Chickens vs. Flower beds: There has to be a happy ending????

[5Chances]

I hope I don't get laughed right off this page for even asking but HOW CAN I KEEP MY CHICKENS OUT OF MY FLOWER BEDS??? I have 10 girls, ages 2 - 8 yrs & we live on plenty of acreage. But regardless, the girls will almost end up in my flower beds at some point during their free range time. I try to let them out every day because they enjoy free ranging and I have even tried letting them out later in the day as they tend to migrate all around our yard in sections.

For two years I have spent a lot of time and money landscaping our yard only to spend twice as much time trying to put mulch back into flower beds! Yesterday I even bought rubber mulch thinking the smell might deter them.... 4 hours later I'm sweeping it back I to be bed. I also put lava rock In One bed they haven't seen it yet so I'm hoping they won't tackle those rocks.

ANY IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOME. I don't want to hurt them.or try something that might make them sick. (Moth balls?) My hubby has threatened to put up electric fence but I don't want fence in my beds either. Short of fencing THEM in which I don't want to do I am at a loss & my yard will be too if we don't all come to agreement here!! Thanks in advance!!!

 

[Nupe]

Most chickens don't like their coop out of sight when foraging. You could try moving the coop to where they can't see the flower beds, but of course they already know they're there. Or you could try tractoring them so they can safely forage fresh ground every day.

 

[Blooie]

Well, I don't have any brilliant suggestions. When the battle is between chickens and flower beds, there's a better than even chance that the chickens will win. When I put in my new beds, I'm going to lay chicken wire held down with landscape fabric staples right on top of the prepared soil. I'll cut holes in the chicken wire where I plant each plant. I have no bloomin' idea if that will deter the digging but it should discourage it a bit and it will be almost invisible. But, like yours, my hubby says the only way to really keep them out is with fencing....I've seen them fly over obstacles before so we'll see. Even if I stop the digging I know I won't stop the nibbling.

 

[5Chances]

That makes good sense about them not wanting their coop out of sight we have about 2 acres of "yard" surrounded by pasture but it is rare that theygo into the pasture which is exactly where I wish they would go!!! Their coop and porch was built to be permanent but maybe relocating it a bit further from our house would be a good idea....

Chickens are lot s,after than people give the, credit for... That's for sure!

 

[krista74]

I have 5 acres of land. When I let my chickens out to free range they first run to the cat's food bowl, and then to the garden bed to dig up all the hay. Now I have restricted their free range time to 2 hours in the afternoons, and I put a sprinkler on the garden bed at that time. It keeps them off it for now, but I suspect my gardens will be flooded come Winter time.....

Krista

 

[Zoom Zoom]

I had the same problem - my chicks love, love, love to dig in the mulched beds - they fling mulch all over the place and trample all over the plants. Out of desperation I decided to completely fence my beds with chicken wire this year. I had several pieces cut and laid on the ground to straighten out and noticed the chicks avoided the wire, they walked around it! I thought an experiment was in order since I really didn't want to fence all my beds. I laid the wire on top of the mulch, securing it with landscape fabric pins, before the plants came up. So far the spring plants (daffodil, tulips, etc.)and peony have grown through the chicken wire and have completely hidden it. My girls, and boy, absolutely will not step on the wire. I did leave spots open at the end of several beds where they can have their dust baths. They quickly found these places and take advantage of them and leave the rest of my beds alone. Now I'm waiting for summer plants, daylily, hosta, etc. to see if they will grow through the wire. I think I might need to cut several wires in order for the larger stemmed plants to emerge. I'll keep my fingers crossed for success in the coming summer months. I wish you good luck, it is most frustrating to see all the beautiful flowers smashed on the ground.

 

[lisascenic]

The only thing that worked for us was fencing.

 

[donrae]

Sounds like the OP could benefit from electric poultry netting, it could confine the birds to the pasture area. Not turkey free range, but you might be happier with the results.

 

[pattyhen]

Last year I sectioned off a part of my back yard and put up a little fence around it thinking I could keep the chickens out of my flower bed. The only thing I'm keeping out is me. I've just about broke my neck trying to get over that fence but the chickens have no problem with it. They have shredded my landscaping fabric and I have some painted rocks on the ground that they bury daily. They even take the top off my solar light which I have to put back on. I've tried threats and the broom but they still won't stay out of it.

I have one flower bed with yuccas and a couple of holly bushes in it. I dug up 2 yuccas and it took me hours to get them out of the ground. I left one large yucca and a small one just to see how long it would take them to dig up that small yucca. I have a buff orphington that has worked on that yucca for two days now. She almost has it dug up. If you've ever had a yucca plant you know that the roots are huge.

Well not to outdo the chickens or anything but ducks are just as bad. We have a little flower bed in the front of the house. It is a small bed with legs It looks just like a bed and we have plastic tubs inside to plant the flowers in. I normally cover this with poultry netting but since the chickens have mainly been staying in the back yard I thought I would be safe to leave the netting off. It makes it allot easier to pull up any weeds or grass. Well I was wrong about the netting. After I planted my purple wave petunias and mind you no one was using this as a nesting box I found a duck egg in the middle of the bed. The petunias were dug up and put along the sides of the bed. and there sit a duck egg in the middle. I have these medal flower thingies that you stick in the ground so I thought this would stop the duck. Nope next morning the medal flowers were laying down and another egg sit in the middle of the bed. Ok I got real creative this time and put this old black wooden duck we had in the middle of the bed where she was laying her eggs. Next morning the wooden duck was sitting along the side along with the freshly dug up petunias again and another egg sitting in the middle of the bed. It's not like they don't have a place of their own to lay their eggs. They have their own duck house with fresh hay that is bigger then my bedroom.

Well to make a long story short I had to buy more purple wave petunias and more poultry netting to cover the bed again. Now she is laying her eggs on our front porch. That is fine with me.

So if anyone finds out a way to keep the chickens or ducks out of the flower beds short of poultry netting the entire bed let me know.

Patty

 

[chickengeorgeto]

....... HOW CAN I KEEP MY CHICKENS OUT OF MY FLOWER BEDS???