so much for peppers this year........

[LindsayB]

I planted 10 jalapeno plants in a flower bed in front of our coop a few weeks ago and they have started to grow peppers. So exciting! I've been letting the chickens out of the run when I'm working outside in the afternoons and they haven't even noticed the plants...today I walked in the house for 5 minutes, came back out, pepper plants are gone!! I have green stems sticking out of the ground

I'm so mad. No more free ranging for them. turds.

 

[BooBear]

Crazy chickies

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Mine done the same to my tomatoes. I had peck marks in almost all of the tomatoes. We just picked them and cut around their peck marks.

 

[LindsayB]

Its funny though. I have a raised garden they don't even touch. I may get more pepper plants and grow them in there. hopefully these will come back...

 

[AKsmama]

It's pretty much a given that chickens will destroy plants. You'll have to find a way to fence your garden(s) off if you want to free range them. Personally, I'd fence my stuff off and have happy chickens rather than leaving them in a coop and run all the time. Doesn't seem very fair to keep them locked up when they were doing what comes natural to them.

 

[LindsayB]

They are in the coop and run most of the day anyway. the run is pretty big.....

 

[nanawendy]

I take the goodies to them... and make it impossible for them to get into my garden. They free range on the east side of the house and the garden is on the south=west side.

 

[HEChicken]

Quote:
This is exactly what I do. And at the end of the growing season, I open up the fence to let the chooks in. They happily till and fertilize it for me so it'll be all ready for Spring planting.