Torrential rain flooding run

[xScrunchee]

I'm glad you are feeling a bit happier with the girls. We used to let ours free range but they really did trash the garden and my OH got really upset about it (his pride and joy but I do the gardening!).

 

We've now got a WIR and they stay in there the whole time. They do make me feel guilty some times but they get lots of greens etc to keep them busy plus a dust bath.

 

I've was away for a few days recently and found out that my OH had felt sorry for them and let them out for a while......

 

 

Typical

[Seagazer]

Tell me about it!

[Woodcat]

hey

 

 

Mine have full run of the garden excluding the veg patch all of the time so i get quite a bit of practice at stopping them. where the digging up boarders are concerned if you have the time to do this it really does work but you've got to have nothing growing. If you lay chicken wire down and then put about half an inch of soil on top then plant through the chicken wire it stops them scratching stuff up. Doesn't stop them eating it but unless it's really delicate or they really like it it seems to be the digging that kills them

 

As eggalp has said bricks and stones stop them quite well as well. The other thing i've done for the herb garden is create tunnels of chicken wire and then fruit netting over the top to cover the ends and this protects the herbs they eat quite well.

 

I can't really say much about lawns because ours isn't a fantastic one (even before the chooks) but they haven't really caused any damage to it not really sure why but i'm not about to tempt fate.

 

Beth

[meezers]

The only greenery I have left in my garden are the shrubs that are too tall for them to reach ( though they are working on it ) but I do have flowers in tubs, my tip is too keep a few of those large garden refuse bags handy and before you let the chooks out of the run, pop a bag over the plants, container and all. Just don't forget - as I did -to remove the bags when the chooks are back behind bars

[KarenW]

Wow, thank you all so much for all the helpful advice and being so nice I read lots of replies last night and was so touched with all the help and everything that I got all emotional and couldn't think what to say to you all!

 

So, I now have have a few things to try, which makes me feel better. The chickens have not had so much time out over the past couple of nights, though they have still managed to make a mess! I tried putting bricks on the top of a pot last night, after I caught them it it again (I swear that when they saw me coming they turned back round and dug faster...), but even though I squeezed 3 bricks in, in a sort of triangle, I have just looked out and they have somehow still managed to dig right down in the small areas of soil left open!

 

I'm going to send hubby for some slate for the tops of the pots (is it just normal garden slate chippings, or do I need something bigger?) and I have a spare pot that I was going to empty the soil out of and throw away, so instead I'll put it inside their woodchipped area next to the run and keep it full for them and hopefully they'll take a liking to that instead.

 

The chicken wire idea is great too, we could use that in lots of places if need be. I do like a good back-up plan

 

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the help

 

Karen x

[Olly]

Just slate chippings, but the bigger the better - obviouslyif they're too light, the chooks will just dig through them. I have them on my pots and it works about 90% of the time, occasionally a hen will just decide there's something worth digging for but then I shoo them off.

 

Mine are only allowed out when I'm in the garden with them, because of the risk of foxes - a handy water-pistol is another useful tool to stop

 

I firmly believe that limited free-ranging time (and limiting the area) is the answer. I love having chickens, but I'm not prepared to sacrifice the garden to them. Don't give up hope, it CAN be done!

[Staffordmum]

Normal slate chippings are OK, as Olly says "the bigger the better". You can even get them in different colours! (we love the plum/purple ones)

 

Go wild, you deserve it for your perseverance

 

Good luck and keep us posted ...

 

Kind rgds,

 

Pat & Steve

[Sarahsausage]

Sorry! Starting typing on the wrong forum!

[Sarahsausage]

Hi Karen, I know exactly what you're going through! Last winter my chooks completely wreaked our lawn through scratching it up because it was so soft because of all the rain, I was so depressed as have always been a keen gardener and my garden looked like a mud bath! I used to let the chickens free-range most of the day in the garden and they were destroying my borders etc,. Anyway, I had a permanent run built for them and now only let them free-range for about an hour a day. They've got used to the routine of being in their run most of the day and let out in to the garden in the evening. I've also put some quite nice fence edging (about a foot high) around the borders I don't want them in and have left a largish area for them to scratch around in. They do occasionally stand on my pots but can easily be shooed off! Don't lose heart, your garden will soon come round again, maybe a permanent run or cordoned off area is the answer. Once things are back to 'normal' you'll have forgotten the carnage your girls have caused! Best of luck!

[Dolly]

Hi Karen

 

If it's any help, I would definately suggest hanging baskets as an alternative home for anything flowery. I now use my pots for single 'specimen' plants such as red cordylines (think that's how you spell it!) which look lovely with coloured stones covering the soil (we used medium sized stones, no smaller than 4cm and the girls don't make any attempt at either eating the plants or digging in the stones!). Try Morrison's for cheap garden plants - I got the cordylines for £2.99 each and they were about 18 inches so great value.

 

The rest of our garden is very 'shrubby' so they dig around underneath but don't touch the leaves, the more 'waxy' the leaves the better it seems....

 

Good luck!

[Luvachicken]

I too felt the same and today the girls got their own bit of garden . It's not a very big space - the width of the eglu cube by about the length of 3 cubes. Hanging baskets are definitely a good idea and i was going to try those 3 tier basket things but haven't got round to it yet.

I hope things are going better for you now and that you are feeling better too.