How to keep hens out of vegetable garden?

[PaleMelanesian]

I agree. You need to keep them separated.

Even if they don't eat the veggies, they'll dig them up by accident. They're looking for bugs or dust bathing and if a plant happens to be in the way, it's gone.

 

[harveyhorses]

Even with a fence it sometimes does not work.

The girls were out and about this morning, doing their hen thing, I was weeding, watering, doing my garden thing, until I discovered SOMETHING (not the girls) had eaten the tops off three of my sweetpotato plants. Not a deer, because I have electric around it, something short. I am guessing chipmunk or squirell, anyway after my discovery I forgot to glose the gate on one of my 'mater patches. I had one that was almost ripe. Sasha said it was delish.

My fault, I got distracted, but still.....

Does anyone else scold their flock? Pretty sure I heard my neighbor snicker after hearing "oh you are SUCH a naughty hen, BAD Sasha!"
They stay out of the fences unless given a chance. I let them in with my turnips and 'taters, they are wonderful on the bugs, and don't like those plants, and I think they keep the soil loose. Or maybe I am justifying having spoiled chickens.
sorry, carry on....

 

[CoyoteMagic]

My hens ate 3 gardens one year!! Fencing is the only way to keep them out. Just a lightweight plastic fence should be enough . If you have raised beds. Fencing off individual beds works too. They can nibble along the edges, get bugs and such, but can't damage your plants.

 

[cmom]

I had the same problem when I was free ranging my chickens, they wouldn't stay out of the gardens and were eating and digging yp things I had recently planted. We decided we had to do something and we weren't going to fence in the gardens so we decided to fence in the chickens. I do let them out behind the barn to get fresh grass. I have that fenced too.

 

[darkmatter]

Quote:
That's exactly what I used until I could put in gates and fencing of a more permanent nature (five years)