Privacy, Protection, Poison, and Poultry
Summer Camp kids modeling the Euonimus hedge at Mezzacello
On the southern border of Mezzacello Urban Farm, we have a bold hedge of Manhattan Euonymus that adds a level of privacy and protection to the farm. It’s a clean hedge that we were able to propagate easily. It is however poison to poultry.
More Than One Use
Mezzacello Urban Farm is a sustainable farm. To grow and maintain sustainability we must insure every choice has more than just one purpose. We chose euonimus as our hedge choice for four main reasons:
It was a gift (free cuttings that we transplanted) and it propagates easily
It discourages weeds that want to grow into the gardens behind the fence and takes a hard cutting
It provides a wind break for the garden microclimates and the poultry - especially in winter
It hides the poultry from hawks and falcons and provides shade
How a Poison Hedge Makes Sense
This winter weather has been brutal on the chickens, ducks, and quail. The hedge has been a lifesaver this winter. It is great at keeping brutal cold winds out of the poultry run and the livestock shed windows.
Euonimus is toxic to chickens, so how do I manage that? I cut the hedge back from the ground to about 60cm (24”) up and then let the hedge grow over. It also provides a great place for chickens to be out in the rain and still stay dry.
This overhang provides shade and protection, and encourages bugs to hang out in the leaves. The chickens won’t eat the leaves, but they do love the bugs. I could have used another less toxic hedge, but the Euonimus is the easiest to use. So in the end it all balances out.
