Keeping Chickens Out of Flower Beds

Does anyone know how to keep chickens out of flower beds? They are destroying the mulch.

Rolayne from Beasley, TX

Answers:

Keeping Chickens Out of Flower Beds

Years ago my dad put chicken wire around the foundation of his house to keep his chickens from scratching the dirt away from the foundation. The chickens couldn't scratch there any more. (02/05/2008)

By Sharon

Keeping Chickens Out of Flower Beds

I have chickens and they keep scratching in my new flower bed. I want to eat them for dinner. I talked with an old farmer friend and he suggested sprinkling chili powder around in the bark, chickens hate it. I'm going to give that a try this weekend. I will let you know how it goes. By the way, the spraying them with a hose does work too, but you have to be out there the same time they are. I usually don't know they have been in the flower beds until it is too late. (03/26/2008)

By mama grizzly bear

Keeping Chickens Out of Flower Beds

I have chickens and they are ruining my flower beds. And they are stupid. But, the ticks and bugs they eat out weigh the damage to my garden. They don't ruin the plants they just dig around them. It helped a little when I put in their own sand box in the shade. That way they can dust off and dig in when they are hot. And chicken wire laid on the ground can hurt them. I used it as a fence around my veggie garden. I am going to try the hint about vinegar around my flowers. Long live the chickens. (04/07/2008)

Keeping Chickens Out of Flower Beds

I have had chickens and gardens for quite awhile and have some good suggestions for you. If you have the space, place your vegetable garden at least 4 to 5 hundred feet from where the chickens roost at night. Most will not roam that far, and put a reasonable fence around your garden. As far as flowerbeds, you have to be creative. In my open beds I discourage them by placing obstacles in the bed that do not give them room to make a suitable dust bowl. This means that there can be no open places in the bed larger than about a six inch square.

Large flat rocks are a good idea. But to fill in empty mulched places in my beds I use landscaping flags with the flag torn off the metal rod spaced about 6 inches apart over the whole area. The chickens don't like the feel of squeezing in around the metal rods and the rods are so thin that they are invisible just a few feet away. On plants they like to eat I use wire cages. You might think that a lot of cages will look ugly, but they really don't. A vibrant plant will stand out and look good despite a little wire around it.

Two more suggestions to add color and flowers to your house that are chicken proof: 1. buy some window boxes. These work great and look great and the chickens can't get to them. 2. garden in pots and place the pots over old stumps where you can screw or bolt them down. Mounding flowers that will fill the whole pot are best and the chickens will leave them alone. Hope that helps. (05/10/2008)

By Luke

Keeping Chickens Out of Flower Beds

I have seen motion sensor water sprinklers advertised (google it), that would certainly discourage chickens. (05/23/2008)

By JB

Keeping Chickens Out of Flower Beds

To keep our chickens out of the flower garden I use 12-inch wooden kabob sticks, pointed up, around each newly planted flower. The chickens hate being poked and leave my flowers alone. When the plants get bigger I can remove the sticks. (05/30/2008)