[cooky]

We have three bantams, and we are going to plant our veg.Will it be ok to let them still have a free run over veg patch or will they eat every thing in sight?

[Blarney]

They will eat every single thing that they can find.  EVERYTHING!!

probably best to fence it off or find something to put over it that is safe for them.  Ours even ate my aloe vera plants!

[Modern Game Bird]

Yes they will eat the lot.  We have just moved our lottie patch today and moved one of our chicken pens on to it so they can clear it and turn it over - they are loving it.  We use poultry netting - although these particular ones are not electrified as they are quite near the house and we are here all day every day to keep an eye on them.  You could use a roll of (un-electrified) poultry netting to keep them off the veg patch as it comes on moveable rods.  You can get either 25m or 50m depening upon how large your plot is - we get ours from Kiwi Fencing around £79 for 50m?  Hope this helps.

[cooky]

we have had  leeks in over winter and they have left them alone. Is this just luck ? or dont they like leeks? :

[Blarney]

I'm really sorry but I think that may have been luck.  We have just done what Modern Game Bird has done by putting their run over the grass where we wanted out veggie patches to be and they have cleared it.  We then built raised beds.  Ours literally ate all of our vegetables in the garden last year - tomatoes, parsnips, rhubarb, carrots and as I say my aloe vera which I was very proud of.

[woodburner]

And even if they don't eat it they will scratch it out of the ground, flinging it half way across the garden! 

[daffodildaphne]

Yes, it can be very disappointing and expensive to give a chicken free run of a garden.  They're the bird equivalent of goats!  For some reason, mine didn't take to rose or Dusty Miller leaves, but other fruits, herbs, flowers, shrubs, succulents - finished.

You have been warned!

[andreadon]

i fence off all my important areas with chicken wire - i didn't bother with one area at the end of the year, because it was all spring bulbs: but after having put all the bulbs back into the ground (they dug them out!) TWICE!!! i've put wire all around that now too.
it's the only defence.