Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[petite70]

I have 8 lovely hennys and a very wilful 2 year old who keeps letting them out of there pen, they make a run for it and love pecking about on grass. I didnt notice he had done this on sunday and the next thing i know they have eaten the content of one of my raised veg beds - radish and lettuce all gone - but they looked so happy one of them was literaly laid on her back making a lovely dustbath it didnt take long - they are all at it now my onions have gone too and all i am left with is losts of huge craters in my veg beds - sad about my veg but have very happy hens and now they are all laying - 8 eggs a day - yolk overload!!!!!!

[Abbey Road Girl]

dearohdearohdear, Petite!

 

Can sympathise with you completely, even though my little feathered week wackers didn't demolish anything more valuable than bindweed.

 

I can't believe that I wish I had some bindweed back!

[Hen Watch]

I sympathise Petite70.

 

I loved my chooks free ranging my whole garden last year, but then day after day they would get into hubbies veg patch (even though it was fenced off) and eventually he'd had enough.

 

Now my chooks have their own fenced off area of the garden to play in.

[Egluntyne]

Why not put a padlock on the run?

 

Omlet netting is useful for keeping them out of certain areas......or keeping them in.

[Lapinou]

We've managed to keep our chickens away from all our veg with the omlet netting

 

Sorry to hear you lost all yours - I'd be upset.

[petite70]

Yes a padlock is on my shopping list - just to stop my 2 year old letting them out - think he will be gutted tho - he just loves them running around!!! Thanks for all your replys !!

[abwsco]

Oops!! Luckily we don't have any veg for them to trash but our girlies have done a fine job on lots of my plants. So much so that we are fencing off part of our garden for them. I just need to timber treat all the wood first

[BarbaraJ]

If you don't want to use a padlock these are great for 2yr olds:

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Safety-1st-Cupboard-Locks-Cabinet-Slide-Locks_W0QQitemZ270259882197QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item270259882197&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318

[Spike-J]

I fenced off my 1m2 raised beds and the "fruit border" with wire netting from B n Q and bamboo sticks.

The girls are still out and there are no problems except when I take a side of the fence off for access and then we are back to square one with my "little helpers"- they usually get closed in their run temporarily at this point!

[bokbokbok]

I just realised today that my plan for the run we are in the middle of building has the door leading them THROUGH my veg plot on their way to free ranging.

 

OH cant see the problem with this - he thinks we can just shoooo them along. Anyone want to burst his bubble?