Protecting your garden from your chickens? Electric Fence?

[dutchbunny83]

My chickens have 2 coops and an outdoor roost and a 20x20' pen that's fenced in with pallets. They were able to fly out of the top to run around and free range the backyard at their leisure. This weekend I started putting my seedlings in the ground. We took bird netting and enclosed the top of their pen, height ranges from 7' to 10' high, so they have plenty of room. But they're not too happy about it! I still let them free range, but only when I am outside. However, right in front of me they will go eat my seedlings, even as I shoo them away. A neighbor recommended electric poultry fence, which is supposed to be safe. However, wouldn't a chicken just fly right over it into the garden? What do you do to keep your chickens out of your garden? I'm going to take the netting down for them after I harvest everything, but we have a decent growing season in the south, they will be in there 6-7 months a year.

 

[JackE]

I remember the "Fun" of gardening with chickens. I found that they don't just eat the pest/bugs, LOL. They also loved to dig holes in my bean patch and dust bathe. And they loved cabbage. I used 3' high chicken wire supported by stakes around my garden, when my chickens used to freerange. That worked pretty good. Didn't look the best, but it worked.
The electrified poultry netting is for protecting the birds from ground predators. I know that Premier, the manufacturer of the netting I have, also makes non-electrified netting to keep chickens out of areas you don't want them in. That would probably work for you. I have the 4' high netting, my chickens don't fly over it. I think the idea behind the netting is, because there isn't a top rail, like you see with regular fences, the chickens don't have a solid target to fly over or land on. So they don't go over. I had one out of my nineteen, go over the first day I put the netting up. I clipped one of her wings, and she, and nobody else, has gone over in over a year since I put the fence up.
Jack

 

[birdginia]

I have been wondering about this - my first spring with free ranging chickens - hardly ready to plant as we got a snow/ice storm overnight here in northern Michigan!

My girls found my garlic starts I put in last fall, and have had the run of spacious fenced back yard. I'm thinking rather than try to fence my various beds scattered around, I will create a play pen for them with a length of wooden snow fence. right now it has served as partition for my 3 bin compost pile. I can combine this with existing chain link fence and they will still have a sizable area to roam. Does this make sense?

thanks!!

 

[Mattemma]

I always used 4 foot plastic fencing,bamboo poles,and zip ties.

I never had issue with them flying over,but sometimes they pushed their way under the fence.I would fence out my garden areas when I planted.

Since yours are used to flying I am not sure the 4 foot would work,but I bet you could use the 7 foot by 100 foot deer fencing at Lowes for $44.

I pulled all my fencing down,but will put it up next month,because they are loving my garden box as their dust box!

 

[TXchickmum]

We have a fence of hardware cloth around our raised garden beds. It is only 18 inches high (total of 26 inches of fence/garden bed), but they do not try to fly over it. We planted herbs mixed in with the veggies. The chickens do not like the herbs.