Planting in the Quail Coop

I went today to get all of my plants for the inside of the quail coop. I opted for greens that would offer either coverage or food. I expect to feed the babies scraps from the kitchen in addition to their regular granulated feed and their scavenged bugs, but I want them to have access to leafy greens whenever kitchen scraps aren't available. Giving them a varied diet that I don't have to pay for, really helps lower feed costs. 

Leafy Greens

In the front, right corner of the coop, I planted the leafy greens. I chose red leaf lettuce, Swiss chard, and curly kale. They are highly nutritious and filled with antioxidants. This is good for both their disease resistance and their egg production. All of my birds, both my breeders and my broilers, will be fed these leafy greens. 

Fingers crossed the birds don't trample all over them and kill them before they get big enough to withstand the avian tsunami. 

Coverage

I planted a low light ornamental grass in the back, right corner of the coop. It will serve as shade in the summer when the plant gets larger. The entire coop is under a tree, so the sunlight is already dappled, but it should provide extra shade if needed. It also acts as a barrier if one of the birds starts to pester another. It can help them get away from each other.

I'm also hoping this will attract bugs as it is supposed to produce small flowers in the summer. Bugs are a great source of protein for quail. They would be present in a quail's natural setting, so I am making a concerted effort to attract them, hopefully, away from my garden bed and into the quail coop.