Are Bantams good with gardens?

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
Oh are you the same poster as the one who posted about hawks and free ranging bantams? If so, be aware that silkies are hawk bait. Silkies cannot see the hawks coming. I saw my silkies stand there as a hawk dived down (they had a pallet to run under right next to them) and bounced off the bird netting overhead.

They really are special needs chickens. They walk into walls. I love my silkies- they are very sweet but I am out there in the yard with them when I let them out of the pen.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

I haven't been able to grow a thing in my garden since I started free-ranging my chickens. They eat my tulips, tomatoes, sunflowers, roses, geraniums, herbs (they LOVE tarragon) - and what they don't eat, they dig up to make way for dust bathing. I've given up on the garden completely and just enjoy my birds.

 

[Kaneke]

rather than completely FENCING in your garden --- get some of those foot square plastic-covered grates made to be attached to each other to become shelving or bins

then you can temporarily fence in any individual plants you want to keep "safe" from the chickens, yet they can reach a little ways through the 1 inch square grid, to get bugs ...

or upend plastic milk crates ... similar fashion, though their openings are smaller

granted, if you have a LOT of tomatoes, you might be better off to make up one of those arched quonset-hut-type frames with chicken wire over them .. similar to a chicken tractor ... but this too can be temporary, rather than putting up a permanent fence

my feeling -- chicken wire is better used to keep chickens OUT of something, than to keep them in or protect them ...

 

[cottage19]

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Our vegtable garden is fenced in to keep the chickens out. We do let them in for bug duty but only with supervision. Once upon a time I had lovely flowers around the house. Not anymore. Now I tell everyone that my chickens are my flowers.

 

[angi]

Quote:
Im not familiar with the "foot square plastic covered grates". Do you have a link?


Another option I have is to raise the garden, but I assumed the chickens will be in it just as much.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Ditto.

 

[angi]

Originally, I was told that a few silkies will only eat the bugs out of my garden so I am incredibly suprised to hear that they destroy gardens. How many Bantams do you guys have who say you cannot grow gardens? I will only have a dozen at most.

 

[jnkir7]

last year was the first time in forever i did not have to spray my garden for insects,my chickens got all the bugs there great for insect control.but i have to supervise garden duty because they will eat every thing after the bugs are gone, i have my garden fenced off and only a couple will fly over the fence, janie