Fencing for Garden

[AMD10]

I am looking for recommendations on keeping the chickens out of the raised beds. Would a 4ft chicken wire fence work? It would not have a perch. Would 5ft be better? We had a black netting but that fell and they got right in. Thankfully there hasn’t been much going on, vegetable wise in there, so I’m hoping they don’t try too hard.

 

[nuthatched]

6 Feet, to start with.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If they're fat and lazy birds, then maybe 4-5' would be enough. If they really want to get in (and I've seen fat and lazy birds become un-lazy at the thought of destroying a garden bed) then you'd likely need something taller and covered with netting as well.

 

[avjudge]

4’ poultry netting keeps in 6 of my 7 birds, at least as long as there is no platform near the inside of the fence that can give them a height advantage from which they can launch themselves. These are sedate birds, golden comets, wyandottes, black australorp, olive egger - all but my Easter egger who’s a bit of a wild child. So it really depends on your birds.

 

[woodworm]

Maybe a fruit cage or poly tunnel over the raised beds would be less work?

 

[21hens-incharge]

I like the poly tunnel idea. For me it was difficult getting sides pulled out of the way to tend things.

This year I am planning on making removable wood framed panels and using chicken wire as the mesh and 2x2's with 1x2's to sandwich the wire. I think a "lid" made the same way will keep mine under control.

 

[RockyMtnMama]

I like the poly tunnel idea. For me it was difficult getting sides pulled out of the way to tend things.

This year I am planning on making removable wood framed panels and using chicken wire as the mesh and 2x2's with 1x2's to sandwich the wire. I think a "lid" made the same way will keep mine under control.

If you get this worked out please report back! And pix would be great!

 

[21hens-incharge]

If you get this worked out please report back! And pix would be great!

I will try to remember. Life is crazy busy so I will likely have to make a "how I chicken proofed the garden" thread.

 

[homesteading101]

Poly tunnel would be easier, at first I used 6ft fence with barbed wire and clipped wings eventually I moved to electric poultry netting letting them get zapped. after that I just put up cheap white trellising to mimick and they stay far away.