That's one of the lesser reasons we don't let ours run wild. Our food gardens are fenced, so they would not be able to get to them. But they'd do some major damage to the herb and flowerbeds! The main reason we don't free range is that we would not have a flock at all in a week, our predator load is so high.
I have an 8 foot fence around my garden which keeps the deer and most of the turkeys out, but the bantams and some of the smaller chickens can still squeeze through the fence. We definitely have predators, but I’ve figured how to manage it to where never lost a chicken to predators. I love seeing the chickens out. They are happy and the eggs are great!
I’ve tried mulch but my free range chickens go wild scratching through it. It doesn’t take long for them to make a huge mess and damage the plants 😲
That's one of the lesser reasons we don't let ours run wild. Our food gardens are fenced, so they would not be able to get to them. But they'd do some major damage to the herb and flowerbeds! The main reason we don't free range is that we would not have a flock at all in a week, our predator load is so high.
I have an 8 foot fence around my garden which keeps the deer and most of the turkeys out, but the bantams and some of the smaller chickens can still squeeze through the fence. We definitely have predators, but I’ve figured how to manage it to where never lost a chicken to predators. I love seeing the chickens out. They are happy and the eggs are great!