Those @#$*!&*#$!!! chickens! How to protect flower gardens?

[ralleia]

Mine don't care for my hostas at all--I've got hundreds of 'em under the big red oak tree. They're all well-established, so the chickens would rather dig in the mulch for bugs. Besides, there are so many other weeds that they find more yummy than the hostas--maybe you need more weeds?

I have a big roll of deer netting and am implementing that suggestion while shooing chickens.

 

[maggiegigs]

I did lay the wire fence on my tree beds because the puppies and chickens were digging and scratching for bugs. They did not scratch it but did peck through for bugs. So in essence it worked. However it was not attractive. Then I put the large river stones over the wire and that pretty much did the trick. They moved on.

 

[RaZ]

Quote:
Lucky you. My chicks and ducks devatated my hundreds of hostas under my big red oak. They also ate my ferns, creeping jenny, rue and darn near anything else they could get their lips on.

Now I'm using wire mesh and step in stakes to make areas for the birds to roam. So far so good, plants are recovering and flock is still eating well.

 

[ralleia]

I started trying to lay the deer netting down on garden areas today. After struggling with that for a while (and getting to observe up close all the damage my girls are doing digging up my plants and throwing mulch on my driveway, edging and walks), I am becoming more and more in favor of the electric fence idea. The area to be protected is in excess of 1000 square feet and while the netting may be effective, it will also impede my own efforts to weed, mulch, and plant.

Electric fence it is. Maybe after a few jolts the girls will just leave the front yard alone.

 

[cchase25]

I sure wish I would have read all this before starting my little flock of marauders last summer. I have 5 free ranging hens and after years of putting in several garden areas of perenials and bulbs, hostas and mulch I have taken a huge step backwards!! What a sorry mess but still I love my crazy girls. So I must join the rank and file of byc'ers that have to figure out a balanced solution. Maybe it means building a huge deer fencing free range area with stakes I can move easily enough to mow the lawn etc. There is not one area that divides easily enough to electric fence it. They seem so sad to be limited to their younger days tractor... To top matters off I also foster rescue dogs and every so often I get a serious chicken chaser... so this would solve that problem too! Boy oh boy, these fresh eggs and homespun chicken entertainment is sure getting expensive!! LOL but still I am not giving up yet! Bring on Spring and it sure will be interesting to see what happens, my first spring with the marauding girl gang!! Any suggestions for a WI perenial garden and BY chicken fan is warmly welcomed!!

 

[Jeffross1968]

I don't have a huge garden, so I just put a chicken wire border around the whole thing last year. They never touched a thing in the garden. Made me cocky though, as we tore up our horrible flower garden and tried planting some late year stuff, like cabbage, and it was gone an hour later. What I'll do this year, is keep them locked up while I plant, do the chicken wire, and then let them out. I've got a bigger flock this year though, so we'll see what happens....

 

[ontimeborzoi]

Be cautious with deer netting. Its easy for animals ( like your own dogs or cats ) to get caught in it unless its very tightly strung, and the stuff is unbreakable. It will cut into flesh and has the potential to create disaster. I speak from experience.
I would prefer to use more visible fencing just for safeties sake.

 

[darin367]

i ended up building a 30x50 run.... that's as free range as they're ever getting...... they dug holes, destroyed flowers, dug up bulbs, ate leaves off of perennials...... they're the most destructive thing you can turn lose in your yard......... i've got a pop door that goes from their secure run/coop into the big run,,, the big run isn't secure but they stay in it... used t post and 6 ft 4x4 wire fence..... got materials off craigslist for free... took 6 months of scrounging to get enough material..........

 

[slabcrappy]

Mine love them some hostas!