Reader's Question: How do I keep the chickens out of my garden?

 

by Rebecca Nickols

Q: I have had chickens all of my life, but this year for the first time they are eating all my tomatoes. This has never happened before and I have always used chickens in the garden — for bugs and weeding. Any thoughts? — Charles

Q: I would love to hear suggestions on how to deal with free-range chickens and perennial beds. I have most of my beds fenced off from the girls; however, I don't like the look of it. Does anyone have tips on how to make the plants seem less appealing? Maybe powdered garlic? Some kind of organic method? — Jen in Norwich, Vt.

A: Charles and Jen ... First of all, I've only had chickens for a year and it's been fun journaling my experience on this site, but when a seasoned chicken keeper like Charles asks how to keep his chickens from eating his tomatoes, it makes me wonder if there is a way to keep the girls from devouring our vegetables or destroying our flowers. In fact, I'm having the same problem — every tomato that is within their reach is pecked and eaten as soon as it starts turning red!

I asked several poultry experts what they did to keep their chickens out of their gardens, and then I spent a lot of time researching this dilemma. I came to the sad conclusion that apart from some sort of fence or barrier, there isn't much that can be done to prevent the chickens from feasting on whatever they want. I guess they take it literally when we allow them to "free-range." The garden (vegetables, flowers, weeds, bugs) is a free-for-all, and they think we've created it for their enjoyment!

Even though I'm just learning all the ins and outs of chicken keeping, I've been a gardener for many years and I am of the same mindset as Jen — I don't want to have a fence protecting every plant, but I do want to let my chickens roam as they please. So, I decided to conduct my own (not-so-scientific) experiment that I called:

Gardening vs. Chickens

Step 1: The question ...

How can I keep my chickens from eating my plants?

Step 2: Research

The obvious, tried-and-true methods include fencing, bird netting — one article from Mother Earth News even included the instructions for adding a "chicken moat" around the perimeter of the garden! Other sites mention adding something that might scare the birds away, such as shiny tin pie plates, plastic owls or snakes, and even recordings of hawk calls. I was looking for some sort of organic method, as Jen suggested, to make the plants less appealing — garlic powder, pepper spray ... I've been in a constant gardening battle with the deer that free-range on my property for years. I use a homemade repellent that consists of garlic, eggs and milk; it has a terrible odor and supposedly tastes bad, but as long as I remember to apply the smelly spray, the deer avoid the odoriferous plants. I wouldn't want to put this concoction of rotten eggs and soured milk on my vegetables, but I also have another (less toxic) pepper spray that I use on my raspberry bushes, and it has also proven to deter the deer.

Would a odor or taste repellent work on chickens? Do chickens even have the ability to taste or smell?

I know that the chickens will eat any plant that I throw into their enclosed chicken run — probably out of boredom. However, when they're free-ranging, they pick and choose their favorites. For example, this spring they completely destroyed the bok choy in my garden, but turned up their noses (beaks) at the spinach, chard and lettuce. This preference for certain foods leads me to believe they must have some sort of ability to discern between yum and yuck ...

After a little more research I learned that a chicken's sense of smell is not highly developed and does not influence its selection of food. So, I marked garlic off my list of deterrents. In fact, I even found where some chicken keepers actually feed their chickens garlic cloves as a treat!

As for taste, chickens do have taste buds, but they're limited in number and sensitivity. I was hoping that they would have an aversion to peppers, but birds lack the ability to detect capsaicin — the chemical found in peppers that is responsible for its spicy taste.

Even after I learned the facts, I wasn't convinced that I couldn't train my chickens to stay away from my prize tomatoes. The research indicated that smell and taste shouldn't have that much of an effect on their choice of food, but I couldn't understand why they had never even nibbled at the garlic or peppers in my garden ...

Step 3: Hypothesis
"If I use an odor and/or taste repellent, the chickens will stop devouring my tomatoes."

Step 4: Test the Hypothesis by Conducting an Experiment
I remember from college that you're suppose to have a control set (or a tomato that hasn't been treated with a spray), but I'm not being graded on this assignment ... and I know that the girls love tomatoes. Check out the video below (of my daughter and flock) that shows just how fast five chickens can consume a tomato!

I decided to try two different sprays on the tomatoes: garlic powder and water, and my homemade pepper spray. I thoroughly sprayed each tomato being tested, then offered it to the girls along with a bowl of chicken feed. I knew that each chicken would take a peck at the tomato, but I was hoping that after one bite they wouldn't like the taste and/or smell and would move on to something else more appealing — or at least the bowl of feed. I conducted my little experiment at the end of a full day of foraging so that hunger wouldn't be an issue.

Here's the results ...

Garlic Powder Spray:
(2 tablespoons garlic powder, 2 quarts water)

When I placed the tomatoes in front of the girls, at first they displayed their usual crazy behavior when I give them a treat. They all pecked at the tomatoes and continued eating them, but not with their typical enthusiasm.









Pepper Spray:
(2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons liquid dish soap, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 quarts water)


I thoroughly expected the same reaction out of my chickens with this spicy spray, but to my surprise they didn't care for these pepper-flavored tomatoes! They each took a taste, but quickly lost interest, wiped their beaks off in the grass, turned their backs and walked away! I know this doesn't prove anything, but I really didn't think it would make any difference if I sprayed the tomatoes with anything. I decided to take this part of my experiment a bit further.

Another favorite treat of the girls is strawberries, so I sprayed them with my amazing pepper spray, offered them to my flock and waited for their response. At first they went crazy fighting and pecking each other for the juiciest berry, but in the end they their response was similar to the pepper-sprayed tomatoes. They did, however, eventually consume all the berries, just not with the same zeal they normally have for a treat.


Step 5: Conclusion
Though the pepper spray did slow the chickens down a little, they still damaged the tomatoes and finished off the strawberries. Who knows, maybe if I diligently applied the spray the girls would eventually develop an aversion to tomatoes. I've come to the realization that a lot of my garden will be eaten by the chickens. The tomatoes, peas and beans within their reach have become their smorgasbord. As for now, I'm letting them have their share. I enjoy watching them free-range and I appreciate the eggs they provide. Eventually, I'll probably get fed up and do the only proven way to keep chickens out of the garden: I'll build a fence.


To see what else is happening on our Southwest Missouri property, visit ...the garden-roof coop.