protecting the vegetable garden

[Emma's Eggs]

Do you have any suggestions for fencing around a vegetable garden to keep the free-range chickens from totally destroying/eating all our seedlings, new sprouts, and even the mature plants? I don't mind sharing a little, but they clearly think they are pigs and not chickens. I was hoping they would enjoy the bugs who also believe the garden was planted for their egocentric needs, but the chickens take more than the bugs! Help with any effective ideas will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[can you hear me now?]

you will have to go high enough that they can't fly over it. I have heard of people putting cover netting over garden for protection from birds as well, but never from chickens. I can't free range here there are too many dogs that want to eat them including my own.

 

[Emma's Eggs]

Thanks for responding. I am not sure just how high we will have to go. We used to allow our chickens out of their coop every day, but then when they decided to destroy the garden, they had to stay locked up. (They have a huge outdoor area, but it is not the same as having access to 2 acres). But since the price of feed keeps climbing, we will have to start letting them out to fend more for themselves. I figure in the long run it will be cheaper to fence my garden than to feed the chickens as much as would be needed if they didn't have access to the whole property.

 

[ozark hen]

My veggie garden and three raised beds are surrounded with three and four foot fencing. My chickens all free range and they make no attempt to fly over the fencing. As long as it is fenced it works.

 

[palabeco]

We use 8 ft. deer netting. It cost around 14 dollars for a 50 ft roll at Home Depot and Lowes.

 

[spook]

Quote:
I agree, DH veggies are on raised beds, surrounded with 3' fence and no problems, we did have a bean issue, they were looking at us, reaching through and snatching a bean leaf. I swear they did this on purpose!
Needless to say, we have about a 1/2 acre fenced in, grassy, garden and trees. Only a 3 ft fence on the back and sides, due to the fact that they see us come out of the house, they were flying over the front one. Added 2 ft to the 3ft fence.
Other then that, they are very content.

Good luck and DO NOT FEED them anything from your garden until you are done with it. Last year we fed them rutabaga tops while thinning them and when we finally let them out, that is the one thing they polished off.
-LOL, also caution of the dust bath in the carrots and beets!