Quick Growing Plants for Your Chicken Run

I was sitting in the chicken run last week watching my flock scratch around the dirt. It got me thinking about how fast they ate the grass that was once under their feet. Chickens love greens, grass and plants! Free-ranging gives their nutrition a boost and cuts down on food costs. However, if your run looks like mine, there isn’t much green (or any!) for them to pluck.

Quick-growing plants can help improve soil quality, reduce mud and keep your chickens happy and healthy. They’re also a great boredom buster for chickens in confined runs!

Why Add Fast-Growing Plants to Your Chicken Run?

This ground was once luscious, green grass! Chickens are tough on greenery, and your run can quickly turn into a dust patch. Adding quick growing plants to your chicken run does more than make it look nice. It supports natural foraging behaviors, enriches their diet and even helps maintain better soil conditions.

The trickiest part? Getting the plants to grow before your chickens get to them! A screen cover or a blocked-off area where they can go in and out under your control works great.

Best Quick-Growing Plants for Chickens

If your chicken run is looking a little bare, these quick-growing plants for chickens can freshen things up fast while keeping your flock happy and busy.

Clover

Clover is a favorite for chickens. It grows quickly, fixes nitrogen in the soil, improves soil health and provides a mild, nutritious snack. It germinates in about 7-10 days. Plant the clover seeds in a sunny spot and keep the soil moist.

Alfalfa

Alfalfa sprouts rapidly and is rich in protein. It’s great for both free-range and confined chicken runs and encourages natural foraging. This quick-growing plant is ready to graze in about 10-14 days. Alfalfa prefers full sun and well-drained soil.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers aren’t technically fast-growing, but once sprouted, they grow quickly. Chickens love the seeds, and the tall plants give shade and shelter. I’m going to plant these on the outside of my run right next to the fence. They sprout in about 7 days and reach a good height in 3-4 weeks. Make sure you plant them in well-draining soil and give them space to grow tall!

Radishes

Radishes have edible greens that chickens enjoy, and they grow very fast. Sometimes ready to eat in just over 3 weeks. Plus, have you ever put radishes at the bottom of a roast in a slow cooker? They taste just like potatoes but without all the carbs!

Mustard Greens

Mustard greens grow rapidly, are cold-hardy and add variety to your chickens’ diet. They take a little longer but are great to grow in cooler seasons. Mustard greens are ready to harvest in about 30 days.

Barley Grass

Barley grass is highly nutritious, grows fast and chickens love grazing on it. It germinates in just 2-3 days! The best thing about barley grass is that it regrows multiple times, giving you more bang for your buck.

Tips for Growing Greens for Chickens

Obviously, growing greens for your chickens doesn’t replace a high-quality feed. It enhances their diet though and gives them something fun to do in the run if they can’t be out free-ranging. Chickens can get bored, and that’s when behavior issues show up in a flock. This is a great boredom buster for them!

If you don’t feel like battling the chickens and don’t have a great blockade system, you can grow most of these in pots as well and then just feed them to your chickens that way. Either way, I think you’ll find adding quick-growing greens to your flock's diet will enhance their life and add to the deliciousness of their eggs!

Until next time,

–The Wing Lady