I have come FULL CIRCLE

[CoopersFarm]

Hi All,

Two years ago, I bought a one-acre lot in Sagaponack, NY that was overgrown, woody and pretty awful. When I got the property it was fairly native and overrun with ticks. The first summer before landscaping and enclosing the property, I sprayed Permethrin for ticks.

Later, I spent a lot of time and money landscaping and planting shrubs, perennials, and all sorts of berries, fruit trees and vegetables. I enclosed the property to keep deer out and because I wanted to keep maximum pollination and not inadvertently kill beneficial insects and pollinators, I decided to get chickens to work the property for ticks. Fast forward, this late winter/early spring and the band of 8 is already creating major havoc with the 10,000 bulbs I planted in the fall. I feel like as perennials come to "life" (those that haven't had their roots maimed already in dust bath craters) will be under constant attack. Annuals? not sure they have a chance although as chicks last summer, they didn't bother the petunias and lantanas much.

At wits end, and not wanting to 1) keep them in a large run or mobile chicken tractor as I have already spoiled them with the amusement park I set up for them, I am thinking about putting in some extremely discreet mobile fencing behind my property in a wooded nature reserve. I could effectively lead them out to the reserve in the morning and bring them back in in the early evening.

The advantages would be 1) plants could stand a fighting chance on my property 2) the chickens would have tons of ticks and bugs to eat in the forest floor. 3) less fertilizer around the lawn in the summer

The disadvantages would be: 1) safety, would a lowish electrified fence keep wild predators at bay? 2) no fertilizer around the pool and in garden beds 3) most importantly, would the chickens get ticks on them and bring them back onto my property, thus bringing me full circle.....


PS the 3-foot tall fence around the vegetable garden is working to keep them out....


Thanks everyone!

 

[azygous]

Chicken amusement park! Love it! But chickens repay the kindness by destroying all your careful plantings. Most of us have experienced this. It requires a trade-off as you're already planning.

If you have ticks, you have the army to conquer them. The answer to your question whether ticks will bite chickens and use them as vehicles to expand their territory, is probably not. First, chickens, while being warm blooded, do not have much exposed skin as mammals do, deer and rodents and unwary humans being their ideal hosts.

However, there are such a thing as poultry ticks, an entirely different species from deer ticks, that do feed on chickens, but they live secluded in crevices in the coop, not out in the open. They come out at night like coop mites to feed on the chickens' blood.

So, proceed with your wonderful plans and feel lucky to have handy tick eradication machines.

 

[azygous]

Oh, forgot the question about the electric fence. it can be very effective against any predator that would prefer to inspect the barrier before attempting to scale it, unlike deer that leap gracefully over five feet or less. The secret is to use an irresistible bait such as peanut butter for most canine, ursine, and rodent groups, the latter including raccoons. For feline predators, a little fish wrapped in a burrito of chicken wire and wired to the electric fence works wonders. This serves to focus their attention and to get them to make contact with the charged fence with a tender wet nose or tongue. Good times.

 

[K0k0shka]

I just saw your other thread with the garden pictures. Such a beautiful setup! And the new fence looks very nice, too.

As for the question here, why don't you designate part of your property for the chickens and put the fencing around that? It will keep them out of your plants and out of trouble, but still within your property. If the land beyond your property is a nature reserve, it should probably remain that way - natural and reserved. You know how destructive chickens are. The nature reserve isn't really theirs to destroy.

 

[Perris]

And choose chicken-resistant plants when you replant the ornamental area(s). I do not know if there is a handy list anywhere, but I could start to construct one from my own experience here: Hebes, griselina, pittisporum, viburnum, mahonia, skimmia, parrotia persica (which also makes great cover and natural roosts), peonies (perennial and tree), camelia - there's a few to be going on with!
PS in 3 years I've twice found an engorged tick in the daily poop pick, so it can happen, but I think the chickens have eaten far more ticks than two! They are endemic round here and there's lots of bracken outside the property.

 

[aart]

Romance meets Reality.
Fence 'em in or fence 'em out.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I have to agree with @aart and @K0k0shka, fence them in or fence them out. Those lovely "pastoral" scenes you see in movies are pretty much staged. Chickens like to explore and not having hands or opposable thumbs they use their feet and beaks to poke around with. And we all know that the tastiest grubs and worms are at least 2 to 3 inches below the grass. Best of luck with your flock.

 

[CoopersFarm]

Romance meets Reality.
Fence 'em in or fence 'em out.

Haha - exactly!!!! Romance meets reality. I do love the little terrorists but its love, hate!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I got a kick out of you calling Lantana an annual. When I was in Northwest Arkansas it was, I usually planted some every year. You can get some beautiful colors. But down here it is an aggressive perennial, you have to whack and slash at it a lot to keep it civilized. Another example of how location matters.

You've gotten good advice on here, either fence them in or fence them out. I've had good luck stopping ground-based predators with electric netting without resorting to peanut butter or sardines. I've seen that recommendation before and it could have some benefits. Once a critter is bitten once or at most twice they learn to stay away. That could be important where you are. Depending on how it is set up, electricity might not work in the snow. So any critter that has not been bitten is a risk. Butt even in snow the critters that have been bitten know to stay away.

Electricity does not stop flying predators. That has not been an issue for me but for some people it is. If a critter like a bobcat can get to your birds through the tree canopy an electric fence might not help much. I'm also a believer in setting it up for your convenience, you are much more important than any chicken. I'm not sure how setting it up in a wooded area where you have to lead them out there every day will work in all weather, when you are sick, or if you ever leave to go to a funeral or wedding. I'd suggest you think about that.

 

[CoopersFarm]

Hi All,

Thanks for taking the time to write all of these responses. For the moment I have contained them in a largish run on the side of the house and will give them selective access to the amusement park.