Using chickens in the garden.

[Mgui35]

I enjoy gardening and will be fencing an area in soon. I plan to use wooden fencing around the perimeter of the garden and was wondering if a four foot height for the fence would be enough. I plan to use the chickens in between crops to get rid of the greenery in the garden and convert the garden shed to a coop during the time they are there. I also intend to use wire at the bottom of the fence to deter predators. Any advice on this would be appreciated. The size of the garden will be 40 ft x 60 ft.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
A 4' fence will be fine if they have their wings clipped. Just don't keep anything near the fence they can hop up on.
A chickens natural instinct is to "go up" and they will hop over a fence if they can climb up high enough to do so.

Chickens ae good in the garden with all their scratching and bug gettin'. But dont let them in when the greenery is young and fresh - or they will strip it bare.
Same goes for ripe fruit and veggies; they'll pick it to pieces if they can reach it. The love green feeds.

What most people do is to plant plenty for themselves and some for the chickens.
Or they keep the birds out of the new parts of the garden, and only let them in when things have grown up.
The third option is to house and run the birds adjacent to the garden on their own paddock. Give them access to the garden every day to perform their "duties" and then put them away at night.
Then next year, rotate the garden and the birds. Now, you will have your garden on a pre-manured and tilled site. Lay down a layer of compost and mulch and go to it.
The birds can then spend the season tearing up the old site, shredding the old foliage and eating the bugs that pop up..

 

[Sinfonian]

I was a gardener long before I planned on getting chickens. I have raised beds, so I intend to ark the chickens in each bed for a day or two each fall. I'll use my hoop cover PVC pipes with bird nettng to keep them in. Otherwise I'll ark them in the yard in a wooden ark. Too much fruit and veggies in the yard to let them free range.