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Powhatan,virginia

besides fencing around them how do you keep free range chickens from eating the leaves on your ag plants(or killing them)

6/6/2008 11:30:25 PM

California High Desert [email protected]

I have a few hundred free ranged chicken ducks and turkeys. I guess they don't bother my patch because they hang out near my house and barn where I feed them. Since this is the desert there is not that much for them to eat unless I supplement them with 50 pounds of poultry feed a day. They do not forage that much. I can't harden my plants off near the house. They will eat them. I guess I just have lasy chicken that don't want to walk all the way to my patch to eat. It not that far either.

6/6/2008 11:41:56 PM

Darfield, British Columbia, Canada

The only other opption is called a shot gun

6/6/2008 11:57:52 PM

Rhode Island

call frank perdue . he will know what to do. i feel your pain. my goats got out the other day and ate all the apple buds off the lower rim of rons apple trees.

6/7/2008 6:23:19 AM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Contain the chickens..Then Only let them in the patch 1/2 hour before sunset. They eat the bugs on the leaves and leave peck holes. I have never had the chickens mess with a pumpkin.

6/9/2008 1:49:31 PM

Riverton, WY

I know you were looking for something other than fencing, but I think the best thing is to fence them out of the pumpkins with 4 ft chicken wire. If you want to be able to put it up during pumkin season and down the rest of the year, slide a 6 ft piece of 1/2 inch rebar through the top, middle,and bottom of the fence and pound it in the ground enough to hold the chicken wire up. Put up a rebar post about every 5 or 6 ft. At the end of the season, slide the rebar posts up out of the ground and chicken wire, roll up the chicken wire and store it for next season.

6/11/2008 8:13:19 PM

Bristol,RI,USA.

I think Ron H hit it on the head I fence off my patch and the chickens i have only 10 stay out, but eat the bugs all around the patch. works for me

6/12/2008 12:21:09 PM