I know full well you can't have a garden with chickens in it. Last year I kept the chickens in their coop, which has an 8x16' run attached. They were let out for foraging only occasionally. Obviously they prefer to roam about a bit, and we have the room to allow it, but they make a beeline for the garden every time. I would like the chickens to be outside the coop more often, during spring and summer, so they can get some of their own food.
Chicken predators: not really a problem. My tenant's brother's dog has eaten a few of my chickens, and he is now under restraint when he visits. Garden pests: Nutria. They haven't been too bad this year, but they do like to nibble on things.
The way I see it, I either fence in my chickens, or fence in my garden. I can't afford to do both right now, and really, I can't afford to fence my garden properly, as it sprawls over a 100 square foot area. The chickens have been scratching up my newly planted potatoes, of all things. I planted the potatoes in straw, which made it really simple for them. Well, now I know why you shouldn't plant potatoes in straw! If it makes it easier for you to dig potatoes, it is easier for everyone.
I have been looking at different fencing materials: chicken wire, T-posts, wire netting, electric netting. I like the electric fencing because it is portable, but I dislike being dependent on electricity. Traditional fencing is darned expensive, and you must find a way to stretch it, to keep it from sagging. I could fence half of my garden, the side with tender young cabbages and potatoes, because that is the side most likely to sustain damage from nutria and chickens. Or I could use traditional fencing and fence a large area for my chickens. Trouble with that is it's not portable; chickens may run the soil down in short order by scratching; we have hemlock growing everywhere and bored chickens might decide to eat some. I can dig it of course, but it creeps in everywhere. Free ranging chickens pay no attention to it.
So, let's say my budget for any kind of fencing is under $300. What is the most sensible tack to take?
Chicken predators: not really a problem. My tenant's brother's dog has eaten a few of my chickens, and he is now under restraint when he visits. Garden pests: Nutria. They haven't been too bad this year, but they do like to nibble on things.
The way I see it, I either fence in my chickens, or fence in my garden. I can't afford to do both right now, and really, I can't afford to fence my garden properly, as it sprawls over a 100 square foot area. The chickens have been scratching up my newly planted potatoes, of all things. I planted the potatoes in straw, which made it really simple for them. Well, now I know why you shouldn't plant potatoes in straw! If it makes it easier for you to dig potatoes, it is easier for everyone.
I have been looking at different fencing materials: chicken wire, T-posts, wire netting, electric netting. I like the electric fencing because it is portable, but I dislike being dependent on electricity. Traditional fencing is darned expensive, and you must find a way to stretch it, to keep it from sagging. I could fence half of my garden, the side with tender young cabbages and potatoes, because that is the side most likely to sustain damage from nutria and chickens. Or I could use traditional fencing and fence a large area for my chickens. Trouble with that is it's not portable; chickens may run the soil down in short order by scratching; we have hemlock growing everywhere and bored chickens might decide to eat some. I can dig it of course, but it creeps in everywhere. Free ranging chickens pay no attention to it.
So, let's say my budget for any kind of fencing is under $300. What is the most sensible tack to take?
