anthonyerr Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Hi guys, I'm sorry if this topic has been brought up before. I would really appreciate anyone’s advise with regards to this issue. Is it possible to prevent a chicken from scratching in a particular area/bed? Bark, stone in the bed, pebbles etc… Thanks for your time, Anthony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Sorry Anthony, but it's a natural chickeny thing and they won't not do it. It is how they forage and look for their food. If one area of your garden is getting a hammering, then I'd advise to fence it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 It is their natural behaviour I'm afraid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 yup, my chickens LOVE to scratch, its their favourite hobby Fencing/partitioning off bits you dont want them to scratch is your only solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAJ Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 My chicken management of scratching seems to have last several month now. We have given them a flower bed (excluding plants) just fror them to scratch in and dust bath in, we then put log-roll edging on it so the soil stays in the bed and isn't flicked on the grass. Since they have had access to this area they simply do not scratch up the lawn at all - I have a lovely lawn despite them being out on it most of the day every day. I know that if they only had access to grass they would scratch it up, because as others have said 'that's what chcikens do'. I will try and take a photo to ilustrate later. Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Mine have the same arrangement Tracy (as you will see when you visit); the beds are sectioned off, the veggies grwo on the patio, which is fenced off - they have their scratching area adn the rest is pristine... more or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAJ Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Here's some photos of before and after edging, showing chicken area. Before log-roll they scratched soil into the grass: http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii49/TAJchicks/IMG_1879-2.jpg Now we have lawn and they still scratch! http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii49/TAJchicks/IMG_1929.jpg http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii49/TAJchicks/IMG_1930.jpg http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii49/TAJchicks/IMG_1931.jpg If anyone has spotted Bella is missing she was at my feet whilst I was taking photos - she just has to be with me when I am outside the little love. I hope that helps. Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutrix Farmers Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Fencing/partitioning off bits you dont want them to scratch is your only solution. Ditto. My girls completely trashed a small flower bed near the house but they haven't had access to it for 4 weeks now and you would never know they had ever been there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheik Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 In my opinion you can minimise scratching without fencing, but it takes a bit of experimenting and the end look might not be what you want. Basically, my theory is that if you strategically place reasonably large, immovable objects in amongst the scratching area, the chickens will move somewhere else where they have easier access. I use: ornamental rocks, logs, interesting branches and old paving slabs pieces. I also have a clear area where I don't mind them dustbathing or scratching, so they have alternatives. This method also helps protect small plants which would otherwise get sat on or dug up - so I have lots of little plants butted up against logs or stones. It's not a fool-proof technique like fencing, and if they find an ants' nest or something then of course a nearby slab won't stop them - but in general it seems to help quite a bit. Also, you might find yourself buying plants in future with chickens in mind. So our recent additions to the garden have been small trees or plants with tough stems. Basically it is a "survival of the fittest" approach to gardening I've had limited success with putting small pointy sticks / stakes in the centre of vulnerable shrubs. It stops chickens sitting down on a plant, but they'll still trample and peck. A final idea that works (but looks unsightly in my opinion) is to use lawn edging around individual plants, until they get big enough to withstand chicken attack. By the way, anything light enough to scratch will be useless, and in fact may encourage scratching. So bark / gravel etc won't work. Even large slate chips can get thrown an unbelievable distance by a chicken on a mission. Slate does work well in small to medium flowerpots though, as they can't get in to scratch properly, and it protects roots from being pecked. Using the above techniques means that our plants are doing pretty well without any fencing - even the raised herb garden - with weak plants like coriander, sage and chives - is thriving. (Our chickens free-range for 1-4 hours per day, they don't have unlimited access) Hope that helps! /\dam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheik Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Related thread: http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=443674 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 I would recommend replacing dead plants with things that root deeply as they are less likeyl to suffer. You can also put a layer of plasticised mesh a couple of inches below the soil surface and let plants grow though that - then the chickens shouldn't manage to scratch bulbs etc up. Otherwise, fence the areas off... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
