Help! My chickens are eating all my backyard plants

[KodiakKluckers]

We have 8 chickens about 14 weeks old and they have a run we keep them in mostly but like to let them out in the evenings after work to run around the back yard. I recently noticed they are destroying everything green! They killed my Iris, eating my tulips, vinca, roses, and weeping cherry tree. We don't want to keep them locked up ALL the time in the run but can't have them destroying everything either. We also don't want to wrap all our plants in hardware cloth it defeats the purpose. We are planting garden vegetables now and they are covered but I don't want them killed either. We give the chickens fresh spinach and lettuce and other treats from the kitchen but it seems to only help short term. What can we do?? Help!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

We have 8 chickens about 14 weeks old and they have a run we keep them in mostly but like to let them out in the evenings after work to run around the back yard. I recently noticed they are destroying everything green! They killed my Iris, eating my tulips, vinca, roses, and weeping cherry tree. We don't want to keep them locked up ALL the time in the run but can't have them destroying everything either. We also don't want to wrap all our plants in hardware cloth it defeats the purpose. We are planting garden vegetables now and they are covered but I don't want them killed either. We give the chickens fresh spinach and lettuce and other treats from the kitchen but it seems to only help short term. What can we do?? Help!

This is what chickens do, unfortunately. Anything you don't want your flock to consume needs to have a barrier between bird and plant.

 

[Messipaw]

I feel your pain. Mine destroyed my hasta plants last summer.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

We have 8 chickens ....I recently noticed they are destroying everything green! They killed my Iris, eating my tulips, vinca, roses, and weeping cherry tree....
Like old Gray Mare mentioned, the above is the "modus operandi" of all chickens.

 

[rougerage16]

Hate to say it, but you need a barrier or fence between their area and your garden.

 

[attimus]

Build these

I have 15 boxes in my chickens run and they are allowed to pick at what grows out of these. Light weight and easy to remove for maintenance or tending of plants.

 

[Attila the Hen]

I put that orange plastic fencing they use on construction sites. I have them around my raised beds. Still, it's a losing battle. I always let them range the entire property in winter and they destroy everything.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Welcome to BYC and to chicken keeping! Yes, that's standard operating procedure for chickens. They will eat most anything that's green and even things that aren't. I will guess that your girls are very happy, though!

A barrier is about the only fool-proof solution. Either fence them out of the garden or fence them into an area only for them. We also use movable paddock panels to create temporary runs that can easily be picked up and moved about the yard after they've consumed the grass in one spot. That gives the grass some time to re-grow. Electric chicken fencing allows you to do the same thing.

Below is a picture of a "Chunnel" - chicken tunnel - system. It's not my picture or my property but three people have posted this pic to my Facebook wall in the past day! I'm thinking this might be fun to try.