# Landscape is being demolished



## 5eggladies (Sep 24, 2013)

This is my first year to have chickens. I love them, but they are tearing up every bit of landscape! Any tips as to how to have chickens AND a decent yard? I'd really rather not have chicken wire over everything be my only option...


Sent from my iPhone using Chicken Forum


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Sorry, either they get fenced out or you will just have to accept it.


----------



## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

I try to tempt the chickens to leave certain parts of the yard alone by making other parts more interesting. I leave piles of scratch and kitchen waste out back under bushes and in the grass, spread out so they need to look for it. When they go out in the morning they go there, I have very little problem with them in my flower beds. I do fence my veggie garden as that is just too much temptation lol!


----------



## hellofromtexas (Feb 16, 2014)

I think your options here are 

*Chicken run (doesn't have to be fancy just some poles and chicken wire)

*Fence them off certain areas

*Or make some areas more interesting with use of chicken toys and scratch (be careful with scratch, It will make them fat and cost you production if over done. Too much would be like giving a kid a happy meal with hamburger, fries, and sugar laden beverage morning, noon and night)

Chickens love destroying flowers. I have 1/2 PVC pipe run with hardware cloth greenhouse roofing. I was hawk and weather proofing with the roof and hardware cloth. I also like Ivy and jasmine (the poisonous plant kind to chickens)


----------



## rob (Jun 20, 2012)

fence off an area sounds your best bet. or you will never have a tidy garden.


----------



## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

rob said:


> fence off an area sounds your best bet. or you will never have a tidy garden.


 well said Rob


----------



## 5eggladies (Sep 24, 2013)

Well, thank you for the honesty 
I think i'll landscape with larger rocks (2-3 lbs), which might make it harder for them to dig up, as opposed to the loose mulch and river rocks we have now...


Sent from my iPhone using Chicken Forum


----------



## 5eggladies (Sep 24, 2013)

Update: I lined all of my plants with 1-2 lb rocks, so they couldn't dig them up. Worked like a charm. I also left a couple of areas with plenty of loose dirt for them to dig and dust in.


----------



## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

Yeah I found out the hard way this year that garden has to be fenced in my hens ate every bit of my garden. Last year they didn't touch anything but this year every single bit of the garden got eaten up. Next year I am fencing off 1 area of yard just for the garden space.


----------



## chickflick (Sep 23, 2012)

I've learned what chickens will eat and what they will leave alone. I have a beautiful flower garden in my front yard 75x25 that the hens are free to roam in.


----------

