There are some google searches that just don't pan out no matter how you type them in.
"Landscaping for chickens"
"Poulty-resistant landscape"
"Gardening with chickens"
Apparently, there are not that many other people out there writing and thinking about how to design a yard to be compatible with their favorite flock of free-ranging birds.
What is the compatibility problem, you ask? Well, chickens love to scratch and peck. Nothing is more delightful to a chicken than to kick mulch all around, looking for the insects and grubs hiding in it. How do you have flower beds that look halfway decent, when they are attacked daily by poultry?
One answer, of course, is to contain the poultry. We actually do have our chickens fenced in, but they have taken to flying over the fence to enjoy the freedom of the whole property (except for the one hen that is too bottom-heavy to make the flight). I tried clipping their feathers last summer, and that does work, at least temporarily, till the feathers grow back.
But the thing is, we have a tick problem. A big tick problem (I'll spare you the details, because ticks are gross). And chickens are just about the best non-chemical antidote for ticks (actually, truth be told, guinea hens are even better at tick control but they are loud enough to annoy the neighbors). I would prefer to have messy flower beds, and not lyme disease.
So... the chickens are not going to be banned. Now what?
My tentative answer: intentionally messy landscaping. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Right? I was even thinking of transplanting the evergreen yucca from around our property to anchor one "flower" bed (that's the plant in the picture above), or planting switchgrass and pretending it's an ornamental grass. I could also go the wildflower route, and as an extra bonus any weeds that crop up can be considered volunteer native wildflowers.
Of course, my mom the gardener arrives today, and it's possible she will convince me to go a more traditional route of bulbs and shrubs.
