My gardens are innocent victims!

[Wayne Melissa]

Well, I have just added chickens to my homestead. These are the first farm animals to join our family and I cannot get enough of their adorable antics! What I am noticing, however, is that my roses and my food gardens are not fond of their new land mates. The chickens stripped my double knockout bush while I was at work today. This evening they found the strawberries. While I do not mind sharing my crops, I would like to save some for the actual people! What in the world can I do? I will be able to fence things off, just not immediately. Is there any kind of scent or colors that would drive them away?

 

[21hens-incharge]

The only way is to either fence them in or fence in the plants you don't want destroyed.

Home depot sells some plastic garden fencing fairly cheaply. It works well to keep mine out of certain areas.

 

[lazy gardener]

Deer netting comes in a 100' roll, and is 7' tall. YOu can easily cut it with a pair of scissors. (to = 200' x 3.5') You can then weave fiberglass fence posts through it, and clip the netting to the posts at the top with clothes pins, and tack it down at the bottom with landscape fabric staples. Once installed, it's practically invisible from a distance. The chickens will bounce off it a few times, then go play elsewhere. BTW, it comes in 2 qualities. If you buy the heavier grade, you will be much happier with it.

 

[azygous]

My chickens love to eat my hollyhocks. There are some plants they find irresistible. Nothing much I can do about it. They do come back quickly, though. The deer eat them, too.

But I do have my vegetable gardens inside protective enclosures. And ornamental plantings around the exterior of my house get squares of chicken wire laid over the newly seeded beds until the plants get tall enough they can survive chickens scratching in the soil and nibbling on their leaves.

It just takes time to figure out the best way to have your chickens and gardens, too.

I love deer netting, by the way. You can use it and reuse it over and over. I got the heavy 100 foot roll.

 

[Kyanite]

Here's another vote for deer netting. That's what I use all around my vegetable garden. I really need to install it in a few other places, like around my ornamental gardens with tulips. They were mulched beautifully with bark. That bark is all over the lawn and the tulips were lucky to survive!

 

[MyISAbrownhens]

I put netting around my garden and used the chicken netting from omelet. It's pretty tall, so your chickens shouldn't jump over it and it holds up well in bad weather. It also has a gate so you can access your garden. I still have chicks, so they haven't been around the fence yet, but it worked very well for a friend of mine.

 

[Wayne Melissa]

This deer netting sounds like what I need. I did wrap the strawberries, and I have been spoiling my chickies with their treats! I just cannot get enough of playing with them, it makes me feel like a little kid! I'll probably need to get the deer netting tho, my gardens are close to a major deer trail anyway, last year they leveled my corn lol

 

[lazy gardener]

The deer netting will do nothing to deter the deer unless you use it at it's full height!