How To Keep Chickens Out of Flower Beds and Gardens

[Saharr1]

as a temp fix I put plastic forks at a 45 deg angle facing out on the raised beds, when they look up they see an overhanging edge, I am sure they will figure it out will let you know

 

[Aztecsue1]

How high a fence do I need? I had an attractive edging around the Iris Bed & they simply flew right over it!

 

[aart]

How high a fence do I need? I had an attractive edging around the Iris Bed & they simply flew right over it!

Welcome to BYC!

Probably at least ~3 feet.....can depend on how big the flower bed is.
Make top of fence a bit floppy so they can't land on it.

 

[lazy gardener]

Quote: Deer netting is almost invisible. A 7' tall roll can easily be cut with scissors to yield 2 x 3.5' rolls. Merely weave fiberglass fence posts through the netting, hold it up on the fence post with clothes pins, peg it down at the bottom with soil staples, or any other means. They will bounce off it a few times, and then give up. Since they can't really figure out where the top is, they'll not try to fly over it.

 

[jennrenee]

Ive been crucified once for saying this but kabobs have worked for me..A little background..We have 10 acres about half of it is briars and those darn devils walking sticks.My 20 pasture raised birds have a lot of room to roam..I noticed they stead clear of briars and pokey things. They don't have to get their eye poked to know..It's instinct.so when I tried for two years to have a sizable garden as I have a sizable family, I found nothing could keep them out.Nothing including fence...They would just fly over it. So I thought I'd give the kabobs a try. No I don't want my birds impaled but it was my last effort until I could afford enough fence to put up for a half acre garden..Also I'm an outside person so I sat and observed.alot lol.In years past as soon as I turned my back they would have eaten everything to the ground..Mainly my duckies lol..This time they took one good look and kept it moving...Didn't even try..They are smart and there is much easier grub to get elsewhere..Now im thinking that once these plants are established I will try to move the kabobs out little at a time to see what happens, but in my experience so far it is working and I don't expect injuries as they don't even attempt it..Now my experience may not be for everyone, as many aren't at home all day to keep an eye but honestly my flock hasn't been near anything I've planted since I did it..I only hope that when I remove them things will remain the same so we can live in harmony..I can't stand to pen my birds up..So if this doesn't work I may begin gardening indoors..I hope I haven't insulted any bird lovers but I wanted to share my experience without being stoned by the pet chicken sector..I did this as responsibly as one can, lots of watching them as I don't want them poked...It is a visual thing for them as far as I can tell

 

[93Taj]

Hi. this is my first post. We are enjoying our first set of birds. We are about to let them start roaming. We have a kitchen garden near the house that they cannot get into. The main garden is fenced. Too many tender greens. I have a tomato patch out in the open. But I read here that I better get em protected before the tomatoes start turning red. My question is about corn plants. I was wondering if anyone has personal experience growing a few rows of corn plants from about 6 inch starter size to maturity. We do not have any grass around here. So, I do not know how they relate to grasses. I am hoping they might not want to decimate a small corn planting. It would be in their best interest if they did not. As we would certainly give them a few treats from the harvest!

 

[lazy gardener]

If all you need to do is keep chickens out of your garden beds, I suggest deer netting. It comes in a 100' long roll, 7' tall. It is easily cut with scissors, so you end up with 200' of fencing that is practically invisible. Weave a fiberglass fence post through it every 8 - 10', with some clothes pins to keep the fencing from falling down the post, and some staples to keep it close to the ground. You can then push it down to step over it when going into the fenced areas. As for the corn, once it's up and growing, they should leave it alone. But, they may undermine the roots of it. Often the root damage is worse to a plant than the grazing on the top growth.

 

[harveyhorses]

They are very helpful, and the best dirt anywhere is in the shovel!
I just run chicken wire around my veggies, I have flower beds in front of the house where chickens are not allowed.
My old girls are not as adventurous as they were, so I will probably have to do something when the teenagers start getting free range time. Or out in the yard time, since they cant go where they want.

 

[Jeremy Nesmith]

I just got a scarecrow motion activated sprinkler on ebay for $33. It works real good at keeping my girls from destroying my flower beds and its quite comical watching them activate it. Only problem is it squirts me too when i walk by. I would post a link to it but I'm not that tech savvy. Just Google scarecrow sprinkler on ebay and you'll find it. Hope this helps

 

[okie-chick93]

I love the idea of a motion activated sprinkler. My chickens always come over when I come outside to water and I always spray the hose near them and they take off. Not only will it keep the chickens away but it's good for ur garden in this high heat and dry weather!! GREAT IDEA Jeremy!
I have jalapeño plants for my husband and they have ate a ton of my jalapeños