Solitary chicken - need advice

[carrotspine]

Hi all,I would really appreciate some advice on some gardening / chicken questions please. For the last year I have had gravel in my garden with a membrane underneath to help with drainage, the garden is useless at getting rid of rain water and we did have standing water until we ripped up the turf. The chickens are lovely and dry in their walk in run with access to the gravel. Obviously they trash the garden every time they go into it and I spend about half an hour every time I let them out, sweeping up after them, not to mention poo on the patio! I only have one plant, which they ate late year but have protected the new shoots from them now. I am considering putting turf back into 'their' bit of garden which I have fenced off and leaving the gravel for the humans. Some questions now,

Is turf a more fun experience for the girls? I know they will dig it up, but I think they get frustrated with all their digging only to find membrane and no grubs!

I mentioned to my husband about taking up the membrane and leaving the girls the stones this morning but with the water problem he seemed to think we would be in the same situation as before and every time it rained it would become mud, although this could happen with the turf back.

Can I use a living willow fence to divide their bit and my bit. I'm sick of the garden looking beige and this will look green and they can nibble it (in my rosy view of the world!)?

What plants can I put in their bit which won't harm them but they don't like?

If I go down the turf route, does anyone know where I can get very cheap top soil and turf, I am near Leek in Staffordshire?

Same with the willow fencing if I choose that.

Many thanks everyone

[Leicester_H]

We only let ours FreeRange under supervision (otherwise fox might get them) so our garden is reasonably OK.

We have a raised bed at the end with some bushes in - when I let them out, OH calls them and sprinkles very little corn in the raised bed. They scratch around and then dig around for grubs and worms.

They are allowed under the bamboos - area is very dry so they like it.

They peck the grass but don't do much damaged.

I have some veg in raised beds which are 'fenced' off so they can't get onto them.

 

So chickens and gardens can co-exist. Depends on the circumstances.

 

H

[Valkyrie]

I agree - depends on the size of the flock and size of the garden. Mine were allowed to range all over at one time but now are fenced off from up near the house. I have allowed them some of the top lawn. The bottom half of the garden is pretty much theirs - except for the veggie section - also fenced off (although our silkie used to squeeze through the netting and was happily uprooting all my onions and transplanting the path onto the beds and the soil onto the paths) - the remaining girls are too big to squeeze through thankfully! I think if you have enough lawn then they don't trash it, although the edges do get a bit ragged and the borders are getting a little bigger. They have their favourite spot under a weeping cotoneaster tree and they also mooch around my greenhouse. I fence off part of the greenhouse when the tomatoes go into big pots. I did see an article a long time ago where someone had upturned hanging baskets over plants that were not to be grubbed up. Sadly a lot of my plants were just trampled through by big fat orpies who never went around the plants! So shrubs it had to be - and they are still fine. Forget lavender - they eat the leaves off the bottom and then you get punk lavender with impressive Mohawk hairdos.

[carrotspine]

Many thanks for all the advice. Think I'll let them have some grass, I only have four but they are a demolition squad tag team of terrors! I think if I am prepared for their grass not to be in the best condition things should be ok. I like lavender but can't grow it, it should be pretty simple but it never has a great time in my garden. I will have a look for hardy shrubs to plant and make sure they have plenty of treats and veg to occu py them!