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Andy B

Chickens in the veg plot

What do people do to keep foraging chickens out of the veg plots. Is their things that scare them off or will i be getting the netting out?
Lozzie

Trial and error I expect Andy but netting would certainly be a start.

I haven't got chickens but the local woodpigeon population were terrified of a couple of old aluminium pie trays tied with a foraged football bootlace to a piece of coppiced hazel. Made a big clattering noise and looked wild and scary, too.
Treacodactyl

It depends on many things. How many do you have, will you always be out there with them, what else do they have to eat etc?

With our three hens they are only let ou when we are out in the garden and we can keep an eye on them. There are plenty of places they can go and they respond to their names and a whistle so I can call them off the veg patch.

They still go for things like ripe fruit and cabbage leaves so some form of barrier will help. Something a foot high is fine with ours.
judith

At present, I fortify the veg enclosures and the chickens do as they please. Twisted Evil
If the nice fencing man turns up in the next week or so, I'll let you know how fencing works.
Andy B

Treacodactyl wrote:
It depends on many things. How many do you have, will you always be out there with them, what else do they have to eat etc?

With our three hens they are only let ou when we are out in the garden and we can keep an eye on them. There are plenty of places they can go and they respond to their names and a whistle so I can call them off the veg patch.

They still go for things like ripe fruit and cabbage leaves so some form of barrier will help. Something a foot high is fine with ours.


There's only four of them, but the two dorkings just get in everywhere. I tried the CD's on a string bit, but they kept pecking at them, reflections i suppose. They fly over the 3 foot high fence between the veg patch and the garden and i am concerned about them getting caught up in netting if i lay it over the beds. When i am at home i let them out all day so its not so easy to constantly keep an eye on them.
Tittch

I thought this was the start of a singalong!

Chickens in the veg plot, cluck cluck cluck
Chickens in the veg plot, cluck cluck cluck
Chickens in the veg plot, cluck cluck cluck
What shall we do Tom Farmer?

Very Happy
dougal

Tittch wrote:
I thought this was the start of a singalong!


Are you *certain* those were M&M's ? ?? Laughing
Tittch

dougal wrote:
Tittch wrote:
I thought this was the start of a singalong!


Are you *certain* those were M&M's ? ?? Laughing


It's purely the product of being the mother of a 4 year old, honest guv!
Lozzie

Titch - when I first read the title, it came out in my head to the tune of "Working in a Coal Mine, going down down down down - "

I thought I was alone in my bizarre-ness. Now I am strangely comforted Wink Laughing
Tittch

Lozzie wrote:
Titch - when I first read the title, it came out in my head to the tune of "Working in a Coal Mine, going down down down down - "

I thought I was alone in my bizarre-ness. Now I am strangely comforted Wink Laughing


We are united in our melodic interpretation of Downsizer posts eh? Very Happy
Lozzie

Must be something to do with being left in charge of very small people Shocked (see previous post of inter-species transformation of five year old boy into amphibious reptile)
Tittch

Lozzie wrote:
Must be something to do with being left in charge of very small people Shocked (see previous post of inter-species transformation of five year old boy into amphibious reptile)


LOL That was a very amusing photo, but I suspect we are becoming that very naughty breed of downsizer known as Threadjackers.... Very Happy
Treacodactyl

Andy B wrote:
They fly over the 3 foot high fence between the veg patch and the garden and i am concerned about them getting caught up in netting if i lay it over the beds.


You could try some of the thick plastic netting they use for climbing plants or possibly chicken wire attached to a wooden frame.
dpack

most times they are a force for good ,eating pests n tings .
and depositing bounty .
fence .
if you saw chicken run ,well , it only takes a low fence .
pwark thunk
Lozzie

"Pwark, thunk"!

My new theme tune, dpack! Laughing Laughing Laughing
hardworkinghippy

This what we do and there are disasters, but overall it's OK.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/hardworkinghippy/sets/72057594064739567/
Treacodactyl

Great garden HWH, for raised beds what wood have you used, looks like coppiced chestnut? I've been wondering if coppiced poles could be used rather than treated sawn softwood and it seems it can be.
hardworkinghippy

Treacodactyl,

We've used all sorts of wood, frankly a lotof the stuff we used was for speed to get the garden up and running and so the terraces wouldn't collapse after we'd dug them out.

Leftover untreated pine rotted in a year, and even oak got wet and sticky and has just started rotting this spring. (After three years.) The chicken love that when you turn over the rotten bits and they eat all the grubs and scratch away for ages until the rotten wood just becomes part of the earth.

The best so far is chestnut (and as you say it's coppiced) - which is great because we've got lots of it!

I'm experimenting with raking the stones down to towards the poles and tapping them in to make the drainage better so the poles will last longer. I fill the gaps in the front with big stones and sometimes plant ivy and sedum and anything else I can get my hands on to keep the earth in and make it pretty.
Treacodactyl

Thanks for the reply, I was reading something the other day about people encouraging the use of local coppice products in the garden, I must post up the link.
dpack

good song .phwarrk.
Laughing
Lozzie

HWH your garden is inspirational - thank you for sharing.
Andy B

hardworkinghippy wrote:
This what we do and there are disasters, but overall it's OK.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/hardworkinghippy/sets/72057594064739567/


What an excellent plot, some good stuff. Smile Ive come over all jealous.
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