Anyone Know of a Natural Spray or Chicken Deterrent for Garden Plants?

[mobius]

Besides the garden hose?

Here is part of an earlier thread:

I would love to block them out but the poor plants are on either side of my back door, and when I tried it wouldn't allow the door to open or close all the way cause it swings outward. The spray bottle is working for 3 out of the 4 but I have a very stubborn hen who has taken to charging me when she sees it.

Lol that is a lot of work with the spray bottle! I think I will post a thread on this question re: natural deterrents, although I suspect there are not many...some wise soul may have an answer. Meanwhile, deer netting or standalone garden fencing pieces might work...the way I block them currently is several dog X-pens a kind soul gave me lined up and hooked together as a kind of fence along one side of the yard...keeps them out of my garden and in their own little pasture...and keeps my decks clean lol! they are tenacious little beasties for sure!

It has been well-established that cayenne or other pepper spray doesn't work, of course

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Chickens are tenacious. Fencing or a vicious Chihuahua on guard are good options.

 

[mobius]

Chickens are tenacious. Fencing or a vicious Chihuahua on guard are good options.

Good reason to get a chihuahua!

As long as he doesn't mind a good peck on the nose! Which my little dogs do!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I only say it because when my chickens are getting to be too much in my yard I send mine out after them. She has great fun chasing them back to the shed. Otherwise she does get chased by a few roosters on occasion. She needs to build up momentum first to look imposing.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have also tried owl decoys, and hawks, but they only work for a short time.

They do sell motion activated prayers, so something to look into.

 

[mobius]

I have also tried owl decoys, and hawks, but they only work for a short time.

They do sell motion activated prayers, so something to look into.

Did you mean sprayers? Kind of like the garden hose idea, which I did try a bit last year but the chickens would sneak back later when I wasn't looking or in the yard. (I originally thought it was a failure to learn from adversity, then I realized the chicken was smarter than me and adversity only toughened their little chicken resolve)....sneaky little things....what they learned was how to sneak.
I have seen those sprayers for deer deterrents...good idea! Otherwise I will pray a lot that my chickens don't eat the tomatoes!

(They better not cause now there is a fence which they do not like one bit. And if they start to fly over it I have sat them down and given them a good talking to and told them that wing clipping will be next.)

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Oh spell check you are hilarious. Yes a sprayer, if that doesn't work try the prayers.

 

[Enigmaklw]

Nothing works for long my neighbors have a lot of chickens and their yard is pure dirt. There’s nothing left so many have begun flying over to my yard , pecking and scratching at the ground until the grass is gone and holes and dirt is what remains. I think about motion activated sprinklers. I don’t want chickens!

 

[Oxydziedhens]

Yeah from what I know there are no natural defences from chickens other than maybe a dog
The best bet I have is a fence blocking them off from it. However it also depends on the breed and how high they can jump.
But if the plants you want to protect are rather small and you just don’t want them being scratched up, putting rocks around the base will help stop them scratching it up

 

[Mrs. K]

A high powered squirt gun. But it will take quite a bit of training.