Grow These 15 Easy Plants For Your Chickens

Happy, healthy chickens lay the most eggs. Right from the start, birds that eat a more complete and complex diet not only grow larger and faster, but they also lay more often when they begin to lay. There are many things you can do around your yard to provide enrichment and a healthy environment for your chickens. Allowing them to free-range and forage is a great way to do both things.

Chickens like to keep busy, and by keep busy, I mean they like to eat. You may notice that the thing your hens spend most of the day doing is scratching around in the dirt and grass looking for insects and tender, tasty plants. Foraging for plants provides them with mental stimulation, and it adds important nutrients to their diet. Some plants are even beneficial for their digestive health and immunity!

There are plants that chickens will eat, and others they will avoid. Typically, they don’t eat the things that are toxic. They’re actually pretty smart about this. Sometimes they eat the plants that we want them to stay away from. A great way to make this happen is to provide them with plenty of accessible food that keeps them away from your vegetable garden.

Here are some plants you can grow for your chickens to keep them happy, healthy, and laying delicious eggs. 

Common Oregano

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Common Oregano Seeds

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Crimson Clover Cover Crop

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Crimson Clover Cover Crop Seeds

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Parsley Italian Giant Org

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Parsley Italian Giant Org

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Oregano

	botanical name Origanum vulgare
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1’-3’
	hardiness zones 4-10

Oregano tops my list of beneficial plants for chickens. You may need to chop this one up and add it to their food, but the health benefits are well worth the effort. Oregano has antiviral and antibiotic properties, so it’s great for their gut health and immune system. 

Oregano also has anti-inflammatory properties. Regularly adding it to your birds’ diet can help fight disease and extend their lives. It may even work to combat E. coli and Salmonella, which is better for you and anyone you share those eggs with. Put some oregano in your food processor and sprinkle it in their food. They will thank you for it!

Dandelion

	botanical name Taraxacum officinale
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2”-1’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Many gardeners view dandelions as weeds, but for chickens, they are a tasty treat that provides tons of fiber, potassium, zinc, iron, and vitamins A, B, C, and D. All of this adds up to healthy hens and healthy eggs. The fiber aids digestion and is easy for your birds to forage. 

Dandelions are also excellent for native pollinators and add value to humans’ diet, too! They are a natural diuretic and have tons of physical benefits for us. This is a great plant to cultivate. You may not want them in your lawn, but you won’t regret planting them in your run. 

Clover

	botanical name Trifolium spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height Up to 3’
	hardiness zones 3-10

Clover is another excellent plant for chickens to forage for. It makes great pollinator food, too! Clover is a legume, so it’s nitrogen fixing. This means that while it’s feeding the birds and bees, it’s also enriching your soil so that other plants can thrive. 

Several types of clover are great for foraging. White, red, and crimson clover are sturdy plants that stand up well to foraging. When you plant it, make sure to cover the seeds until they sprout, or your birds will eat the seeds! You can let them graze on it or chop it up and mix it with their feed. Check to ensure that your chosen species is not invasive in your region. 

American Beautyberry

	botanical name Callicarpa americana
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3’-8’
	hardiness zones 6-10

This one comes from my own surprise experience, and it’s a great plant all around. American beautyberry is another easy plant for chickens. This attractive shrub has large, medium green, serrated foliage. It flowers in the spring, and flowers give way to brilliant purple berries in late summer. 

Chickens adore the beautiful berries from this shrub, and it produces a ton of them. They make a great supplement for your birds’ diet, and they will have fun trying to reach them. Once they clean off the bottom of the bush, I like to trim a few branches here and there for them to snack on. This serves the purpose of pruning, too!

Purslane

	botanical name Portulaca oleracea
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2”-3”
	hardiness zones 3-12

Purslane is an edible plant that we typically grow as an ornamental, but it’s also a common weed. It’s semi-succulent, so it performs well in summer when other plants may languish. It’s low-maintenance and produces lovely flowers. Studies show that adding a small amount of these easy-to-grow plants to your chickens’ diet can help regulate their gut microbiome. 

This pretty little plant is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which transfers to the eggs. That means that it directly benefits your diet as well. It’s full of valuable vitamins and minerals, and is shown to improve growth performance in meat birds. It can invade in some areas, so be sure it won’t before you grow it outside of a container.

Oxalis

	botanical name Oxalis spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4”-12”
	hardiness zones 6-12

Chickens won’t overdo it with oxalis, but it’s a great supplementary plant that they will enjoy nibbling on occasionally. It’s a nutrient-rich plant that they seem to like more than other weeds. They enjoy digging up the bulbils for food. 

