I have a small patio area that is surrounded by a 3' high wall. The chickens would love to get into that area and have a good old time in the herb garden. They also would love to sit by the sliding glass door and watch us inside the house. But, we also didn't like the mess and it's a bit much eating lunch with them peering in at us. So, I trained them with a hose sprayer. Surprisingly, it works very well.....for about a few months. Periodically, one will get in and I'll have to spray at her with the hose. Some birds haven't tried to get onto the patio in over a year. I really don't get them all that wet. It's just frightening to them. I also yell, "off the porch" while they're being sprayed and that helps later on. After they hear that once followed by being sprayed, they tend to listen. It saves me actually having to get the hose. It also helps that I have a wall around the area, it's a good visual boundary for them. I still think it would by worth trying even if I didn't have the short wall.
