kategat Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 i have had chickens for little while (trinny and suzannah ) they are extremely distructive are yours?? they love to eat my geraniums do you know any bedding plants that chickens dont eat as i would like to have a pretty garden even with my destruvtive choooks please help me katy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinkychick Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 mine are only destructive if they can step on the plant or get between them, as i found out the other day after weeding! Before that they tended to stay out of the flower beds and just scratch around the edges.... but it seems that they cant resist a bit of mud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vivihen Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 I am experimenting with prunings from a hazel hedge (they are quite bendy when freshly cut) by making little cages over low spready plants, I thought something natural would look better than chicken wire. It is working so far as the chickens are stepping or climbing over the cages and not trying to scratch them up. I am hoping the same idea will work in the spring when the bulbs are coming through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abwsco Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 The only thing that has been safe in our garden were our well established shrubs. I'm saying were as our new girls have decided they are tasty and are eating the leaves! They've also discovered how to jump on the chicken wire around our container plants and eat them by balancing on the wire and hanging down into the plant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 I'm afraid you need to try guerilla warfare tactics if you really want a neat garden What they don't eat they will scratch up and dustbathe in the roots Fruit cage netting is quite effective as long as they can't get round it or under it - it's nearly invisible and they don't try to go over as it's too flimsy. Alternatively try hanging baskets. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Why not fence off the flowers with Omlet netting or similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henhathnofury Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Ummmm...a very tasty treat, geraniums. My girls love them. Impossible to train chickens not to do something. They will not eat Rosemary plants and in desperation - some plastic plants I was forced to use to make their area look more cheerful. They have a patio area and a dirt run under trees They also freerange in the garden but that tends to be an orgy of digging up things...so they have to be 'scooted' all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Ummmm...a very tasty treat, geraniums. My girls love them. Impossible to train chickens not to do something. They will not eat Rosemary plants and in desperation - some plastic plants I was forced to use to make their area look more cheerful. They have a patio area and a dirt run under trees They also freerange in the garden but that tends to be an orgy of digging up things...so they have to be 'scooted' all the time. Oh Lordy that was one of the things my girls DIDN'T eat. Was thinking more for next year was a good idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henhathnofury Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 They are all different and one day they may to chose to eat something that they have ignored for ages. Slippery little devils! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Mine love to eat the perennian geraniums (the low spreading kind). Established shrubs don't get eaten (too much) like Potentilla etc. Have found some plants that don't get eaten (like Lavender) get jumped on so I have completely squashed lavender and completely nibbled fushia (or sticks actually all I have now). To stop flattening/nibbling a few of my perennials have Guardman Conical Plant Supports which come in 3 sizes from local garden centre. But they are not cheap £5 each for medium one. http://www.gardman.co.uk/asp/garden/plant-support-plastic-coated-wire-support-systems.asp Completely off topic, whilst I was searching the internet for the plant support pics for this post, I found these, aren't they cute. Chicken topped garden stakes........ ahhh..... http://www.shootsandroots.co.uk/acatalog/info_320.html http://www.shootsandroots.co.uk/acatalog/Animal_Stakes.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
