Fencing/Netting. Electric poultry netting has many pros: It’s easy to move and set up anew, it’s affordable, and it’s incredibly effective. Unlike other garden fencing options, electric netting will successfully keep predators out and chickens in. This is a favorite option for many chicken keepers, since it offers the peace of mind of knowing the chickens are safely enclosed. Of course, any electric fencing relies on electricity, so it is susceptible to power outages and other related snafus. If you choose electric netting, keep the weeds and grass mowed below the fencing, since overgrowth can cause the fence to short out. Also investigate solar-powered fencing to keep electric bills down and to have a reliable source of power. Electric fencing isn’t as aesthetically pleasing as some other options, but it does the job well.
Hog Fencing. Another handsome fencing option is hog fencing. With its large, square openings (about 4 in. [10 cm] per side), small predators such as weasels, snakes, mice, and rats, as well as tiny chicks and very young birds, may walk through freely, but it is suitable for keeping adult chickens confined to an area. Hog fencing panels are more expensive than either plastic or chicken wire and not very easy to move once installed, but they work well and make great garden fencing.
Plastic. Plastic fencing is popular for its accessibility, its ease of installation, and its low price tag. Made of vinyl or PVC, plastic fencing is available in a variety of mesh sizes, shapes, and colors and makes great temporary fencing. Unfortunately, plastic has several drawbacks: The material is incredibly flimsy and becomes brittle with the fluctuating temperatures of many seasons. Plus, any determined predator can knock it down or chew right through it, getting to your chickens quickly. What’s more, broken fencing leads to a lot of wasted material and money.
Wood. A great natural source of fencing material, wood may look beautiful in a garden. Unfortunately, wood privacy fencing is rather large and may require professional installation, adding a significant increase to the cost. Picket fences may be used to partition off gardens but are not easy to move once installed. Depending on the height, chickens may fly up to perch on wood fencing and fly onto the other side, gaining access to everything that is off limits.
Chickens will find a vegetable garden an attractive source of bugs, worms, seeds, and nuts, so installing a barrier is the only way to protect your valuable plantings.
Hardscapes: Concrete, Stone, Decking, and Gravel
Patios, decks, stone pathways, and other garden features beautify spaces and make outdoor living easy and comfortable. The chickens that share these spaces will navigate them in much the way humans do: They’ll come and go as they please, walking on any surface you or I might walk on. Hardscapes are rarely a deterrent for chicken traffic.
The major considerations when introducing chickens to hardscapes is the challenge of keeping them clean. As chickens graze and meander throughout the day, they’ll leave droppings in their wake. You’ll likely want to keep heavily trafficked outdoor areas clean to avoid tracking manure into your home or car. If you keep a small flock of hens, cleaning droppings with a cat litter scooper is a viable option but one that will probably become tiresome and tedious over the years. Instead, you may want to install only garden features with excellent drainage.
Deck railings, fence posts, and low fencing all make enticing perches for backyard chickens. As you’ll learn in later chapters, the preening and grooming that follows dust-bathing is a social activity that often takes place in small groups while perching. And as chickens perch, they poop. You can either restrict your flock to certain areas of your backyard or make your peace with poop.
Know the Cold, Hard Facts
Still wondering exactly what you’re getting into? Here are some cold, hard facts to think about before getting started with chickens.
Expect to get dirty. Chickens are messy. They eat like teenage boys, stand on every available surface, and they poop whenever (and wherever) the mood strikes.
Expect to give tours of your coop. For neighbors, friends, and family, your hen’s house will become a small attraction (as if you needed another reason to keep it clean).
Expect to become an expert at making scrambled eggs.
Expect to commit. Most battery-cage hens live for only a year and are then pulled out of production and “processed,” but a well-cared-for domestic chicken may live up to ten years. While the first two to four years of life are the most productive egg-laying years, most layer breeds will dependably lay for up to seven. If you raise healthy, laying breeds, you’ll be pulling eggs out of the nest box for many years.
Expect to make some modifications to your lifestyle. Whether it’s sharing a backyard with your feathered friends or traveling a bit less, bringing home any new pet warrants some compromises to your current routine.
Expect that your chickens will take a break from egg laying every once in a while for their health and well-being. A hen’s reproductive system waxes and wanes with the seasons. Egg laying naturally declines in winter as the days grow shorter. Other annual events, such as molting, will also put the brakes on laying for a little while.
Expect to be thoroughly entertained. Chickens are, in a word, ridiculous. They have a waddle that’s nothing short of slapstick comedy, they make the funniest chuckles and chortles you’ve ever heard, and their antics never cease. You will never be bored keeping chickens. Promise.
Softscapes: Mulch, Soil, Lawn, and Gardens
Of all the “’scapes” in the garden, softscapes are the most susceptible to destruction by chickens. Soil harbors all manner of grubby bugs, wriggly worms, seeds, and nuts, and seeking out and finding this forage is what chickens live for.
To the gardener, mulch is a must. It protects the precious topsoil, helps the ground retain moisture, and keeps weeds to a minimum. To the chicken, mulch is a flimsy barrier between her beak and the good stuff. In a few swift digs of her talons, she’ll send the mulch flying, revealing the vulnerable soil and bugs below. Like a moth to a flame, chickens instinctively know to search under mulch, piles of leaves, and similar ground covering to find protein-rich forage.
Like mulched areas, flower beds and edible gardens are prone to damage from free-roaming chickens. Vegetable gardens and fruit trees are especially targeted: The sweet greens, juicy fruits, plump veggies, and tender seedlings of newly planted beds are simply irresistible to chickens. With both mulched and cultivated gardens, fencing is the only surefire way to keep chickens from getting to these valuable crops. Fencing can be utilized to corral chickens to one area, enclose entire gardens, or even cover individual beds, so do what works best for your setup and budget.
Generally speaking, grass-covered lawn is less vulnerable than the types of gardens described above. While chickens will dig and scratch at grass, they’ll only do significant damage if they are confined to a small patch for a very long time. Chickens will nibble the tips from grass and take bites of weed and plant leaves but will rarely pull up any of these from the roots while grazing. Chickens may be rotated on grass with portable fencing or pens very successfully. (Chicken “tractors” and “arcs” serve much the same purposes; see chapter 6 for more on portable housing.) The size of the pen and the number of birds in your flock will give you an idea of how quickly they’ll eat the greens down to dirt. For the first few rotations, you will need to watch them closely and move them before you see significant damage to your grass.
“Misc”-Scapes: Outdoor Furniture, Birdbaths, and Garden Accessories
As with deck railings and fences, some garden accessories, such as outdoor furniture, birdbaths, outdoor grills,
