Garden versus poultry

My 2 ducks and five hens are totally free range and therefore have access to my flower beds.

Unfortunately they love my flower beds; even the ducks despite access to a lovely stream prefer to flatten and peck at all things floral and decorative while the hens are like mini excavators! Their preferred delicacies are lobelia, aubretia and alchimela mollis whilst they definitely don't fancy geraniums.

I know I could simply close the gates but to be honest their rosey company is quite enjoyable. I just wonder has anyone discovered a nifty garden protection scheme together with any hen deterring plants.

Thrift

nope...sorry.....just give in and have window boxes

Unless you can fill your borders with plants that you know your particular girls won't eat (different hens like different things), there's not much hope I'm afraid, unless you go for shruby specimens that can tolerate a bit of pruning, and accept that they'll be a bit bald up to chicken height.

I wanted to fully free range the girls, but our dog hates them, so for their own safety, they are confined to partially free ranging in their pen which is basically a far corner of the garden partioned off just for them.  They do have access to the garden compost bays, where they happily dig through all the weeds and clippings, and tunnel down to the worms etc underneath - actually probably more fun that wandering round the garden to be honest!

Pic below shows garden and the necessary chicken proofing under constrution

Quote from: Flowerpower136 on September 21, 2009, 09:45

...Pic below shows garden and the necessary chicken proofing under constrution

I likes the garden.

Thank you........so would the girls, given half a chance

Yes better fanks.