I feel very fortunate to have several gardens with perrenials as well as 3 big veggie gardens, one belongs to the chickens. I plant veggies in there for them. They free range all day everyday on an acre and altho they spend alot of time in the garden they never destroy anything. They don't even pluck the pea pods off the vine, they patiently wait for me to do it for them. They do dig holes in the yard but thats about it. They seem to be very careful around all my plants, the only thing they don't like and dig up all the time are the "hen and chicks".