Will my chickens tear up my strawberry patch?

[ima57boomer]

Now that I've picked all the strawberries I want for my own use, is it safe to turn my 10 girls loose in the patch? I don't want them to eat the plants themselves, but they are welcome to any berries that are left, and the bugs that are hiding down in the bottom. I put up a temporary chicken wire barrier that is rather unattractive, landscape-wise, so I'd like to take it down, if it's safe to do so. Thanks.

 

[mhwc56]

i don't know about the chickens but when we had muscovy ducks they didn't do a lot of damage to the plants buut they went crazy for the over ripe berries! i can't imagine chickens being much harder on them than a 15# duck would be....

 

[Katy]

They will destroy it.

 

[mdbokc]

You will receive absolutely zero strawberries.

ETA - Use deer netting over the top and they will stay off. I hold my netting up off the berry plants a couple of inches with 1/2 pvc pipe frame. Cheap and took about 15 - 20 minutes to build.

 

[greenpeeps]

That's great news for me. I need to get ride of my strawberry patch and I was going to spray them, but if the chickens will do the job, awesome!

 

[teach1rusl]

I think it depends on whether they normally free range or not. If they're use to getting tons of greens, I think your plants will do fine. But if this is the only patch of green they've seen in a while, your plants will probably be history. I have grapes (unprotected) that mine don't bother (they DO take any grapes or grape buds they can reach) because they get tons of green stuff free ranging. I let mine into the garden too once my plants have become established and they are fine (the plants).

 

[teach1rusl]

OOPS - double post

 

[DinosRBirds]

Quote:
they will destroy the plants

 

[lebentier]

you will have nothing left in no time flat

 

[write2caroline]

I thought I was growing the strawberries for the chickens - or maybe the chickens just thought the berries were for them - but they got them ALL!!!!
Caroline