Official BYC Poll: How Do You Chicken-Proof Your Garden?

[lizziemae]

Mine are confined away from the garden and yard plants so they can't tear those up. But if they try scratching up fruit trees we put bricks around the base. I'm not sure what they're called, but we also use the black ground tarps.

As for the chicken garden, well, I want to do a grazing box. It's a wooden frame with wire over the top. Google it and you'll see what I mean. I'll also probably do some wire around them. I don't have many plans beyond that because I'm new to chicken gardens.

I recommend the book Gardening With Chickens by Lisa Steele. I started it, I didn't finish due to an overabundance of books, but it seemed really good and I like Lisa's other books.

Good luck!

I read that book, and others as well. I didn't see any imperfections in the authors' gardens. Not very realistic that.

 

[Granny23]

Gardening with chickens can be a pleasure as well as frustrating. On one hand, they provide chemical-free bug and weed control in your garden and are manufacturers of the world's best fertilizer but then on the other hand chickens will happily snack on your veggies if given the chance to.

Chickens scratch, peck, and eat. It's what they do. They can demolish a bed of greens in a day, leaving little behind. However, that doesn't mean you have to abandon your garden! With a bit of management, you can have bug control without your chickens feasting on your prized broccoli and lettuce.

So how do you protect your veggie garden from your chickens?

Place your vote above, and please elaborate in a reply below if you chose "Other".

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(Check out more exciting Official BYC Polls HERE!)

I have very few plants in my naked yard. One place has, or had, 4 beautiful gerbera daisy plants. They love it because of the cool dirt from watering. They don't eat the daisys but have torn up the leaves on the ground. I finally put a fence around it. Solved that problem.
Then we put in 4 mandevillas in. They dig and scratch so close down to the stems every day that they get to the roots. I placed big rocks around the bases and while they still scratch around them it doesn't seem to hurt the plants.
My coop builder Bert told me my chickens would let me know what plants to fence. Lol

 

[maceleneo]

This is just magazine gorgeous!
I have a slope that I need to tackle and I am going to use your photo as inspiration. Hope you don't mind. Beautiful, flowing without overworking. Just heaven. Love the materials and the fuzzy model ♡ Bravo!

thank you so much, I haven't been around for a while and I missed your comment! of course I don't mind, that's flattering!

 

[FortFusterCluck]

We lay hardware cloth down on the soil to discourage digging where we don't want them (or the cats).

 

[Granny23]

We lay hardware cloth down on the soil to discourage digging where we don't want them (or the cats).

Fantastic idea! My girls are doing a number on the few plants I have in my yard.

 

[Iluveggers]

My garden sits empty from September to May so that’s when the chickens have free reign over it. My husband plants winter wheat and some other stuff that stays green throughout the dead season, and the chickens love snacking on it when there’s nothing else around. My garden is netted on all sides and on top, so the chickens are safe from hawks while in it. During the growing season though, the garden is strictly a chicken-free zone.

Similar (new) setup here! I am building a run next to my newly fenced garden with a path between them for me. I plan to keep them in their run unless I am gardening/supervising, and once the fall harvest is over, they will have free reign until May plantings go in! We are building a gate going from the run to the garden so I can open both across the path & let them in as I would like!

 

[Ascholten]

Garden jail and I am also switching to more fruit trees View attachment 2643273View attachment 2643274

I love this, I actually tried a slightly different variation too. It also put it between rows of totes, so it is a flip up top, and basically is another chicken run for me to keep b irds in.

Those look great though. LOVE IT !
Aaron

 

[Bill752]

We replaced our chickens with ducks in the growing season as their fertilizer is more compatible with the plants plus they don't scratch the soil up. We let our chickens run in the pasture to their heart's content.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Tomorrow a fence is going up to separate half the run away from the chickens so I can actually garden in it again. The chickens will be channeled into the far portion of the run via fencing. No doubt they will be a little lost, confused and discombobulated for a bit, but they will adapt. I have faith in them!

 

[Ascholten]

Use my philosophy.
Look sweetie, I'll give YOU the choice here.
You can either:
A. Provide me breakfast
B. BE breakfast.

It's entirely your choice Eggs or Legs. I'll get the pan heated up!

They'll figure it out real fast, I give them maybe a day tops, and then another day to figure out every crack, crevice, and weak spot they can exploit to get into the spots you did not want them in!

Remember they CAN reach a little bit thru fencing, so even though there may be chicken wire there, about an inch or so from it is still not safe. I have actually seen one of my chickens put her leg thru to drag stuff to where it could be snapped up. I have NEVER seen a chicken do that before. I have seen them stick their heads thru tiny places, but never a leg. I HAVE seen the Cockatoo do that all the time. that's one of his favorite games is stretch the leg out like one of those mechanical claws you see at amusement parks and see what he can snag. Makes me think that one chicken was pretty intelligent, seen him do it, and repeated it herself.

My point being, the best laid plans are laid to rest, the moment hungry birds enter the formula!

Aaron