Free Range Monsters

[CoopersFarm]

Hi All,

Since their arrival at a day old, (May 13, 2019) I have allowed my 8 hens to roam the 1 acre property consisting of various perennial gardens, a pool and lawn area as well as a formal vegetable garden. They sleep in a coop at night but do not have a run per se. I am gearing up for the spring and need to keep them out of the veggie garden at the very least. I was thinking of a 3' high fence with hardware cloth. The fence won't be picketed but will have a horizontal wooden frame on top which might encourage roosting.

I know this isn't fool proof but curious if you think this will have any effect? I am loath to create a run because I originally got the hens to scour the yard and eat ticks which are rampant in Eastern Long Island.

Thanks!

Adam

 

[Acre4Me]

They will hop right into your garden. 3 feet is not a barrier, unless you have really heavy breeds. My BJG don’t fly over anything, but all my other breeds will. To effectively exclude them, you will need to go much higher, or put a net/cover on top. Good luck

 

[Nor-Cal Chickens]

Let them roam free and just put a net over your veggie garden

 

[CoopersFarm]

ugh and thx

 

[SueT]

I make small cages around plants or beds of plants. All plants are protected when they are small, but once the plants get big, my chickens don't bother tomatoes, squashes, peppers, okra or green beans. They may eat low hanging tomatoes, but I grow enough for everyone.

 

[Folly's place]

Three feet won't do it at all, except for a very few mature very heavy birds.
Electric fencing will keep most of them out, and will help with ground predators generally. For your garden, that means groundhogs, bunnies, raccoons, and deer.
Mary

 

[CoopersFarm]

Yes they love tomatoes. They even jumped up and got into my corn last year.

 

[CoopersFarm]

This is the current garden layout sans fence

 

[CoopersFarm]

I make small cages around plants or beds of plants. All plants are protected when they are small, but once the plants get big, my chickens don't bother tomatoes, squashes, peppers, okra or green beans. They may eat low hanging tomatoes, but I grow enough for everyone.
View attachment 1974107

nice looking garden

 

[Samloveschicks]

Love your garden! Personally, i use 3' high chicken wire with bamboo steaks woven through it to create a barrier. This works just fine for my personal birds, but we will see how well it goes with the new pullets. Good luck protecting your plants! They sure do love to eat plants