So much for me giving my chickens free range benefits. They've made a mess of things, and are therefore banished back into the confines of their pen...
...Which is, by the way, plenty big enough for them to do just about anything they could ever need or want to do...
...Except...rummage through the compost pile and spread it out over a 15' + square area...peck off my tender perennial shoots, uncover roots that really need to remain covered...cover the sidewalks with debris...and cross the road, creating traffic hazards!
This used to be a big patch of bright green sedum ground cover. Thankfully, I don't think you can easily kill sedum...
This was a patch of Black-eyed Susans...
There was a beautiful old fashioned Prim Rose here...luckily my friend can share another piece with me if this one doesn't make it! Maybe I should give the chickens a broom?
These Bell Flowers struggle as it is where they're planted...I've got lots of roots to cover up!
Now that they've been banished, they're rebelling by digging holes along the fence. In some places, the holes are big enough to squeeze through to freedom...
I still love my chickens, but I'm not very happy with them right now! I might have to line the perimeter of the fence with rocks!
What would you do?!
If you love your chickens, you'll have to lay some chicken wire along the bottom of the fence to keep them in and the foxes (if you have then) out.
ReplyDeleteLay rocks on their side at the bottom of the wire that might work ! Hope they get the hint and stop destroying all your gardens ! Good luck and have a good day !
ReplyDeleteMy new hens like to dig too. I have some landscaping border stones that I'm going to have to put all the way around. Silly chickens.
ReplyDeleteNaughty chickens, give them a broom and tell them to clean up their mess!
ReplyDeleteI like Teresa's idea about the landscaping border stones. We used them inside the chicken pen up against the hen house because it is up off the ground (termites are BAD in AZ) and they were able to get out, problem solved.
This is the second post I have read in a week about rogue chickens abusing their range benefits. In both cases resulting in back to the coop or tractor. Takes away a little of the allure of free range chooks.
ReplyDeleteI dug my fence one foot down to prevent that.
ReplyDeleteOh my! I hate that for you!
ReplyDeleteChickens are the worse! I love seeing them roam around my property, but they've pretty much massacred any landscaping I've done. Dh made the mistake of putting huge piles of mulch under the shrubs and magnolia tree...yeah, right. Lasted maybe a day.
ReplyDeletehaha! Hens Gone Wild! There might be a money-making video in there somewhere.
ReplyDeleteEven chickens can act like naughty children---Time out and to your rooms ! But we still love them because they are ours and so cute.
ReplyDeleteHmmm....what to do with the chickens!? Well, I have a great chickenetti recipe I could share. JUST KIDDING!! I think you should do the stacking rocks around the fence idea...although you will need alot of rocks huh? Let us know what you decide...
ReplyDeleteI would put landscape timbers on the outside of the pen line.
ReplyDeleteBad Chickies LOL : )
ReplyDeletechickens are busy litte buggars!
ReplyDeletewe have a strand of electric fence around the bottome of our chicken pen that runs off a solar charger. they don't mess with it!
I never knew chickens could be so much trouble. Hope your plants do ok.
ReplyDelete