Hello all! I've been reading and learning from this great forum. I have a private acre and about 10 hens. Normally they free range happily in my yard and sometimes spill over behind me where they can roam no problem. Unfortunately, now that the ground is frozen they keep going to my neighbors garden which is her pride and joy. She has protected her perennials with mulch and, well, you can imagine. She has been very patient with me, but I need to solve asap. I have some plastic fencing running across the driveway that they go down, but she saw them hop it. My house is on banked hill, so they don't have that many ways to access her yard. I am thinking about running some flagging above it with strips hanging down to blow in the wind. If not, maybe putting up a small electric fence at that spot. Any input would be appreciated! I do not want to pen them in.
Nothing shorter than 4' will slow them down. If there are any other ways around to the area they want to reach they will find it. Fence your whole yard or build a run- I went with the run option.
They will walk a mile (figuratively) to get into mulch...possibly, if you had some closer they would be less inclined to toss your neighbors. I had the same problem and put up a 4' welded wire fence around my 2+ acres of chicken range. So far it has kept them in, but they are hardly getting out of the coop, let alone into the neighbors garden these days. Good luck.
mine do this sometimes too. they usually dont stray - but when the bugs dwindle they start wandering farther from home to forage. Try tossing a bunch of bird seed down in your yard or give them other things to destract them. If the grass is greener so to speak in your yard they will be less likely to wander. This is not a 100% but mine are content to hang close if I entertain them.
Adequately fence them in. Or offer to fence your neighbor's garden in to keep them out. And I'd suggest doing it before you get a bill for the plants they ruined and you have to put up fences on top of the cost of the plants.
if u put up a sturdy fence around your property enough the keep predatory animals and chickens in it should be a good investment it should also keep wild dogs that can do savage work seen it myself or like the others said a fence around her garden as it may also keep rabbits and hares out which can be a bonus if they find their way then maybe giving the poop and eggs as saying soz
