Chickens and Flower beds

[Herechickchick]

I was wondering if anyone was able to keep flower beds with their chickens that free range. My girls get to come out and about a few times a week to roam and they wreak havoc on my beds. I am planting more small bushes that the girls will not bother and moving to more annuals than perennials and putting them in pots and hanging baskets. I do not like the idea of fencing around the beds to keep the chickens out. I just wondered what others do to keep the chickens out of the beds.

Please post photos if you have them.

Thanks, Adam

 

[digitS']

I have ornamentals outside of my backyard where the chickens hang out, Adam. Oh, there are some iris and I've tried some sweet williams this year that the chickens have left alone, so far. There's also some foxglove, which probably shouldn't really be out there because they are poisonous . They haven't kill a chicken yet and foxglove has been planted there for a few years.

What I've also got (besides a few trees, lawn grass, & weeds ) are some chives and mint family plants.

There is actually an annual bed of basil each year. The chickens have done a little uprooting while scratching but have otherwise left it alone. It has the advantage of being behind a greenhouse and a little too close to the fence with the neighbor's dog on the other side.

Besides oregano and thyme, there are a number of varieties of other mints. The chickens really just ignore these plants. It makes me think that they may ignore the ornamental mints, as well. These would include plants like the ornamental salvias, catmints, monarda, lamb's ears, and Russian sage. I grow agastache in the vegetable garden for tea and have had it as an ornamental. These plants may be safe from chickens.

A way to keep the birds from scratching up the beds would be to place stones fairly close together and large enuf that they can't move them. I have bricks as pavers in a couple places in the backyard. I'm sure the chickens would like to know what is under them , but they can't begin to move the bricks. Plants could fit in between the stones and bricks in a bed.

. . . just some ideas ♫ .

Steve

 

[beefy]

kind of.

i find that if you can find plants the chickens will leave alone, and you can prevent them from digging up all the pearlite or whatever that white stuff is in the potting soil, and you can keep them away from the fresh soil until it can settle back, that those will be the biggest challenges.

try putting large rocks, bricks, concrete, etc around the base of the plant. i like to put old bird cages over special plants or ones the chickens like to eat until they get established. you can also try planting more plants closer together or surrouding them with pots or something to keep the chickens at bay.

but they will scratch all day to get taht white stuff in the potting soil...