Any trick to get the chickens to stop scratching away all the mulch?

[DerbyChook]

I tried to side dress my blueberry bushes and fig trees with compost, then mulch with some chopped up leaves. When I checked back after a few days, it was all gone! I think the chickens are scratching in it and send it all into the grass or another chicken dimension. Is there a way, other than a fence, to get the mulch and fertilizer to stay put? I would really like the plants to grow better this year but don't have the time/money to construct a fence. Could I lay down some chicken wire on the ground over the compost? I have some left over from building the run.

 

[BooBear]

The wire would be a clever way to tharwt them. They do not like scratching on wire. Other than a fence there is not much to prevent them from scratching in it.

 

[teach1rusl]

That sounds like a good idea...you may have to tack it down (so it'll stay, since they'll still try to dig/scratch) with landscape staples or something similar...

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

You probably could lay wire down, and they'd still try their darndest to get to the mulch. The only way to keep my naughty birdies from tearing my flower beds to pieces was to build them a run. Not what you wanted to hear, but close them in or give up on mulching the shrubs. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[rcentner]

if only there was an easy solution! my DH was mad cause last year we mulched all the flower beds and the chickens headed right for the mulch like it was a neon sign. He didn't want to put fence over it cause we did all that work to make it look nice and the fencing would detract from that. I spent many afternoons shooing them away from the flower beds, but I only free range when I am home to watch them anyway due to the high predation rate around here.

good luck!

 

[FiveHens]

I don't know how many blueberry bushes/fig trees you have, so this might not be feasible, but perhaps something like this:
www.amazon.com/GARDEN-32INX10FT-ROUND-FOLDING-BORDER/dp/B000HHFB1E

You can also get them in rolls, such as here:
www.gardeners.com/26%22-H-Border-Fencing/39-643,default,pd.html?SC=XNET8035&utm_campaign=cse&mr:referralID=fe836df9-73f4-11e0-9770-001b2166becc

a 2-3' high decorative fence--if the chickens aren't terribly determined, they'll probably stay out...

Hope it helps!

 

[ll]

another chicken dimension

good luck

 

[flowerchild59]

Love the remark about another chicken dimension, BTW.
I have over 550 hostas with alot of mulch. I keep the girls penned up in a huge run. Landscaping and chickens cannot ever coexist peacefully.
I weed and carry a bucket with me. When full the girls get a bucket of fresh greens.

 

[azygous]

Chickens exist to find ways to get into a nicely mulched bed and scratch. It's what they do.

Yesterday, as I was working away at a project, confident that my carefully constructed deer fence around my prepared squash patch would deter the hoards, I looked up to see a hen standing in a twelve-inch deep hole she had dug just outside the fence. As I watched, she ducked under the fence, and was on her way to flinging mulch.

If you mulch it, they will come. And nothing will stop them.

 

[trunkman]

The best way I found to keep them from not scratching is to not have chickens!

But seriously, last year was my first year with chickens and as a gardener last year was also the first year I only got about 4 tomatoes from my 18 tomato plants and no green beans from my 50 or so bean patch. Oh I did enjoy my 4 completely weed free raised beds tho. So this year, a large fenced in area and all the chickens have clipped wings, that was my solution.

Almost forgot, this year they have the weeds brought to them via over the fence!