Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Scaring Chickens
• Part 2 of 3: Prevent Chickens from Entering
• Part 3 of 3: Lure the chickens elsewhere
• What do you need

If neighbour's chickens regularly raid your garden or vegetable garden, trampling and pecking small plants and damaging larger ones, do not despair. There are several ways to keep chickens away from your property.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Scaring Chickens

1. 1 spray chickens with water. If you see chickens making their way into your area, use a regular garden hose to douse them with water. Do not run the water too high to simply scare the birds away without harming them.
   • Chickens will try again rather quickly after you sprayed them the first time. Keep pouring water on them: gradually your garden will become associated with water for chickens, and they will begin to avoid it.
   • Spraying chickens with water from a garden hose requires your constant presence on the site, and sometimes you can miss the invasion of birds. Therefore, you can install automatic motion-sensing sprinklers that will spray water on invading birds while you are away.
2. 2 Sprinkle the spice over the bird-favored area. Sprinkle cinnamon, paprika, garlic, curry powder, black and cayenne pepper, salt and other spices, or a mixture of these, between the plants. Sprinkle spices around the perimeter of your plot as well.
   • In most cases, chickens do not like the pungent smell of spices, so they will avoid areas where spices are sprinkled.
   • If the chickens nevertheless continue their forays into the vegetable garden, on which spices are scattered, the latter will penetrate their skin on their paws, causing a burning sensation and discomfort. This will not harm the birds, but it will help keep them away from your garden.
3. 3 Use citrus peels. Collect old peels from lemons, limes, and oranges. Scatter it around the perimeter of your garden and between individual plants.
   • You can also spray the soil with lemon or lime juice. Use the juice in place of or alongside the rind.
   • For maximum impact, cut up the lemon or lime and scatter it around the garden.
   • Chickens generally do not like the smell of citrus, so this method can wean them from forays into your area. If the chicken bites the fruit, it will be deterred by its sour taste. However, the fruit will not harm the birds.
4. 4 Plant plants that are unattractive to chickens. Some plants scare off chickens. You can plant these plants in your garden in between others that are more attractive to birds, and their smell will help keep chickens away from your area.
   • Perennial plants are well suited for this purpose. You can sow free areas with marjoram, thyme, lavender, mint, lemon balm, oregano, chamomile, woodruff.
   • Some perennials have a well-developed root system, which makes it difficult for curious birds to pull them out of the soil and dig into the ground.
   • If possible, plant mature plants rather than young shoots or seeds, as these plants are tough enough. Young shoots may be too weak to withstand the incursion of birds burrowing in the soil.
   • Chickens also dislike some fairly common annuals, such as nasturtium, balsam, alyssum, petunia, and calendula. However, if there is little food around, even these plants can fall prey to hungry birds.
5. 5 Do not weed the garden completely. Chickens prefer bare soil, so areas with relatively dense vegetation are less likely to be attacked.
   • If the weeds annoy you, plant the flowers and vegetables closer together. This can limit the growth of some of them, but as a result, a dense carpet of plants will help preserve the beds.
   • For some plants, however, dense planting is contraindicated. If the weeds interfere with the growth of useful plants, remove some of them, but do not completely expose the soil.Avoid bare areas the size of a chicken or larger in your garden or vegetable garden.

Part 2 of 3: Prevent Chickens from Entering

1. 1 Enclose the plants. The easiest way to prevent birds from damaging a plant is to build a small fence around it. Such a fence can be made of fine wire mesh supported by struts; this is enough to prevent the chickens from reaching the fenced area.
   • You can also place the plant in a tomato net or surround it with a few posts.
   • Fasten the fine wire mesh on the posts by putting on its cells from above so that the structure is strong and stable enough.
   • It will be enough if you get a fence with a height of 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 inches).
2. 2 Cover the ground with wire mesh. If you want to protect a fairly large area recently planted with seeds or young shoots from birds, cover it with wire mesh so that it covers the entire area. Most chickens do not like to walk on wires and you will save the shoots.
   • Get a fine mesh wire mesh and cover the entire area you want to protect. Secure the edges of the mesh by placing heavy stones or bricks on top of them.
   • You can also purchase a wire wrapping net and cut a sheet of the desired size and shape from it. Cut out a small square at each corner and fold the resulting "legs" into the ground, thereby securing the mesh in place. That should be enough.
3. 3 Surround the bases of the plants with stones. Another way to protect your plants is to line the bases with bricks and medium to large stones. The stones must be large enough so that the chickens cannot move them.
   • Wait for the seeds to sprout before surrounding newly planted plants with stones. In this case, you will accurately determine the bases of the sprouts and will not block them with stones.
   • Use stones that are at least 15 cm (6 inches) in diameter or thickness. Smaller stones are not massive enough, and especially energetic chickens will be able to move them to the side.
   • Surround the stem of the plant with stones or bricks around the entire perimeter. Try not to leave gaps through which the chickens can approach it.
4. 4 Plant your plants in tubs. Most chickens will not bind to plants placed in tall pots, as this will require extra effort on their part. It is unlikely that you should plant all the plants in your garden in tubs, but it will protect the most valuable and vulnerable ones.
   • In addition to tubs, other devices may be needed to protect against the most aggressive birds. Place the planters on a raised platform or veranda out of reach of chickens. You can also surround the young shoot with stones or bricks, as with plants planted in the ground.

Part 3 of 3: Lure the chickens elsewhere

1. 1 Keep unplanned soil away from the garden. Chickens are attracted by the bare ground. If your garden is heavily planted and has a piece of uncultivated land near it, most birds will be attracted to this plot, leaving the garden alone.
   • Clear an area of ​​about one meter by one meter of vegetation. Remove all plants from it, including weeds and grass cover, leaving only bare soil.
   • This site will attract birds. Chickens will dig in bare soil, looking for worms and insects, and taking dust baths. Having such an attractive spot next to your garden, they will leave the garden alone.
   • It is also good to spray siliceous soil on this area every few months; this will attract the chickens even more, as it will help them get rid of the ticks.
2. 2 Set aside a small vegetable garden specifically for birds. If you want to drive chickens away from your garden, set up a separate plot for them. Seeding it with plants that are especially attractive to birds, and they will be distracted by this area.
   • This technique works especially well when combined with the other methods described above. It is unlikely to work if you do not use other methods in parallel with it.
   • The chicken garden should contain shrubs and low trees, under which birds hide from the heat and potential predators.
   • Plant evergreen shrubs as well so the chickens have adequate shelter during the winter.
   • Edible shrubs will also attract birds. Berry bushes such as elderberry and blueberry are good choices. If you have your own chickens, the fruits of these shrubs will serve as food for them.

What do you need

• garden hose
• Automatic motion-sensing sprinkler
• Cinnamon, paprika, garlic, curry powder and / or pepper
• Citrus peel
• Perennial plants
• Fine mesh wire mesh
• Pegs or net for tomatoes
• Massive stones or bricks
• Flowerpots and tall plant pots
• Shrubs and low trees attracting chickens