I'm annoyed

[peepmommy]

So, I have 9 free range hens+1 rooster. I let them out usually after 10 am and they go into their coop at dusk. The problem? They are pecking at my house! I have a stone house, but they have found all of the wood/paint around the windows and are pecking at it. They are eating it off the garage too... It's frustrating that I am feeding them organic and they just want to eat paint! They are also in my flower beds. Now I know that they are eating bugs, but they are trampling all of my flowers!! Any thoughts?? Thanks!

 

[OldGuy43]

I guess they just aren't "new wave". Sorry, couldn't pass on this one.

 

[NYRIR]

Fencing....I had to put it around anything I didn't want them to eat!

 

[BuffOrpington88]

Fencing....I had to put it around anything I didn't want them to eat!

X2
You also don't want them to eat the paint, because that has a lot of chemicals that are not good for them.

 

[RedDrgn]

Your chickens have pica and need therapy!

No, really, chickens are weird like that. Anything that catches their eye and fits in their beak is food to them. The only way to stop them is a fence. Nothing else will do, unless you stand over them and herd them constantly (good luck with that method once they realize they're faster than you, too

).

 

[donrae]

You could always put a huge chunck of styrafoam out in the yard. I guarante they'll quit eating your paint

.

Fencing is the way to go.

 

[chickathon]

I had the same problem. I had to chase them off all the time. They had food in the feeders so I just didn't understand it. I then started to keep the feeders topped off and I mean full. That way I knew they were not hungry. Then I would hear them at it again and would take a brightly colored jacket ( a pink one of my daughter's) and sneak around the opposite side of the house, gettting as close as I could without being spotted, then run out like your going to kill them with the jacket spread out as big as you can waving it bellowing in the deepest sound I could. They scattered scared brainless at the sight of that jacket. I'm guessing it resembled a predator's wings. It took about two weeks of constant reinforcement. But, it worked. You may have an offender once every now and then, but you just do the jacket thing again. This has cured mine. I haven't had an episode since February. Hope this helps.

 

[mstricer]

Mine ate our garage door, paint wood and then they were in heaven, they found the Styrofoam. Unwilling try and post a picture. Oh by the way, no one died from eating it. For some reason they love it.

 

[peepmommy]

It's just so frustrating!! I do chase them as much as I can, but good grief!! Fencing is impractical as the wood is around doors too! I was thinking of getting the hose after them!! Weirdos!! LOL, what do you do??

 

[toddreed]

Could a desire to eat paint imply a need for calcium? If i were a chicken and wanted oyster shell or egg shell I think I might imagine paint chips are a good alternative. Just a thought.

But yeah, uh FENCE. Build a cheap fence out of EMT and chicken wire and call it a day.

-todd