Need Help! Keeping chickens out of flower beds.

[hydroswiftrob]

I hope this is the correct place to post this, because I need to manage to keep the chickens out of a flower bed to keep them from becoming soup.

Story:
My wife and I bought a house last year, and there is much needed room for yard improvement. The problem is, I have free range chickens(layers) and they go EVERYWHERE. My wife has been a really good sport about their roaming, but has warned me that it is time to start her flower beds and they better stay out or will become soup. I know she isn't joking because we raise Cornish X and have no problems butchering our own meat.

Question:
Is there any plant that will deter the chickens from getting in the flower beds? Any advise on how to keep nice looking flower beds and keep them chicken proof?

 

[Ridgerunner]

The only thing I’ve found to work is a fence, either around the chickens or around the flowers.

 

[tadpole98]

fence is the only way that i know of..

 

[donrae]

Fence. All that nice shady cool dirt just calls to the chickens--it's great to scratch around in. If you mulch, it's even more appealing as there are so many bugs just under the mulch!

 

[chfite]

This is the time that chicken wire can excel. It keeps chickens out. Otherwise, they will stroll right in there and have a party.

Chris

 

[hydroswiftrob]

Okay, if fence is the answer, how do you make it look attractive and not Sanford and Son-ish as my wife calls it.

 

[bj taylor]

i've found putting up a pretty fence, picket in my case, and zip tying chicken wire on the inside. the pretty fence is all that's seen. the chicken wire becomes virtually invisible. my girls are circling and circling my veggie bed trying to figure out how to get in there. haha, i think i've got 'em beat.

 

[ll]

Chicken Tunnel!

 

[skyblu]

Chicken Tunnel!

oh I love it! had been wondering how best to allow the flock from their coop to the orchard (via the veg garden) once the growing season got under way, without them stopping for snacks on route!

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

You can also make a chicken pasture and fence the hens in, rather than putting fences around all the flower beds to fence them out. Of course, I keep my hens in a chicken pasture and then have to fence my veg garden anyway, to keep the stinkin' bunnies out.