OK my chicken friends…
So , I need to throw some seed down on the dirt yard, but I’m thinking the chickens are going to be having a field day with that. Any advice? They don’t stay in their coop even if I close them in (I have crazy jumping chickens!).
I was also wondering what to do when I plant my garden. I really don’t want to have to fence the whole thing in, but won’t they eat up the seeds and seedlings? I seem to remember some of you have free range chickens that have access to your gardens. How does that work?
Thanks for any advice!
You need to get a higher fence for your chickens. If necessary – you can put chicken wire over the top as well. We had luck with a fence that was about six feet high. Of course, there are still chickens that can make it out at that height. We had one chicken that insisted on roosting with the dogs, sleeping with them in their dog house and eating dog food with them. She was unique.
Good luck! I love the progress updates on your house!
Hey Maria, I definitly have a fence around my garden! Those little suckers will scratch up every bit of seed! And newly planted seedlings too. I only let the chickens in the garden for the fall clean-up.
I’m not sure what to do about your yard. I’ve never had to deal with that problem.
Btw, I’m loving the house! You guys have done a wonderful job!
I would offer sage advice, but I know nothing about chickens. I am the one who fed your ladies one weekend and panicked when the free range chickens were not in the coop. I hunted high and low and was sure they had met a horrible end on my watch. Ok, so now I know, free range means they can go where they want and return to the coop when they want. I should have also known the dog would never let anything happen to “her” chickens.
🙂 We have a 4 foot fence with bird netting over the top. They don’t mess with that. The jump over the coop!!! 🙂
clip 1 wing to help with the flying out. they WILL decimate your garden no matter what stage it is in. fence them in and save yourself a lot of heartache!
Somewhere I saw on the internet some moveable pens for chickens. They were quite nice though I imagine they were expensive but considering your handy hubby – I bet he could make them.
The nice thing about these were that you could move the pens to wherever they needed to eat.
I’ve clipped both wings! They are Houdini chickens I tell you!
We want to keep them free range, so we may just fence a garden space.
http://www2.gsu.edu/~biojdsx/fowl/tractor.htm
Here’s a link – they are termed ‘chicken tractors’. I really need to get a life…lol
clipping 1 wing works better so they are lopsided and can’t balance in flight.
Ooooh, I hadn’t thought of it that way. We may fix up their enclosure and try clipping one wing then….
The ladies have made a lier out of me… I’ve just found two clutches of eggs stashed in construction debris! Luckily they are all still good.
Chicken soup! That’s how you control them.
We have to keep some kind of wire (hog wire works) over the top of our coop yard to keep the hawks and possums from eating the chickens. So if you completely enclose the coop, then you can just leave them in while things get growing, then let them out later. Love reading your adventures! -Susan in Florida