I would do these things.
*Use portable fencing to limit their free ranging to specific parts of your yard and moving it from time to time to limit the stresses on each area and let used areas recover.
*Permanently fence off your prized vegetable or flower garden. Even if you don't have chickens you probably do have rats, mice, squirrels, possums, rabbits, deer..... Oh, and be sure to let the chickens into your garden during the off season to do their thing. Your veggies will thank you for it next season!
*Provide dust baths for your chickens; kiddie pools or sand boxes filled with the real good stuff that your birds would much rather use rather than building their own.
*If your property includes wooded areas, use them as free range areas as well. They'll provide cover and will be much more interesting for your birds than a well manicured lawn. Planting bushes and trimming them so the chickens can run under them for cover is also a good idea.
*Use portable fencing to limit their free ranging to specific parts of your yard and moving it from time to time to limit the stresses on each area and let used areas recover.
*Permanently fence off your prized vegetable or flower garden. Even if you don't have chickens you probably do have rats, mice, squirrels, possums, rabbits, deer..... Oh, and be sure to let the chickens into your garden during the off season to do their thing. Your veggies will thank you for it next season!
*Provide dust baths for your chickens; kiddie pools or sand boxes filled with the real good stuff that your birds would much rather use rather than building their own.
*If your property includes wooded areas, use them as free range areas as well. They'll provide cover and will be much more interesting for your birds than a well manicured lawn. Planting bushes and trimming them so the chickens can run under them for cover is also a good idea.