Irish spring soap for deterrent

[HoneysuckleHomestead618]

I love my chickens, but I also love my garden. My husband says I can’t have both, I’m out to prove him wrong

Is it safe to use green Irish Spring soap to deter my chickens and other animals? I’ve seen very mixed things about it. I don’t want to hurt them obviously. But I do want them to keep away from my veggies.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Irish Spring soap will not harm your vegetables. I chopped up a bar and scattered the bits among my sweet potatoes. Neither the sweet potatoes or the deer or groundhogs that it failed to deter were harmed. I read the same stories on using Irish Spring as a deterrent that you have probably read. It did not work for me at all. Some of the other stuff you read about like coyote urine, hanging shiny discs or fluttering ribbon, or playing a radio might work for a few days but wild animals are very adaptable. They can quickly learn those are not a threat.

Will your chickens eat the Irish Spring? I'd expect them to try it. Will they eat enough to harm themselves? Probably not but I sure cannot guarantee it. Personally I would not count on it as a deterrent or as safe for chickens.

The only deterrent I have any confidence in is a fence. Either fence your chickens in or fence them out of your garden. From what I've experienced everything else is an exercise in futility. That's not just for chickens but most other animals you want to keep out also.

 

[RubelliteRose]

I tried keeping some raised garden beds in our run after we expanded the run around the garden. The first year I was able to keep the chickens out of the beds with a low chicken wire fence. The second year had me trying to harvest through at least 4 layers of fencing as the girls kept sneaking through my defenses and I kept adding more layers to keep them out
I now have a separate fenced in garden beside my run with no chickens allowed Judging by how determined chickens can be, I doubt that Irish Spring will deter your flock from your veggies.

 

[ChaosMom]

Lord knows, it would absolutely be a deterrent to ME.