Because it contains oxalic acid, your birds won’t binge on this plant, which is good because it’s pretty and looks great in a garden. If you want something decorative that they will visit from time to time for a snack, oxalis is perfect. 

Parsley

	botanical name Petroselinum crispum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8”-3’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Parsley freshens your breath and makes a great addition to many dishes, and it’s also great for your flock. Parsley is helpful for digestion and can aid in expelling parasites from the digestive system. It’s full of vitamins and minerals that support a healthy diet. 

Parsley may help with blood vessel development and promote feather production. It contains calcium, which helps to strengthen eggshells. It’s an all-around great herb for feeding your girls. 

Collard Greens

	botanical name Brassica oleracea var. viridis
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-6’
	hardiness zones 2-11

My chickens love collards so much that I have to grow them out of their reach, or there’s never any left for us! They will strip the leaves and leave nothing but skeletons in the veggie garden. There must be something about those leathery leaves that they enjoy munching on. 

Collards add variety to their diet, and they are full of fiber. This is great for your chickens’ digestion. They are also full of vitamins and minerals that benefit egg production. It’s also fun to watch them fight over a big green leaf.

Spinach

	botanical name Spinacia oleracea
	sun requirements Full sun
	height Up to 18”
	hardiness zones 2-11

Spinach is a powerful food, and it’s great for your birds. Just be sure to feed it to them in moderation, as it contains oxalic acid. This can interfere with calcium absorption, which is bad for eggshell development. It might enhance the color and quality of their yolks, though, so it’s not all bad; there are good points to consider. 

Spinach is full of vitamins A, B, C, and K. Make sure to offer them this vegetable as part of a balanced diet. Incorporate other leafy greens along with the spinach. Pay attention to their eggshells when you feed them spinach; this will be a good indicator of whether it’s harming their calcium intake. 

Pumpkin

	botanical name Cucurbita pepo
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 10′-20′
	hardiness zones 3-11

Chickens love pumpkins and other squash-family plants as an easy snack. Squash is a great source of fiber, which aids in digestion. They are also full of zinc, which is good for feather production. The seeds contain antioxidants that work against parasites, and the flesh is rich in beta-carotene. 

Pumpkins can also be a fantastic source of entertainment for your flock. Shave off a bit of the rind and give it to them whole. They will enjoy picking it apart, and you never know what kind of jack-o-lantern you could end up with!

Sunflower

	botanical name Helianthus annuus
	sun requirements Full sun
	height Up to 25’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Sunflowers are an excellent crop choice for supplementing your flock’s diet. They’re lovely to look at as well. Growing sunflowers is a great way to provide a hearty protein source for all types of birds. 

Chickens molt in the fall, and they need extra protein. This is right about the same time your sunflowers are ready for harvesting. Let the seed heads dry on the stalk and then give your birds the whole thing. They will love competing for those tasty seeds. 

Cucumber

	botanical name Cucumis sativus
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 10”-2’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Cucumbers are great for your flock, especially on a hot summer day. Cukes are full of water, which helps them to stay hydrated. They also contain potassium and vitamin C. 

Cucumbers are excellent for chickens’ digestion because they are hydrating and contain plenty of fiber. You can slice them up or give them whole; your birds will stay busy picking through those tough skins. 

Corn

	botanical name Zea mays
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 5’-12’
	hardiness zones 3-11

Corn is a staple in the diets of many farm animals. For chickens, it’s a great supplement. It’s carb-rich, which gives your hens plenty of energy. It’s also easy for them to digest. Corn does raise their core temperature, so it’s best to reserve it for cooler weather. 

You can give your birds cracked or fresh corn. Toss them the whole cob and let them make a game of it. This will provide them with nutrients and mental stimulation. 

Amaranth

	botanical name Amaranthus spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height Up to 10’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Amaranth is a bit more high-maintenance, but it makes good food for your flock. The leaves are protein-rich and have a similar flavor to spinach. The seeds are a great protein and fiber source that can replace other grains in their diet. 

It’s important to prepare amaranth before feeding it to your chickens. Dry the leaves and heat-treat the seeds to destroy the anti-nutritional factors that can hamper chickens’ growth and digestion. 

Alfalfa

	botanical name Medicago sativa
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2’-3’
	hardiness zones 3-11

Alfalfa is a great protein source for supplementing your flock’s diet. You can also use it in the coop or run for chickens to dig through and nibble on. It’s full of fiber and a source of xanthophylls. These pigments are what make the chicken’s skin and egg yolks yellow.