How to keep chickens off patio?

[Discouraged]

Does anyone know if chickens are sensitive to sound? If so maybe a pest control device that puts off a high pitch sound that humans cannot hear would deter them from the porch. Has anyone ever tried this approach and it failed? If not I will try it.

Also i have tried the rubber snake. MY chickens actually have killed snakes and mice on my farm and the rubber snake they liked and pecked at for a while and now they just walk over it.

 

[jak2002003]

My last group of chickens were horrors.. They had a huge garden with lots of trees to be in.. but they only wanted to get in our house!!!

They spend most of the time on the front porch and bench.. pooping constantly.. pecking at the patio window....

As some as someone opened to door to come in or out they would try to all rush in under out feet.

They even learnt to fly up to the window ledges and come in through the windows!!!

So we were like prisoners in our own home.

Sometimes, when they were out in the garden, someone would accidently leave the back or front door open a bit.. we would come inside to see them watching TV in the living room.. sitting on the sofa, coffee table, and laying out on the rug!! And that was 14 chickens!!!

They also would charge at anyone coming into the property and fly on them.... they were only being friendly. thinking they were getting food... but most people got a scare from it.

So in the end we had enough... and we ate the lot.

I think it was that breed.. they were amber star chickens. I never had any other breed do this. Now I stick with my Japanese Bantams.. they are far more refined and have good manners and NEVER go on the porch or try to get into the house.



(the small black chicken is an orphan Japanese Bantam.. that grew up with them in the brooder.. I still have her).

 

[Uncluckable]

Has anyone tried those motion-sensored sprinklers? Some brands advertise that they have a 35 ft. sensor. That is about the length of my patio and might work to keep them off of it.

I tried that. It actually kinda worked, but there were three problems that lead to me scrapping it:

1) The water pressure at my house was too high for it, so I had a pressure regulator on the intake. But the thing seemed to struggle with the pulsing, intermittent requirements of the sprinkler sometimes. So there'd be pipe hammering sounds, and at least one regulator failed.
2) The sprinkler eventually started getting gunked up due to the hard water here. If you have soft water this might not be a problem.
3) The other household (human) members could not seem to adjust to it. Even though it was really quite easy when approaching the patio to trip the sprinkler from a safe range and then stride past it while it was rotating, people wouldn't quit being intimidated by the incalculable horror of potentially getting damp. So they'd turn it off all the time when leaving out the back, and then not turn it on again even after returning.

But all that said, the chickens definitely seemed to learn to steer clear of the porch. I think the sudden sound and motion freaked them out more than the actual water.
If I could get one that was triggered only by poultry, I'd probably try again.

 

[Uncluckable]

Does anyone know if chickens are sensitive to sound? If so maybe a pest control device that puts off a high pitch sound that humans cannot hear would deter them from the porch. Has anyone ever tried this approach and it failed? If not I will try it.

Also i have tried the rubber snake. MY chickens actually have killed snakes and mice on my farm and the rubber snake they liked and pecked at for a while and now they just walk over it.

We experimented a little and found that strumming violent guitar chords would invariably send them running. Unfortunately it didn't seem to have the same effect when we played them over speakers. Maybe louder speakers are needed, or perhaps the associated motion of strumming (even from inside a door) is important.

If some way of rigging up a motion-activated noise-deterrent were possible, that would be spectacular. Or, as you say, a high-pitched constant one would be nice, if chicken hearing range is different than human and they would be deterred by it. I do suspect they would get used to almost anything constant.

 

[carriet714]

Has any one come up with an effective deter to keep chickens off the patio? My back patio is about as disgusting as it gets. Its middle of winter and its all frozen solid over everything. Once it warms up its gonna even more gross. They are free ranged and have lots of field and woods to do this on but oh no not these hens. they are spoiled rotten. I swear they go out of their way to run over to the patio to poop on it. I need help! Carrie

 

[Uncluckable]

I hear you. I swear mine also always seemed to run over to the patio just to relieve themselves, then run back to the grass. You've probably read about my failed attempts and experiences above. Only two things have been workable so far for me: 1) A fence several feet high (I used chicken wire effectively, though it was ugly), and 2) an electric fence of a couple wires going up to around a foot high, as discussed in this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...our-deck-or-patio-good-ideas/10#post_14655422.

So far #2 has apparently been working pretty well for me, and is less annoying and in the way (and ugly, in my case) than a taller fence (though you have to warn people not to trip over it in the dark).

 

[kassy68]

I kept a hose handy... but you have to watch and get them every time till they realize deck/patio means water. Then never encourage them with food in that spot. I didn't mind mine looking in the slider door though.. My roo would stand and wait for me to open the door for a treat.

 

[NHChickengirl]

Mine trying to come in the house.. I installed the swinging gate at the top of the stairs on the deck to keep the chickens off the deck. Works because the deck is 10 foot high.. Fencing is the only thing I have found to keep them off the driveway and out of the garden..

 

[lyverne]

Chickens will run from water, squirt bottles, water guns will work, for a while...

 

[KatherineB]

Did anyone come up with a solution to keep chickens off a raised deck, but allow dog access??