dindon Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 My Deloris and Henny penny have been with us for 8 months. In that time they have practicly eaten every plant in our garden and the lawn is all but bald! They are free range but I have tried to put them back into their run but they shout all day long to come out. Any idea how to stop them or any plants you know of that chickens wont eat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 my garden is like a jungle, literally. I have giant tree fern, loads of bamboo's and spikey plants, palms, acers - all evergreen - and its never touched. I steer clear of planting anything - like flower containers/pansies etc as I know it will get eaten. Im going to add hanging baskets in the summer - they cant get those! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 We have a "natural" garden (well, its full of weeds...........) Our girls are now restricted to about half of the garden as they trashed the whole thing when they free ranged! Are you able to put them in part of the garden only? Our bamboos are bald to just above chicken jumping height They havent touched the red robin though, nor the camillias, holly or fir trees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dindon Posted April 7, 2007 Author Share Posted April 7, 2007 my garden is like a jungle, literally. I have giant tree fern, loads of bamboo's and spikey plants, palms, acers - all evergreen - and its never touched. I steer clear of planting anything - like flower containers/pansies etc as I know it will get eaten. Im going to add hanging baskets in the summer - they cant get those! I have just put up hanging baskets yesterday and Deloris and Henny penny are currently sitting on top of their eglu throwing themselves off in an effort to get onto the hanging baskets! Thanks for the ideas I shall try all things spikey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dindon Posted April 7, 2007 Author Share Posted April 7, 2007 We have a "natural" garden (well, its full of weeds...........)Our girls are now restricted to about half of the garden as they trashed the whole thing when they free ranged! Are you able to put them in part of the garden only? Our bamboos are bald to just above chicken jumping height They havent touched the red robin though, nor the camillias, holly or fir trees Cant fence of part of garden as have very old deaf dog who would be upset also Guinea pig who needs his space too and two children to keep happy and two cats as well. But I will try your planting ideas. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 They don't eat Rosemary or spiky bushes. My 2 decimated the garden over the winter and are now residing on a square of my allotment until the grass grows back!! They are much quieter out there as without so much passing company there is less to shout at! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 I don't mean to rub salt in the wounds. I've kept chickens for 11 months, they are a Gingernut and Pepperpot. This is how it looks after 11months and 3 eglus ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickpea Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 Our garden got decimated too! We've since built a seperate area for them to freerange in, and made it a feature of the garden. Basically stuck up two trellisses and a gate and made a 'room' for them. But luckily we do have a rather long garden which is pretty much devided into 'rooms' anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 my garden is like a jungle, literally. I have giant tree fern, loads of bamboo's and spikey plants, palms, acers - all evergreen - and its never touched. I steer clear of planting anything - like flower containers/pansies etc as I know it will get eaten. Im going to add hanging baskets in the summer - they cant get those! I have just put up hanging baskets yesterday and Deloris and Henny penny are currently sitting on top of their eglu throwing themselves off in an effort to get onto the hanging baskets! Thanks for the ideas I shall try all things spikey. What a picture Would your neighbours complain if you ignored them and let them shout for a while? You could try leaving it longer each day before letting them out. Am sure they would soon get the hint. I usually only let mine out in the afternoon to help save the plants Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 At the thought of them trying to get at a hanging basket! I try to restrict mine to a few hours int eh afternoon to save the lawn (but I tend to give in and let them out if I'm in the garden anyway ) One border I've fenced off with chicken wire to give the plants a head start. The other has plenty of taller shrubs in it (holly, weigela, hebes, some grasses) they love rummaging about in the undergrowth, but can't do much damage to the plants! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonesyboy27 Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 our two girls have scoffed the lawn i have fenced off the raised beds as I have planted them,however Belinda got into the cabbage and purple sprouting plot and started on them.I asked her to leave,came back ten minutes later to find she had attacked the rhubarb. Little darlings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocchick Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Martin, do you keep your chickens in the run and just let them out occasionally? We lost grass in the chicken area, despite moving the eglu round (doesn't work in Winter just makes the mud expand as it can't catch up ). We've sacrificed half the garden now and anything that dares to grow near/in the pen gets stripped bare. We don't have a neat garden but there's no real damage if we let them out for small periods into the main garden. OH is upset they have broken about 2 rhubarb stems and raked through some leaves but a small amount of chicken wire keeps them away now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Mine hace totally trashed the garden and break onto the patio all the time and trash my bedding plants. I don't know why I bother, it upsets me so much when they destroy an afternoon's work in half an hour. I have no lawn, nothing but roses and lavender in fact. But they're doing fine. Thanks for reminding me to order turf Martin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geb0205 Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 little darlings aren't they? Mine insist on scratching the borders onto the path, of which I sweep every day, but still, the garden looks like a bomb has hit it. Aunty E, lucky you, mine LOVE roses, and all my rose bushes are eaten to bantam jumping height... apart from 2 that had to be relocated in their pots to ontop of the garden table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dindon Posted April 11, 2007 Author Share Posted April 11, 2007 Dont even get me started on the digging of soil onto paths! I spend all day sweeping it up! I have tried barking on top of soil and gravel but they dig that all over path as well. And as for the amount of poo all over the patio and lawn or bald muddy area as it now is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 But we still love em BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 Love them less since I spent nearly £200 on turf and top soil. ruddy chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 Ohh but how you all love them don't you! Me included! Mine do not eat day lilies, primroses, periwinkle, or grape hyancinth -all of which are growing in their big pen! I often put a pot in there that needs weeding - they are good at that and love chickweed A special favourite is the oregano herb growing outside my back door! Rhubard is supposed to be poisonous for them - but Dilly Dilly eats the leaves with no ill effects - contrary little ladies they all are. I have a number of raised beds - 2 railway sleepers high - they love rummaging around in those for most of the time - keeps a lot of the mess insitu! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffygrue Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 Mmm, I can see we're going to have fun when we're able to free-range the beasties. I saw them referred to as 'Feathered Land Sharks' on another forum. Oh well, at least I might have a few Camellias and day lilies at the end of it. We'll see! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cute-chickens Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 We used to have a really nice lawn. Last year we had a problem with Chafer Beetle grubs - we were told that if they are left un-treated they can cause severe damage to lawns and will then over winter deeper in the soil, ready to cause more damage the following spring. We spent about £30 on a natural grub killer. Then we got the girls! The OH refers to the "lawn" area as a moonscape - there are craters everywhere. Not a blade of grass to be seen. We have them inside an electrified fence so at least the borders have survived their "attention". The only thing growing in their area are narcissus - they haven't touched them. Love them to bits though - the OH spoils them even more than I do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 Well I suspect you don't have any Chaffer beetles anymore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xEmmax Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 We but up a wire barrier infront of our plants it worked for a little while but soon the chickens learnt how to jump over Penny Copper both in a eglu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 My chickens are a bit like that! They've learnt to escape from the big run they have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocchick Posted April 18, 2007 Share Posted April 18, 2007 'Feathered Land Sharks' That's brilliant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara.F Posted April 18, 2007 Share Posted April 18, 2007 Our girls don't eat laveder, rosemary, thyme or mint all of which we now have growing in pretty pots around the eglu and run. They do however munch away on the parsley, they'll take your arm for a tomato and they adore the leaves on the pepper plants Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
