Protecting raised beds from chickens

[lizch]

I'm a newbie here, proud owner of seven 5-week-old chicks. I just spent the afternoon outside with them for the first time--all eight of us were happy as could be. (Could also have been due to the first appearance of significant sunshine in Seattle since February!)

Their coop is adjacent to the raised beds I've just built and partially planted. As soon as I let them out of the coop, I realized (duh!) that they can't tell the difference between dandelions (good!) and the onion sets/strawberries/rhubarb I just planted (bad!). I clearly need to protect the veggies/fruits if I'm going to let them free range. Any ideas on the best way to do that....ideally not too expensive and easy to tend to the beds. Would bird netting work or will the chickens simply tramp all over it?

I'm planning to enclose both the coop and the raised beds within deer fencing that I was lucky enough to win at the Seattle Flower & Garden show. So, maybe a bad idea, that fencing will trap the chickens within the raised bed area unless I get brave enough to let them truly free range (we have coyote, bobcat, raccoons, owls, and hawks).

Thanks for any ideas you have.

 

[ginormous chicken]

First of all:

Yeah, I have an idea... plant signs next to your plants and teach them to learn how to read...

J/k


Seriously, you can either do cages for the plants you need covered. Use chicken wire and I have just used zip ties to make a square (really kinda corny but works.) Or You can fence the plants ( hopefully in a row ) you don't want them in. You chicken wire around them or construction orange plastic fencing.

I like the cages because you can take them off later. When certain veggies get big enough you can supervise your chickens to eat around them. That has worked for me.

Good Luck!

 

[Judy]

I wound up letting the chickens free range (for a long time) and fencing the garden with chicken wire. It's a pretty inexpensive way to fence, does not need much support, and lightweight chicken wire is not really expensive at all, as fencing goes. I just rigged up a "gate" with a piece of chicken wire on a movable fence post -- by making a wide hole for the fence post then fastening it to a solid fence post next to it. Rinky dink, but nearly free, and kept the chickens out.

 

[wolftracks]

Look on here for hoop runs. You can do the same type thing to cover the raised beds and keep the birds out and allow you in.

 

[kla37]

I too, loved gardening, and when I got chickens, I realized the two cannot totally coexist peacefully. I did the same thing ginormouschicken did, I made cloches out of hardware cloth to put over certain plants I don't want them nibbling on. The deer fence around your raised beds should keep them out. I have covered a lot of my plants in the backyard where they roam every day. They certainly aren't happy about not being able to eat all the parsley, and I can still see them gathering around some of their favorites plotting and planning how they are going to get to it anyway, but I have let them eat the rosebushes from the height of their heads down!

glad to have you here!

 

[Nestled Chickens]

Quote:
The weather was awesome yesterday! I also spent the afternoon outside (letting my human babies free range with the chickens)! But now we are back to grey skies and a chance of showers.

We fenced our garden to keep dogs and deer out, but kept a gap at the bottom so the chickens could dig around in the dirt all winter. The fence is just metal posts with wire fencing. It's ugly, but functional (good for growing green beans and drying laundry). When we are ready to plant we will run a length of chicken wire along the bottom.