Chickens eat my plants!

[foxtrot]

Hi, Do any of you have suggestions for keeping my hens from eating my hostas and much more of my personal plants on my property? Someone did recommend cayenne pepper: I'm currently trying this but can't tell too much of a difference! Please help...Foxtrot

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi,
The only thing I can suggest is fencing.
The cayenne pepper won't deter the chickens, they aren't sensitive to the heat.

 

[Bubba]

Sorry Foxtrot you made me chuckle with that one. Birds are immune to hot peppers (Capsaicin).

Chickens are well chickens, they tend to try to eat everything that fits in their mouth. (Wether it's good or bad for them.)

Your best bet is to fence them off or find a way to scare them away from that area. (Nothing scares them for long, unless it actually chases them {Even harder to rig up then a fence}) A motion detector rigged to a sprinkler might work for you, works for deer, cats among other animals...

Bubba

 

[chickbea]

They eat your hostas? That's one of the few they leave alone in my garden!

 

[Bubba]

Well one that might work is grow plants you KNOW they LOVE. If you have enough of those they might leave your plants alone. But then again... haha

Bubba

 

[Lunachick]

Mine don't eat the hostas, but they scratch around them to the point that they're shredded.

I tried to watergun them when they go near them, but you have to be on top of them for that trick to work.

So... I have shredded hostas.