Which to Fence - the Garden or the Critters?

[CountryGoalie]

Hello, folks!

I'm planning on putting in a garden this year, and I'm thinking raised beds. Here's the problem, though: we have free-range chickens. Also, since September, we have gone from one goat, to eight, and we've got several does who are (hopefully) bred.

I like the aspect of having free-ranging birds - they eat bugs, they dust themselves when they want to, they pick through manure in the fields, etc. But if I'm going to have a garden... well, I could foresee a problem there.

So I thought, well, maybe I should fence the birds in. But then I run into the issue of "where" - their coop connects to the horse pasture right now, and if we fenced in a section around it, it would remove the connection between two parts of the pasture.

Then I got to thinking... what if the goats get out? Then it's buffet time! So perhaps I should just fence in the garden itself, that way if the goats happen to get out of their pasture, my goodies are still safe. Plus, then the chooks can still free-range.

What do you guys think? Fence in the birds? Fence in the garden? Both? What has worked for you?

[Macybaby]

I fence the garden. It not only keeps the free ranging chickens out, it keeps the dog, cats, rabbits and deer out too. The problem I have with the chickens is they love to dust bathe and end up killing a lot of plants in the process.

Also, some of my smaller hens know how to fly over their yard fence. I don't usually let them free range if no one is home, but sometimes they do on their own. So I know that trying to fence them in does not always work. However, they have never shown any desire to try to get in the gardens that are fenced. I think since they've never been in there, they don't know what they are missing and just go somewhere else.

Cathy

[AnnieinBC]

Fence the garden in, for sure.....you want your hens free ranging for all the reasons above that you stated.....

I love my free ranging chickens, but it drove me to frustration to see them scratching and uprooting in my flower beds....

Annie

[3kidsomy]

I fenced the garden, everything stays out even the cats

[Razorback21]

I'm for fencing the garden also, since it is not just your chickens and goats, but other animals like rabbits and coons, who just love fresh garden greens. Heck, who can blame them!!!!!

[GoldenMom]

I fenced my garden. I only have poultry now, so I just use 24" chicken wire. My birds could easy fly over it, but they don't. It's worked well for 3 seasons now and is easy to take down in the fall so it makes cleaning up the garden easy in the fall and rototilling easy in the spring.

[Backfourty,MI.]

We fence our garden & we let the weeds grow up around the edges & intertwine with the fence & it makes a good weaved like fence that even the rabbits don't seem to get through either.
I'd definately fence the garden.

[ChickenMom]

Yep, we fenced the garden too.