How To Keep Chickens Out of Flower Beds and Gardens

[Akane]

Unless the object you are using to scare them moves and changes they will eventually get used to anything. Chickens don't have the ability to taste spicy things so they won't even notice pepper. That only works for dogs and cats. Vinegar probably doesn't bother them either. I know a few people have installed netting or hardware cloth around the plants to stop the chickens scratching them up. Eventually they even give up if they can't scratch and dust bathe in an area. If your problem is pecking plants then fencing the plants or chickens is probably the only guranteed way.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

You can fence one in or the other out. It's the only way that works that I know of.

.....Alan.

 

[NonnasBabies]

I know exactly how you feel!! That's why all my veggies are still in the flats I bought them in!! Can't keep them out!! We're putting a fence up around the garden (hopefully soon).

Good luck with what ever you choose!!

Missi

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I was just outside last night, defending my peas from the chickens with the hose!

So far, they hadn't noticed the peas that were just coming up. Well, they noticed last night. After a couple squirts with the hose, they decided to go do something else. We fenced around the peas, after that. The funniest thing, is that I had just told my husband we needed to work on that this weekend and get it finished. Maybe those chickens read my mind! "Quick! Let's go get the peas, before they fence them in!"

 

[RocketDad]

I keep my chickens out of the flowerbeds with a 6' privacy fence. They're in the backyard, and I don't bother planting ANYTHING back there.

 

[joypeters]

i'm watching this pretty carefully. we have a veggie garden with raised beds next to where we will install the completely covered coop and run. i would like to let the chickens out into the raised bed area to hunt for bugs and keep the weeds in that area down. but....no one messes with my veggies. so, we're thinking of putting some netting around the veggies. question 1: how high from the top of the bed? 2 feet? too much?

also, i loved the idea of large rocks in the rose beds. i was worried the chickens would get hurt on the bottom of the rose bushes. doesn't seem to be the case? most of the rest of the backyard is cement (for the pool) and plants in terraced areas that no chicken can get into, or in tall pots.

another question - should i worry about the pool the chickens would only be out there when i'm around, but do you think they would fall in the pool?

thanks! joy

 

[Willow's Meadow]

put a fence up?

 

[l'abeille]

i use a foldable animal fence (like for a rabbit) and just move it where I want the chickens to free-range that day. they can fly out of it if they want to but it's small enough I can throw a blanket over the top to stop that. I only use it for a couple of hours at at time, the rest of the time they are in their enclosed run.

 

[PunkinPeep]

For new baby trees and bushes, small chicken wire cages staked into the ground are working well for us.

I've noticed that the small garden i have with returning established plants from last year is safe. The chickens dust bathe around the plants and keep the weeds out, but they don't bother the actual plants.

As to our small vegetable garden, we opted to put a semi-temporary 4 foot chicken wire fence around it. So far, so good.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

Joy, I'd worry more about the chicken poo on bare feet
Ours wander over and through the 2 ft high flower pots, try to come in our house, hide under the cars, the front porch
I've had them jump up on sawhorses I was working on just to see what I was doing!