How to keep chickens out of the garden? UPDATED with successful method.

[remuda1]

Used the plastic deer netting as well. I've always had rabbits in my garden but they've never done noticeable damage so we coexist. Unfortunately, they easily chew holes in the netting and once the hens find the holes, it's over .

 

[mstricer]

Use some rubber snakes it will freak them out.
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[galanie]

Update: I added either 2 or 3 strands of 17 gauge aluminum wire to the top of my 4 ft picket fence. This solved the problem in several ways.

First, because the birds would hop onto the fence posts and then hop down, the new additions to the tops of the posts block them from landing on the top of fence post. Second, if they try to fly right over the fence they hit the wire and harmlessly fall back (it's not electrified). The wire is too thin for them to see well so they aim for the picket fence and don't realize there's another 7-10 inches of clearance needed to get over the wire. I saw this happen once and I admit it was kinda funny. The chicken had no idea what she hit and kept pacing up and down staring at the top of the fence but unable to understand what she'd hit. 

I also added height to the two gates to the garden to close up those gaps, too. It was a good three days work but my garden has been chicken free for several days now and I'm relieved. 

That's what I do except I use weedeater line. Because someone gave me a roll that is too narrow for my weedeater so hey, free stuff! haha.

 

[lucyo]

We found our chickens were always in the garden digging up mulch and plants, so we built a big chicken run. The problem then was that they flew over the fence. So my husband cut one of their wings just trimming the feathers so they couldnt fly and that fixed the problem.

 

[Foothill gal]

We used a pvc frame, with deer fence around the bottom and plain bird netting over the top and attached to the deer fence with zip ties. has a pvc door and keeps dogs and chicks out of the garden, (we caught our lab puppy in the strawbeerry patch - but only after he had eaten all of the ripe and almost ripe ones) It was very easy - no glue - just shoved together - and now no frustration with losing plants or fruit just as they are getting ripe.

 

[Khalpers]

I'd already protected my raised vegetable beds with PVC hoops, bird netting, and clamps. They're not getting into it. But I'm being a bit vain about my flower beds. I love the look of the beds with yarrow and beebalm and coneflowers erupting in bunches and trailing along the ground. Does anyone have an aesthetically pleasing method for small flower beds that works?