4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[helen5848]

Hi, i've just plucked up the courage to let my three hens free range in our back garden and they love it! The garden is seperated with a small gate to keep them out of reach of the dog, and also to keep them away from our nice plants and raised beds.

HOWEVER - they now appear to be fed up of their large section of garden (which is easily three times larger than my small section!) and are desperate to get into the out of bounds section. At the moment they are constantly finding ways of getting through and they are quickly demolishing any nice plants that we had.

As a result the garden is quickly looking like a s"Ooops, word censored!" yard with bits of wood etc desperately being propped up against gaps in a bid to stop them getting through.

Ideally we need something that is kind on the eye that we can use to confine them to their part.

Ideally we would buy some of the portable omlet netting and spikes but at the moment this option is a bit too costly - just wondering if anybody out there had come up with any purse friendly ideas for confining them to their part of the garden?

[Carol U]

That's chickens for you - the bit they can't get into is always more attractive. After trying all sort of things, I now allow mine into everywhere but the vegetables. In the beginning, I had to supervise them quite closely and shoo them out of the precious flowerbeds and into the more shrubby part where they could do less damage. Now, they are pretty good and tend to leave the forbidden things alone if they know I'm watching (or think I am). They have dug several large dust baths for themselves under the rhododendrons and other big things and mostly seem happy to peck about there. There is cheaper netting than the omlet one - someone posted about it a couple of months ago but I can't remember who. I'm sure someone will tell you about it. Hope this helps. Good luck!

[JanTheDiver]

Hi, we have just ordered some netting from here:

 

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Mesh-and-Nets-Online__W0QQ_armrsZ1

 

Don't know if this is what you are looking for.

 

Jan

[keyhole kate]

Before Omlet netting we bought barrier mesh fencing + poles

as seen on motorway works and construction sites

from Wickes tacked behind a fence would work and be

fairly u"Ooops, word censored!"trusive

[Hen Watch]

Mine always want to be where they are not allowed......

 

I have got Omlet netting which I can recomend .. but you are right not a cheap option. But thought I would post to say whatever you get go for something that blends in, preferably green in colour as the orange netting may not blend as well with your garden.

 

From a distance the Omlet netting blends well.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Hi, we have just ordered some netting from here:

 

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Mesh-and-Nets-Online__W0QQ_armrsZ1

 

Don't know if this is what you are looking for.

 

Jan

 

In our garden, the orange is practically fluorescent, although it was about 1/3 of the price of the green...when the green was on sale though DH bought some of that & it's much easier on the eye . The road pins/fencing pins are great too though you end up with rusty hands when they've been in the garden for a while

 

Sha x

[helen5848]

Thanks for your responses and thanks hen watch for your photo showing your set up. I'm certainly going to look into the plastic netting further. The netting on the link seems a lot more reasonable - maybe I can replace it in time with the official stuff!

 

My three are out at the minute, I have shooed them out of my nicest raiised bed twice and out of desperation I have had to barricade round it - my garden all of a sudden looks like a s"Ooops, word censored!" yard!

 

thanks again