Are my chickens going to eat my garden?

[Chickenlovers6]

So my chickens are going to go free ranging in the backyard. But I wasn't quite sure if they were going to eat all the plants in my garden or not. We are getting an ameraucana, a plymouth rock, and something else that we are not quite sure of yet. Possibly a rhode island red. Thanks!

--Chickenlovers6

 

[lightchick]

If it's a vegetable garden then they will probably eat most of it. If you grow tomatoes then they'll eat the tomatoes.

 

[Chickenlovers6]

Thank you!

 

[lightchick]

Your welcome!

 

[TheEggCollecter]

Yes if it is veggies they will. I fence off my garden during the spring and summer. During the winter and fall I take it down and let them have it.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Chickens will destroy everything they come in contact with.

 

[Spangled]

Last summer my chickens loved the pathetic kale I grew and gave up on. But I didn't let them into the garden until the fall. My fence was nothing special, just a few metal posts and a roll of metal mesh-like fencing attached to the posts with baling wire. It kept the chickens out and I could take it down in the fall. It's back up now and not especially pretty, but it does the job and didn't cost us an arm and a leg and is temporary.

 

[Hayduke27]

Chickens will destroy everything they come in contact with.

Haha, I couldn't agree more! Your chickens will try to get into your garden every bit as hard as the fox will try to get to the chickens. Your garden will need to be securely fenced, and even then keep an eye on it. They will test it for weakness. Once they find a way in, it will only take them about 20 minutes to turn it back into tilled soil!

I am currently working on my garden plan for the summer. Last year the chickens won...

 

[Woobsie]

oh yeah! the romantic thought of 'working in the garden with the chickens meandering around you', after about a month of growing season, you realize is actually 'blood pressure sky high, they are damaging my dear seedlings!'

I spent $150 of chicken wire and a very frustrating weekend with a friend having to unroll the fencing 5 rows into the corn (my garden is adjacent to the field and the cucurbits grew into the field by the time I realized I would have no garden if I didn't do something now).

It was probably the most disappointing realization of the summer. That I would either have to fence in them, or the garden. Anyway, the chicken fencing worked great and kept out the bunnies and deer (but not the kitties).

Our grandparents and great grandparents had their gardens far away from the chickens I discovered.

 

[PrairieChickens]

We just fenced in my dad's garden to keep the chickens out. Fortunately, they're a lazy bunch and don't test it too much--the only times they've gotten in are when the gate has been left open. It was one thing when we had 30-40 chickens and they'd get into his garden, but now we have about 150. They'd destroy it.