Letting Chickens in the Garden

[wild chick]

Finally got first frost, Tomatoes & Pepper plants have called it quits. I want to let the chickens into the garden area and have read the nightshades are toxic, especially after stress. (they are black after they got just a 30F nip. I can wait a month when everything is dry and just let the chickens turn the soil and scratch the good soil & not be tempted to eat the wilted plants. Wait, did I just answer my own question?

 

[SueT]

My chickens free range every evening and scratch around in the garden which is full of tomatoes, they eat the fallen fruit. They don't seem interested in eating the plants. One year there was even a volunteer tomato plant in their run, and they left it alone and it grew to produce tomatoes for them. I'd say not to worry......

 

[Folly's place]

If they have space and many choices, it should be fine. My birds are much more interested in the worms, grubs, and insects, and any fruit left behind.
Mary

 

[RWise]

I have watched as my girls were eating my tomato plants! I ran them out of the garden,, a tomato in the run stands no chance of survival here,,, I understand they are not good for them, tell my birds! It will not kill them,,,,,that said I would pull the plants and burn them first.
Some years ago I kept a group of cockerel in the garden, go in and harvest the cukes etc., chop them up and feed them to them. Then one day they found what was in the bush was eatable,,, so much for that.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Nightshade leaves taste bitter. If the chickens have other options they generally will not take more than one or two bites before moving on. If that is the only choice they have they are more likely to eat it. The fruit is fine, it will not bother them. Chickens will eat dead vegetation.

Options

Let them in now. It is highly unlikely they will eat anything harmful if they have other options.

Wait a while to let them in. I don't think it will change things that much but it might make you feel better.

Pull and remove the plants you don't want them to have. I don't know how many nightshade plans you have but it's probably not that many.

 

[BorealRanch]

How far away from chickens would you keep a garden to keep them out of it without fencing? We have no fencing and would prefer not to ($$$) but I want to put in a pumpkin patch and outdoor garden in addition to a greenhouse but don't know how far they would have to be...

 

[Ridgerunner]

How far away from chickens would you keep a garden to keep them out of it without fencing? We have no fencing and would prefer not to ($$$) but I want to put in a pumpkin patch and outdoor garden in addition to a greenhouse but don't know how far they would have to be...

Hard to say. Part of it depends on the lay of the land. If there is some natural barrier, the edge of a hay field or maybe a fence row, that might keep them a bit confined. But I've had some range well over 800 feet away from the coop across pretty open ground.

 

[wild chick]

I have 7 fenced acres and the free range chickens use about 2 of it. They destroy anything they want, plant-wise. My veggie garden is small, about 20 x 40 feet and I have a tiny 6 x 8 greenhouse. I use the orange plastic fencing like snow fence / construction area barrier - cheapest fencing I found and it works for the older chickens. It's an eyesore for me though. The young chicks found ways through/under it but they quickly got too big and gave it up. Your breeds will determine it too - the docile breeds won't bother with it, but my more adventurous flying birds go over and under and explore everything.

 

[Folly's place]

I tried 2' tall chicken wire fencing for my garden, and it failed to keep all the birds out.
They will ignore some crops, and demolish others. It depends.
Poor flyers and large fluffy birds, and Silkies, will be easier to fence out than more active and athletic breed types.
Mary

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Chickens will usually pull off every bean and pea blossom as well as all the fruiting flowers of most other garden crops. Once a tomato ripens and turns red chickens will eat those tomatoes relentlessly. Young chickens are somewhat easier on gardens than adults.