Chicken proofing the garden

[The Chickeneer]

i have had my garden planted for a couple weeks, and neither the chickens nor guineas nor the ducks have messed with it. I made a raised bed out of cinder blocks, it's two cinder blocks high and has no surrounding fence. Before i planted the plants, they used to dust bathe in the raised bed bed all the time because it was full of dirt, but once I planted the veggies they just kinda left it alone.

I planted them kinda close together, so when they get bigger, it will be too dense for all the poultry to go dust bathe and destroy it. There is just enough room for them to scratch around, but not too much for them to tear the place up.

The lawn is full of green grass and bugs that I think they would rather go range then be in the garden, which is great since i don't have to worry anymore.

 

[debid]

I only have a 3' fence around the garden. When they were young, I had to shoo the chickens out often. Now, they don't come in unless I leave the gate open. This is a very good thing because they really like to sample the produce. I should have snapped a few photos of the overwintered beets they declared theirs before I pulled them. The damage went far beyond eating the leaves. And there is nothing quite so annoying as a dozen large tomatoes with a few pecks in each of them. So, the garden is off-limits except in the off season. It's just easier that way.

 

[Pullet Surprise]

I just watched the feathered locusts level "their" garden (containers around the coop and run - planted just for them to do what they want) on their way out to range......they leave the larger plants, but the small plants were just a beak full. They absolutely LOVE kale. Luckily I have kale starts coming out of my ears right now. Will put chicken wire over their containers so the plants can get large enough to withstand their grazing

 

[Weasleymum]

I can tell you at least one thing that doesn't work: raised beds with 24" chicken wire fencing around them. I may as well not have bothered, the girls hopped/flew right over without any problem, and I hurt myself a few times stumbling over those metal posts. Good luck to you, but we're building a permanent coop and will start only free-ranging during the off seasons...

 

[Pozees]

I can tell you at least one thing that doesn't work: raised beds with 24" chicken wire fencing around them. I may as well not have bothered, the girls hopped/flew right over without any problem, and I hurt myself a few times stumbling over those metal posts. Good luck to you, but we're building a permanent coop and will start only free-ranging during the off seasons...

I'm thinking of doing 2' posts with rabbit fence around and the plastic netting across the top. I want the netting removable of course so I can get in to weed and water. Still trying to decide how to accomplish that, but maybe the same idea would work for you?