a super deep taproot, making it highly drought tolerant. Keep in mind, it’s safe for chickens to eat, but it’s actually quite harmful to humans. While you can feel free to grab a few sprigs off of the other herbs on this list to add to your pantry, leave the comfrey for the chickens. 

Oregano

Fun-fact: oregano has such powerful antibacterial properties, major poultry farms around the world have been studying its effects on the health of their chickens. So far, it’s shown to help prevent salmonella, coccidiosis, e.coli, and avian flu. Like the other garden herbs on this list, oregano does best in drier, loose soils with moderate watering and tons of sunlight. 

Want to order some of these chicken-approved edible plants for your backyard coop? Call us to place an order over the phone, and we’ll gladly arrange for curbside pickup or delivery! Your chickens will thank you.