[ferreter51]

I have a large kitchen garden and also a flower garden.  I also have neighbours who keep chickens which are not fed, but allowed to forage.  Unfortunately they now come into my gardens and trash both flower and vegetable beds looking for food.  Preparing the beds has taken a long time and both  bedding plants and vegetables are now going in, then being dug up by hungry chickens.  They can fly, so high fences are no problem for them.  I am aware that things like old CDs strung above beds can deter smaller birds, also that windmills and  colourful windsocks can be effective, but are they effective against chickens?  I have a powerful water blaster which scares them off when used - running around like a wet hen is an accurate description - but I cannot be on sentry duty all day.

Has anyone got any suggestions?

[Springlands]

That is awful - all of your hard work being destroyed. First of all - have you discussed this with your neighbour - he/she should really be ensuring that their hens are not destroying other peoples property even if they have to clip their wings to stop them flying. The only thing that I can really think of is to cage off your veggie areas but that can be expensive. Hopefully someone else can made some good suggestions.

[ferreter51]

That is awful - all of your hard work being destroyed. First of all - have you discussed this with your neighbour - he/she should really be ensuring that their hens are not destroying other peoples property even if they have to clip their wings to stop them flying. The only thing that I can really think of is to cage off your veggie areas but that can be expensive. Hopefully someone else can made some good suggestions.

The neighbours are, not to put too fine a point on it, unhelpful.    I am sending away for some bird netting and making some supports and anchors later today when I have been to town for the materials.  I did try some black plastic netting at the weekend, but the anchors were not adequate and the netting was just dragged away by foraging chickens.  Their claws and legs seem quite powerful.  I hope that stronger supports and anchors for the netting may work and I've just sorted out some old CDs/DVDs, which might help in the short term.  I am grateful; for your advice about caging off the veg areas and am thinking of buying a large quantity of galvanised chicken wire and building box-like cages over the veg beds, but it will take  a very large amount as the vegetable beds total well over 150 sq yds.  Even then, I can hardly do that with the flower beds, so need another solution for them.

[8doubles]

Ask the neighbour to clip the feathers on one wing on each bird. Or do it yourself to any hens you catch in your garden if they refuse.

[andy135]

Whay am I thinking "Roast chicken for dinner this evening?"

[Springlands]

You could also speak to your local council about the issue - but the problem with that is that it could cause problems with your neighbours.

[Springlands]

Whay am I thinking "Roast chicken for dinner this evening?"

I don't know - why are you 

[8doubles]

Not much meat on a laying hen,


enough for a ferret though.

[andy135]

You could also speak to your local council about the issue - but the problem with that is that it could cause problems with your neighbours.

Surely, (don't call me shirley............  ) it's the neighbours who are causing trouble in the first place.
I think that after speaking nicely to them and not getting a result, I would make an attempt to be quite firm and tell them to  sort it or I will have no alternative to to call the council.

[ferreter51]

Thank you all for the advice.  One comment did give me an idea.  I could put my ferret runs close to a couple of the beds.  It would not be a permanent solution, or even one for all the veg beds, but it would be a brave chicken that got too close to several lively ferrets even if they are behind wire.  I have heard of ferret droppings as a rat and rabbit deterrent.  It may work for chickens.  I will try anything at the moment.

[joyfull]

if they are not feeding their chickens then that is wrong - so are you sure about this? Have a word with them and explain what is happpening and perhaps let them know that you were thinking about getting a dog (whether you are or not  ) so for their hens safety it might be best to clip their wings or get your neighbour to put up higher fencing.

[ferreter51]

if they are not feeding their chickens then that is wrong - so are you sure about this? Have a word with them and explain what is happpening and perhaps let them know that you were thinking about getting a dog (whether you are or not  ) so for their hens safety it might be best to clip their wings or get your neighbour to put up higher fencing.

I do have a dog - a great soppy mutt who doesn't give a hoot about the chickens and will walk straight past them without even looking.  Good in one respect, but not in another.  Strangers, foxes and rabbits are another matter entirely!  Another dog might be an idea.  A friend has a litter of terriers (or terrorists as he calls them) so a good puppy would not be a problem to find.

Yes, I am sure that they do not feed the birds.  There is a feeding trough in their pen but in the 18 or so months I have been here, there has never been any food in it  I pass it several times a day and would have seen, I am sure.  The chickens forage where they can.  A large manure heap by some stables has been a favourite source of food for them as it has been full of worms etc, but that has now been spread on a nearby field.

As mentioned the neighbours have been unhelpful when I have approached them, but perhaps a gentle hint about the damage and the cost of it will help to concentrate their minds.  Luckily I have a solicitor in the family, so if it comes to hints which are less than gentle, that may be useful.  I cannot blame the chickens, they are hungry.  Another solution may be to take them over myself.  I have space for runs and housing and I could then quite legally clip wings.  One thing, though,  They do not, as far as I know, lay eggs.  Probably they are too underfed to do so.  It would not stop the people obtaining yet more chickens, though, so I might solve one problem to find a similar one.

[viettaclark]

I surround with chicken wire (v. cheap in Wilcos) held up with bamboo sticks so my hens can't get on some beds. Other beds with fruit bushes and shrubs I appreciate their scratching....no weeds! (Wire everywhere doesn't look pretty!)
You really shouldn't have this problem and I agree with previous advice. I would never allow my hens to escape.....not that they want to....

[ferreter51]

Thanks one and all for the advice.  I tried diplomacy again but was met with, in effect, "go forth and multiply - it's your problem".  I have now contacted the council.  Like the mills of God, council mechanisms grind slow, the trouble is they have few if any other divine qualities, so I am not holding my breath for an early resolution.  In the meantime I am trying several different methods in combination.  Suspended CDs/DVDs look good at the moment and I have sent for some of the polypropylene tape which is supposed to emit vibrations which scare all kinds of birds.  I have also assembled all the various nettings I have around and managed to cover about 50% of the beds - the most vulnerable flower, fruit and veg beds but with planting to come in the near future, I'll have to buy some more.

Thanks again.

[joyfull]

if you are sure they are not feeding their birds then report them to the RSPCA or DEFRA.