Free range - How to protect your plants?

[QuailMan6666]

If I am going to free range my chickens how do I protect my plants from being eaten by my chickens? Will chickens eat my orchids and groundcover plants, or do they just scratch the ground and leave the plants alone?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

They'll probably destroy them, either on purpose or just by scratching

 

[Perris]

If I am going to free range my chickens how do I protect my plants from being eaten by my chickens? Will chickens eat my orchids and groundcover plants, or do they just scratch the ground and leave the plants alone?

It depends on what plants you are talking about, and to some extent on your own chickens' individual tastes. There are many types of orchids and more types of groundcover plants. Some your chickens might eat some part of, some they won't. You need to identify exactly what's growing in your garden.

My chickens can go wherever they want in my garden, and despite that, or maybe because of it, it is still a lovely garden. There are, of course, some casualties. For example, at this time of year, my birds eat all the primrose petals and nibble the leaves, so I don't see much of that lovely primrose yellow in the lawn. But the primroses persist and spread nonetheless, and the chickens get some fresh and free nutrition. They don't touch the camellias or the daffodils or the crocuses, and when the bluebells come out, they won't touch them either. They don't eat the mock orange blossoms, but they harvest masses of insects that are attracted to it. Likewise they don't eat the viburnum flowers that have appeared on and off all winter, though they do eat the insects the flowers attract.

If you let your chickens roam free and you have enough vegetation for them to be selective in what they nibble, over a couple of years you will find out what works for all of you.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

I both garden extensively and keep free-range chickens. The secret is first growing tough plants, and second protecting the roots and loose soil with rocks

 

[SilverBirds]

They will trample Orchids and any other small foliage while foraging. You'll need to prevent the chickens from reaching the plants, either fencing in the plants or the chickens.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Can silkies jump over a 4 foot fence?

Depends on how curious or spooked they are. I have a boy that routinely jumps rather high.

 

[fluffycrow]

Can silkies jump over a 4 foot fence?

Yes. But since you already have sebrights and D'Uccles, I don't think bringing in silkies would help with your current birds staying contained

 

[AGeese]

Just wire off what you don't want them to mess with. They'll dig up everything else when they scratch around to forage or dig holes to dust bathe, at least mine do.

 

[SilverBirds]

Can silkies jump over a 4 foot fence?

If they're really motivated to, yes.

 

[TaylorGlade]

I usually put chicken wire around anything I care about. But yes - chickens are innovative.