How To Keep Chickens Out of Flower Beds and Gardens

[paxicotrader]

This year I'd like to make a success of both my free range chickens AND my flower gardens!

I've heard these things can keep chickens away. Has anyone had luck with any of these methods??

1. Planting rubber snakes in the bed to scare the chickens
2. Sprinkling cayenne or chili powder
3. Sticking 12-inch wooden kabob sticks with sharp ends pointed up around each new plant (supposedly the chickens hate being poked and will leave the flowers alone)
4. Putting vinegar around the perimeter of the bed

 

[Buugette]

Wish I could help, but when I figure out how to keep them out of the my kitchen... maybe I can help with the garden and flower beds...

1. rubber snakes - mine try to eat
2. pepper don't faze mine in the slightest
3. I would hate to harpoon my babies
4. I put ACV in their water... they love the smell of it

Good luck...

D

 

[Katy]

The only thing I've ever found to work is a fence.

 

[biddyboo]

I'm watching this thread with high interest...our hens have lost free range rights until we solve the issue of their demolition of our veggie garden and tender hostas. Breaks my heart not to open their gate to our small acreage, but sustainable out here means vegetables as well as eggs! We spent a couple hours in Menards recently researching fencing for our 30 X 110 foot garden...nothing is both reasonably attractive as well as reasonable in cost. Help! ~G

 

[ChickenTender63]

Well, I'm sorry about your dilema. I have had the same issue last summer.
I set out 75 tomato plants last year and I ended up having less than 1 dozen
Tomatoes for us to eat. I had some of the nicest tomato plants I have had in
20 years, but I wasn't able to keep the chickens out of em.

The only solution I have found that will actually work is to install a fence. I
Don't think rubber snakes would work as my chickens love to go after snakes
And kill them, so that may just be an invitation to come on in. I'm not real fond
Of the stake method either, as I just feel someone may get hurt, and I'm not
Comfortable with that. Not really sure what the vinegar would do, but I just
Don't see that being an effective deterent.

I think your only 3 viable options that will really work are going to be:

Install a fence
Keep the chickens contained within the coop except for evening when you can gaurd the garden
Either don't plant a garden, or, get rid of the chickens

If your like me, the last one is not an option, so I opted for the second option
Because it was more feasable to implement. I keep them contained until I can
Be out there with them to shoo them out of the garden.

Good luck with what ever direction you go.

CT

 

[Jess N Jeff]

My vegetable beds are raised (varied hights: ground, 1' and 3') and I have netting around them. It seems to work well for me. The netting especially seems to freak my ducks out. They walk into it and spaz out which scares the chickens.

good luck

 

[HEChicken]

I don't do flowers but I have expanded my vegie garden this year. I put a fence around it to keep the chooks away. They're annoyed and want in that space so bad LOL. At the end of the season, I'll open it up and they can go in and till the garden for next year.

 

[cherp68]

Darn, I was hoping someone had a solution here. I just planted some ornamental grasses in my patio pots and my ladies have already dug & trampled them. Last summer, the first summer we had the ladies they destroyed my beautiful hostas.
As for my veggie garden, I'm downsizing this year and planning to put some chicken wire around it. I also have to fence in my raspberry plants, last summer they ate the berries they could reach.

I usually sprinkle bone meal in my pots to keep the squirrels from digging in them so I thought I'd try that today to see if it would deter the chickens - no luck, they just ate it!

If anyone has any ideas on how to keep the ladies from digging in my pots I'd love to hear them.

 

[bockbock2008]

Has anyone tried the fake owls or the big red and yellow "eye" ball?? Thought about trying those to keep them from digging up my mulch.

 

[fiberart57]

I've been putting rocks about the size of a grapefruit around the bases of my roses because the girls were digging down to the roots. This has helped a lot with the roses out in the open. But I'm currently fencing off the rest of the flower garden and I've had the vegetable garden done for a while because I have a tomato and cucumber stealing dog

Mary