Marigolds to Deter Chickens

[cibula11]

I recently heard of a marigold variety to plant around gardens to keep chickens from bothering plants. I wondered if anyone else knows of such a variety or has experience with using marigolds to keep chickens out of their gardens.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

No, I don't think it will as chickens love marigolds...

 

[cibula11]

Apparently this person has several dozen chickens and produces for local farmer markets and has a tall, hardy variety that keeps chickens away. I need to find their contact info, so I can ask more about it, but wondered if anyone had heard of it before.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

My chickens LOVE Marigolds. And its also commonly added to some brands of feed to make those lovely, orange yolks!

Now, I do have a couple of those mosquito shoo Geraniums (they smell strongly of citronella, I think they're lovely) and my chickens give them a very wide berth and have never so much as given them a taste. Maybe they would be a good option for you

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Very true. I bought citronella to plant in pots next to the coops to keep mosquitoes down and the chickens have never nibbled them. I think a hedge of citronella might keep them out of the veg garden. But a hedge of chain link will be cheaper! Lol

 

[heartsizedfarm]

A chives hedge might work. I've never seen chooks near the chives. Cheap and perennial.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Mine eat my chives too, if they can. And all of the wild onion in the yard. Yours must be picky eaters

 

[bobbi-j]

I heard that marigolds will deter deer, too. Unfortunately, the deer that live in my grove didn't get the memo. Last year I planted marigolds between all my tomato plants. In two nights, the tomatoes all been eaten off. The third morning, the marigolds had all been pulled up by their roots! We now have a fence around the garden.